Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08BRUSSELS1742
2008-11-14 17:12:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
USEU Brussels
Cable title:
DEMARCHE RESPONSE: EU OPEN TO U.S. APPROACH FOR
how-toVZCZCXRO1339 PP RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSR DE RUEHBS #1742 3191712 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 141712Z NOV 08 FM USEU BRUSSELS TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY
UNCLAS BRUSSELS 001742
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
FOR PRM/ECA WENDT AND HASTINGS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF PHUM PREL EUN
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE RESPONSE: EU OPEN TO U.S. APPROACH FOR
AFGHAN REFUGEE CONFERENCE
REF: STATE 118597
UNCLAS BRUSSELS 001742
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
FOR PRM/ECA WENDT AND HASTINGS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF PHUM PREL EUN
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE RESPONSE: EU OPEN TO U.S. APPROACH FOR
AFGHAN REFUGEE CONFERENCE
REF: STATE 118597
1. (SBU) The European Union is broadly in agreement with U.S.
goals for the November 19 International Conference on the
Return and Reintegration of Afghan Refugees, according to two
officials at the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office
(ECHO) to whom RefCoord delivered reftel message November 13.
Separately, DAS Patrick Moon, the State Department's
Afghanistan Coordinator, stressed the importance the United
States places on the conference in a meeting November 12 with
European Commission Director for Asia James Moran. Moran
noted that the Commission has been following closely the
issue of Afghan refugees and will continue to do so. He
noted that it had been some time since the last conference on
refugees, which was held in Brussels.
2. (SBU) The EU will be represented at the November 19
conference by the head of the Commission delegation in Kabul,
according to EU officials in Brussels. The External
Relations Directorate (RELEX),rather than ECHO, will take
the conference lead because the Commission views the
conference agenda as "more political than strictly
humanitarian," according to Beatrice Miege, Afghanistan Desk
Officer at ECHO. Miege and her supervisor, Maria Rahla, ECHO
Team Leader for Asia, said the five-year timeframe supported
by the U.S. for Afghan refugee returns from Iran and Pakistan
sounds reasonable and is something ECHO could support. Rahla
noted, however, that the situation in both Pakistan and
Afghanistan is so fluid that any goals set now will have to
be reviewed and possibly updated periodically during the
five-year timeframe. She said ECHO's main goal is for the
repatriation to be done properly and with dignity, not
"repatriation for the sake of repatriation." Rahla noted
that the costs of reintegrating refugees will be high and
that food security and promotion of livelihoods will be key
components of a successful repatriation.
3. (U) Miege plans to visit Afghanistan from November 26 to
December 4 to review the work of UNHCR, ICRC and NGOs funded
by ECHO. ECHO has allocated 25 million euro in humanitarian
assistance plus 8 million euro in food aid for Afghanistan
for 2009, approximately the same level of funding as in 2008,
she said. ECHO focuses its funding on three sectors: health,
good governance and agriculture. Miege said ECHO is
concerned that a high percentage of returning refugees are
going to cities rather than the rural areas they came from
because they do not see an economic future for themselves in
farming.
SILVERBERG
.
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
FOR PRM/ECA WENDT AND HASTINGS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF PHUM PREL EUN
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE RESPONSE: EU OPEN TO U.S. APPROACH FOR
AFGHAN REFUGEE CONFERENCE
REF: STATE 118597
1. (SBU) The European Union is broadly in agreement with U.S.
goals for the November 19 International Conference on the
Return and Reintegration of Afghan Refugees, according to two
officials at the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office
(ECHO) to whom RefCoord delivered reftel message November 13.
Separately, DAS Patrick Moon, the State Department's
Afghanistan Coordinator, stressed the importance the United
States places on the conference in a meeting November 12 with
European Commission Director for Asia James Moran. Moran
noted that the Commission has been following closely the
issue of Afghan refugees and will continue to do so. He
noted that it had been some time since the last conference on
refugees, which was held in Brussels.
2. (SBU) The EU will be represented at the November 19
conference by the head of the Commission delegation in Kabul,
according to EU officials in Brussels. The External
Relations Directorate (RELEX),rather than ECHO, will take
the conference lead because the Commission views the
conference agenda as "more political than strictly
humanitarian," according to Beatrice Miege, Afghanistan Desk
Officer at ECHO. Miege and her supervisor, Maria Rahla, ECHO
Team Leader for Asia, said the five-year timeframe supported
by the U.S. for Afghan refugee returns from Iran and Pakistan
sounds reasonable and is something ECHO could support. Rahla
noted, however, that the situation in both Pakistan and
Afghanistan is so fluid that any goals set now will have to
be reviewed and possibly updated periodically during the
five-year timeframe. She said ECHO's main goal is for the
repatriation to be done properly and with dignity, not
"repatriation for the sake of repatriation." Rahla noted
that the costs of reintegrating refugees will be high and
that food security and promotion of livelihoods will be key
components of a successful repatriation.
3. (U) Miege plans to visit Afghanistan from November 26 to
December 4 to review the work of UNHCR, ICRC and NGOs funded
by ECHO. ECHO has allocated 25 million euro in humanitarian
assistance plus 8 million euro in food aid for Afghanistan
for 2009, approximately the same level of funding as in 2008,
she said. ECHO focuses its funding on three sectors: health,
good governance and agriculture. Miege said ECHO is
concerned that a high percentage of returning refugees are
going to cities rather than the rural areas they came from
because they do not see an economic future for themselves in
farming.
SILVERBERG
.