EU: NO LARGE INCREASE IN IRAQI REFUGEE ASSISTANCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BRUSSELS 000535 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/08/2018 TAGS: PREF PREL EUN SUBJECT: EU: NO LARGE INCREASE IN IRAQI REFUGEE ASSISTANCE REF: BRUSSELS 00451 Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Laurence Wohlers for reason s 1.4 b and d. ¶1. (C) Summary: EU officials told Ambassador James Foley, Senior Coordinator for Iraqi Refugee Issues, in meetings April 1-2 that the Commission is looking at only modest increases over 2007 for assistance to Iraqi refugees and IDPs in 2008. The EC,s reasons include obstacles to monitoring assistance within Iraq, differences with the Government of Syria about its MOU with international NGOs requiring joint bank accounts, and a belief that the Government of Iraq itself should contribute more money to the refugee crisis. RELEX is planning to give 5-10 million euros for IDPs in Iraq and 35-45 million euros for refugees in Syria and Jordan, which would be similar to the 07 total of 48 million, according to Middle East Director Tomas Dupla del Moral. ECHO, the humanitarian directorate, has allocated 20 million euros, up from 17.8 million last year, with the possibility of supplemental allocations later in the year. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Ambassador James Foley, Senior Coordinator for Iraqi Refugee Issues, met with officials April 1-2 at the European Commission (both RELEX and ECHO, the Council Secretariat, members of the Eurpean Parliament, and representatives from international NGOs and UNHCR. Refcoord accompanied as notetaker. Foley encouraged the EU to increase its funding levels for 2008 given increased needs for Iraq and the region estimated by the U.S. government and NGOs at approximately USD 900 million, of which the U.S. has funded $208 million. The EU has a variety of pots to draw from for assistance to Iraqi refugees and IDPs, but EU officials gave Ambassador Foley little hope that overall EU funding would increase much in 2008. The EU is currently looking at a 2008 contribution of 60-75 million euros (20 from ECHO and 40-55 from RELEX). Individual EU member states also contribute bilaterally. The total contribution of the EU plus member states in 2007 was 100 million euros, according to a consortium of NGOs with whom Ambassador Foley met. External Relations funding -------------- ¶3. (C) Dupla del Moral said that RELEX has not finalized its budget allocations for 2008, but is considering 5-10 million euros for IDPs within Iraq and 35-45 million euros for refugees in Jordan and Syria. In 2007, approximately one-third went to Syria and two-thirds to Jordan, but those percentages will likely reverse this year because of shifting needs, he said. RELEX is waiting to see what resources the Government of Iraq will commit to the region, he said. Dupla del Moral claimed the EU's humanitarian aid to Iraq is going to be "significantly bigger than last year," though the figures released so far represent only a slight increase. One of the EU's key motivations is ensuring that the refugee situation does not destabilize Jordan and Syria, he said. Florence Liou Ginguay, Syria Desk Officer at RELEX, said the bulk of the assistance to Syria will go toward education. Karin Gatt-Rutter, RELEX's Iraq Desk Officer, said the Commission's annual budget appropriation for Iraq has decreased steadily since 2003 and will be approximately 75 million euros this year, down from 90 million last year. The Commission's Stability Instrument, which provides 160 million euros to respond to crises worldwide this year, is another potential source of funding. ¶4. (C) In a separate meeting with the Council Secretariat, Iraq Desk Officer Sophie Kisling said total EU spending on Iraqi refugees and IDPs is unlikely to rise significantly in ¶2008. Pressed for a reason, she said Iraq is a wealthy country that should be contributing more. ECHO's humanitarian response -------------- ¶5. (C) The European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) has so far committed 20 million euros for Iraqi refugees and IDPs, up from 17.8 million in 2007. Because a significant part of the ECHO budget is held in reserve to respond to emergencies, supplemental funding for Iraq and the region may be available later in the year. But Deputy Director Steffen Stenberg told Ambassador Foley that even if the money is available, ECHO has serious reservations about spending it in Iraq, Syria and Jordan. In Iraq, the problem is monitoring in an insecure environment, he said. ECHO last year worked only with ICRC in Iraq and is considering expanding its partnership base, but only if it is confident that it can monitor adequately from afar. In Syria, ECHO says the MOU between the Government of Syria and NGOs requiring joint bank accounts violates EC financial regulations and prohibits ECHO BRUSSELS 00000535 002 OF 003 from funding NGOs in Syria. Foley noted that the U.S. has not been dissuaded by such obstacles to funding inside Iraq and with NGOs in Syria, and suggested that USAID be prepared to share experiences with ECHO in this regard. ¶6. (C) As far as working with UNHCR and other international agencies, Stenberg said ECHO in unconvinced that the most vulnerable refugees have been adequately identified and reached. "If we can reach the more needy people in the way we are mandated to work, we would be willing" to increase funding, Stenberg said. Foley strongly urged ECHO to rely, as does the U.S., on UNHCR and NGO estimates of need and to view the UN appeals as legitimate and, if anything, an understatement of the total needs. ECHO cannot give money bilaterally (such funding comes from RELEX),so has focused its assistance on protection, registration and food distribution, said Jean-Claude Heyraud, Head of Sector for the Middle East. Parliament supportive of increased assistance -------------- ¶7. (C) At a dinner with two Members of the European Parliament and a staff member representing a third, Ambassador Foley heard from three of the most outspoken offices on this issue that opposition within the EU to assisting Iraqis is starting to recede but will take time. David Oppenheimer, Assistant to MEP Ana Gomes, said the Commission's hands have been tied politically for years by member states that opposed the Iraq invasion. While the climate is starting to change, it will be hard to engage the EU fully until its member states re-establish diplomatic missions in Iraq, he said. He characterized the EU's attitude as one of general disengagement toward Iraq. MEP Paulo Casaca said that if the Commission proposed more funding for Iraqis in 2009, it would be well-received by Parliament. MEP Baronness Emma Nicholson said she was less convinced that was true, and said the fact that EU member states have been generally unreceptive to Iraqi refugees and asylum-seekers signals a lack of commitment to the region. NGOs continue to lobby EU -------------- ¶8. (C) Ambassador Foley also met with four members (International Rescue Committee, UNHCR, Islamic Relief Worldwide, and International Rehabilitation Council for Victims of Torture) of a Brussels-based NGO Ad Hoc Advocacy Group on Iraq, which has been calling for increased EU assistance for Iraqi refugees. Shannon Meehan, Director of Policy and Advocacy for the International Rescue Committee, said the European Parliament has been the EU institution most in favor of increased aid for Iraq and the region. She said the Commission and Council Secretariat often say they are unwilling to do more because they do not see enough leadership and funding coming from the U.S., UK, and Iraq. Given EU financial commitments to other refugee issues worldwide, Meehan said 75-100 million euros would be a comparable level of ECHO support for Iraqis. Using that estimate, Ambassador Foley suggested to ECHO and to RELEX that 100 million euros would be an appropriate budget figure from each directorate for Iraqi refugee and IDP assistance. In response to ECHO's concerns about insecurity in Iraq hampering project monitoring, Meehan noted that ECHO has found ways to operate in other insecure environments, including Chechnya and Somalia. Comment -------------- ¶9. (C) As Ambassador Foley moved from meeting to meeting, the level of finger-pointing from one institution to the next was striking, with the Commission saying that Parliament needs to provide more funding, Parliament saying the Commission needs to propose more programs, RELEX pointing to ECHO and vice-versa. But underlying the finger-pointing was a clear sense that the EU has some fundamental concerns that need to be addressed before funding will increase significantly. ECHO needs to be convinced that the most vulnerable refugees are being identified and reached, it must work with the Syrian government to negotiate an acceptable MOU with NGOs, and it must find a monitoring mechanism within Iraq that meets its accountability standards. RELEX and the Council Secretariat need to see a greater financial commitment from SIPDIS the Iraqi government before they are likely to propose greater EU spending in the region. Numerous officials said that if the U.S. wants to influence the EU, it must talk to key decision-makers in capitals like London, Paris, Berlin, Stockholm and elsewhere to cultivate a political will and a shared perception of the urgency of Iraqi refugee needs that are currently lacking. End Comment. BRUSSELS 00000535 003 OF 003 ¶10. (U) This message has been cleared by Ambassador Foley. MURRAY .