NUMBER OF IRAQI REFUGEES IN MOROCCO GROWING

C O N F I D E N T I A L CASABLANCA 000028

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/MAG, INR/NESA/NAP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/2018
TAGS: MO PGOV PINR PREL PHUM PREF
SUBJECT: NUMBER OF IRAQI REFUGEES IN MOROCCO GROWING


Classified By: Principal Officer Douglas C. Greene for Reasons 1.4
(b),(d).

REF: A) 07 CASABLANCA 00193
B) 07 CASABLANCA 00135


1. (SBU) During a January 29 meeting, UNHCR Chief of Mission
Johannes Van Der Klaauw told poloff that nearly fifteen percent of
UNHCR's recognized refugees in Morocco are Iraqi. Van Der Klaauw
said the Iraqis began to arrive in significant numbers in early 2007.
So far, he said, he has registered 46 cases totaling 111
individuals. This case to individual ratio is high in comparison to
other refugee populations in the country, due to the large size of
some Iraqi families arriving in Morocco. The average case size of
other populations is approximately 1.2 individuals per case.


2. (SBU) According to Van Der Klaauw, a majority of the steadily
growing population of Iraqis, that have chosen to seek status in
Morocco, have familial ties to Morocco. Many of the Iraqi refugees
have either Moroccan spouses or siblings married to Moroccans. For
this reason, Van Der Klaauw stated, they often settle in remote areas
of the country close to the Moroccan relative's ancestral home.
Unlike the sub-Saharan refugee communities in Morocco, Iraqis have
not found it unnecessary to organize support networks in Rabat and
Casablanca but instead rely on extended Moroccan family groups.
Moreover, because of the common language, many Iraqi refugees have
integrated at a much faster rate than other refugee groups. Van Der
Klaauw observed that there seems to be a nearly even mix of Sunni and
Shia registering with UNHCR and that a high percentage of the Iraqis
are suffering from medical problems.


3. (SBU) Recent Iraqi arrivals told Van Der Klaauw and his colleagues
that Moroccan visas, once available through a simple process at
Moroccan Embassies in the region, are now becoming more difficult to
obtain. One refugee claimed that for many years he had no problem
obtaining a Moroccan visa through Embassies in Amman and Damascus.
However, he added, recently it had become increasingly difficult for
his family and other Iraqis to acquire Moroccan visas. Van Der
Klaauw also shared a number of stories he had heard about Iraqis
arriving at Casablanca's Mohammad V international airport, some with
suspicious visas, who were detained for long periods before being
sent back to their flight's point of departure. In the worst case
scenario, he continued, the flights last point of departure could be
the last leg of a long convoluted journey through three continents,
often a sub-Saharan city where the family is stranded with no support
network and often no money.


4. (SBU) UNHCR officials in Rabat said that for the most part, Iraqi
refugees are less demanding than many of the sub-Saharans and seem to
be satisfied with their situation in Morocco. Some expect to return,
eventually, to Iraq. There are a few, however, who have demanded
resettlement in the U.S. A number of cases have contacted the U.S.
Embassy seeking resettlement as well. These cases are being taken
under consideration by UNHCR for recommendation of resettlement.


5. (C) Comment: Although Moroccan citizens and the GOM are vocal in
their solidarity with Iraqis when push comes to shove these
sentiments may be qualified. With reports of toughening up on visa
policy and stricter access controls at the airport, the GOM may be
putting the brakes on its newest immigrant population. In recent
years the GOM has been reluctant to move forward and officially
recognize refugees and asylum seekers due to fear of becoming a
magnet for sub-Saharan economic migrants it cannot afford to support.
This time, the refugees are fellow Muslims that the country would be
hard-pressed to reject outright but, in their eyes, harder pressed to
absorb in any great numbers.

GREENE