DAMASCUS REFUGEE SITREP 3

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAMASCUS 000321 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR PRM F/O, NEA/ELA, NEA/I E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/08/2012 TAGS: PHUM PREL SY IZ SUBJECT: DAMASCUS REFUGEE SITREP 3 Classified By: Classified by Charge Michael H. Corbin for reasons b. an d d. ¶1. (SBU) This is the third in a series of Embassy Damascus's updates on Iraqi refugee processing in Syria. ¶2. (C) SUMMARY: Post continued its coordination on Iraqi refugee issues with meetings with the regional IOM director, Canadian Conoffs, and UNHCR representatives. Post is following developments in the refugee resettlement process as well financial issues on the assistance side. The central UNHCR food distribution center closed because of planned construction and a new location is being sought. The MFA asked UNHCR to withdraw requests for DHS circuit riders to interview three Iranian Ahwazis. The Chief of the UNHCR Executive Committee visited Damascus, and IOM Damascus is sending two visitors to Washington. Finally, Post oversaw physical improvements to the DHS interviewing rooms at UNHCR. END SUMMARY ¶3. (SBU) IOM REGIONAL DIRECTOR IN DAMASCUS: Charge paid a courtesy call on IOM's visiting Regional Director Shahad Haque on April 30 at IOM's Damascus Office. Mr. Haque took over the regional director position six months ago and was in Damascus on an orientation visit. A Bangledeshi diplomat on detail, Mr. Haque discussed making IOM more engaged with host country governments while maintaining IOM's reputation as an effective operational organization, without offering any specific example of changes or actions he planned take. Mr. Haque later met with various officials at the Syrian Foreign Ministry. While aware of the challenges PRM has faced with coordinating actions between the various IOM headquarters under his supervision, Haque offered no insight into how he planned to improve their coordination or commitments. ¶4. (SBU) REFUGEES BY THE NUMBERS: IOM staffers shared with post their upcoming caseload numbers, effective April 30th. Two-hundred forty four more cases (735 individuals) are scheduled to be interviewed by May 21,the end of the current DHS circuit ride. For the circuit ride beginning May 23, 269 cases (859 individuals) are ready to be scheduled. IOM says that for FY 2008 over 3000 individuals had been processed and they were on target to meet their goal of 4000 by the end of FY 2008. -------------- SARG Intervenes on Ahwazis -------------- ¶5. (C) UNHCR Resident Representative Jolles informed Charge May 5 that he had been convoked by Vice Foreign Minister Miqdad's Office Director Hussam Alaa on the case of three Ahwazi Iranians. UNHCR had submitted the cases to IOM for interview by the current DHS circuit ride. Alaa told Jolles he wanted "nothing to raise the profile" of the current U.S. resettlement program and he asked UNHCR to withdraw the Iranian cases from consideration by DHS. Although UNHCR shares our strong concerns about SARG treatment of Ahwazis, UNHCR believes the SARG will agree to other countries resettling the three cases. UNHCR has asked IOM to withdraw the cases, but sees no problem with the few other non-Iraqi cases. COMMENT: While we continue to follow SARG mistreatment of Ahwazis, we believe at this point we should defer to UNHCR, given the importance of Iraqi resettlement. We note that despite current bilateral tensions, the SARG officially confirmed its willingness to continue the IOM/DHS resettlement program. END COMMENT. ¶6. (SBU) DHS AT UNHCR: This week, the DHS circuit riders moved to a Monday through Friday work week. UNHCR was pleased to have the extra workday during the week (Sunday), allowing their staff to reduce weekend and after-hours overtime. Over the weekend Post supervised contractor modifications to the plexiglas in the DHS interview rooms at UNHCR. The DHS team leader commented that the improved acoustics will result in better quality interviews. ¶7. (SBU) CANADIAN OUTREACH: Conoff met with consular officers at the Canadian Embassy on May 1 to compare notes on refugee processing. The GOC has a CY 2008 goal of 1220 UNHCR-referred refugee cases, with an additional 800 privately-referred cases, for Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. The Canadian conoffs estimated that 95 percent of the UNHCR cases will be Iraqi. They also said that their number of UNHCR referrals was dropping off and they were concerned that an increase of USG processing in 2009 will further reduce their UNHCR referrals. ¶8. (SBU) IOM STAFF IN WASHINGTON: IOM Staffers Taj Jarous and Ola Younes arrive in Washington on May 9 for a Cultural Orientation course. Ms. Jarous is the Damascus OPE supervisor and IOM Damascus Acting Deputy. Ms. Younes supervises the OPE orientation programs. They are anxious to meet with PRM staff the week of May 12. ¶9. (C) FOOD DISTRIBUTION: UNHCR Public Information Officer Sybella Wilkes told us that, despite hopes that the current food distribution could be completed before planned construction on the site of the principal Iraqi refugee food distribution center in Damascus, the SARG moved ahead and closed the center on April 29 (the adjacent Ministry of Tourism had been forced to close the previous week). UNHCR was seven days into the latest food distribution. Roughly 85 thousand Iraqi refugees remain without their allotted rations. Wilkes reported that the SARG had informed UNHCR near the start of the year that they were looking to reclaim the land being used by the distribution center at some unspecified date in the future, but gave guarantees that any moves by the SARG would be conducted in a dignified way to minimize the impact on the distribution project. Wilkes indicated that the food distribution center land will be used for one of the Syrian First Lady's "Discovery Zone" projects - play areas for children. UNHCR contacts report that they have received thousands of phone call regarding the disruption in food distribution, with many Iraqis reportedly speculating that this is part of a larger effort by the SARG to drive out the Iraqi refugee population. UNHCR in concert with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) is looking at alternative locations, with the SARC head quarters in Harasta, another Damascus suburb, as being the likely location. Wilkes added that this site is rather inconvenient for the Iraqi refugees and given the increases in the price of both food and transportation, this move will serve to compound costs significantly for both UNHCR and the Iraqis who need to travel to the new location. Wilkes reported that they hope to have a new food distribution site open in a week, but noted that many Iraqis had been expecting the food and are in a difficult position because of this delay. ¶10. (SBU) FINANCIAL CRUNCH AND APPEAL LAUNCH: UNHCR representatives reported that come mid-August the funds allotted for Syria (USD 56 million) to assist Iraqi refugees for the fiscal year will be exhausted. Without an infusion of funds come August, health, food and education assistance to Iraqi refugees will need to be dramatically scaled back. UNHCR representatives indicated that they could continue operations through the end of the calendar year with an infusion of roughly USD 15 million and may be able to "scrape by" on USD 10 million. ¶11. (C) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE VISIT: The head of the UNHCR Executive Committee, Netherlands Ambassador Boudewign Van Eenennaam, visited Damascus this week. Ambassador Eenennaam met with the Ministers of Education and Health along with Vice FM Miqdad, SARC President Dr. Attar, and First Lady Asma (Akhras) Al-Asad. He was here to familiarize himself with UNHCR Syria issues/concerns and reportedly pressured the SARG on the issues of visas for Iraqi refugees and the food distribution center. He also took some time to solicit support from donor country representatives for UNHCR budgetary needs. With the First Lady, he raised the food distribution center closure and Iraqi concerns about rumors suggesting the SARG would not continue to re-issue visas (as they have been) for those refugees seeking to re-register their children for the next school year in Syrian schools. Mrs. Asad promised to look into both matters. According to Eenennaam, Miqdad, while in the context of expressing general negativity towards the U.S., made a special point to complain about the slow pace of the U.S./Iraqi resettlement program. Ambassador Eenennaam informed Charge that he would soon be in Washington DC to discuss his findings. CORBIN