CHILEANS TO RESETTLE IRAQI PALESTINIAN REFUGEES

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAMASCUS 000072 SIPDIS SIPDIS PARIS FOR JORDAN, LONDON FOR TSOU DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ELA, NEA/I, PRM/ANE NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/GAVITO E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/31/2018 TAGS: PREF PHUM PREL SY IZ SUBJECT: CHILEANS TO RESETTLE IRAQI PALESTINIAN REFUGEES FROM SYRIA REF: 2007 DAMASCUS 285 Classified By: Charge D'Affairs Todd Holmstrom for reasons 1.4 b/d ¶1. (C) On January 22, PolOff met with Deputy Head of the Chilean Mission to Syria, Arturo Giadala, who confirmed reports that his country would be resettling over 100 Iraqi Palestinian refugees currently residing in the Al-Tanf refugee camp. (Note: There three camps near the Iraqi border where Iraqi-Palestinians are currently settled -- al Tanf (roughly 500 individuals),al Waleed (approximately 2,000) on the Iraqi side of the border, and al Hol (approximately 300). The refugees at Al-Tanf are stuck in a no man's land area located between Iraq and Syria. UNHCR reports that this camp has neither water nor electricity service and is unsuited for human settlement. The Syrians have, until now, opposed the resettlement of Iraqi Palestinians dwelling in this camp (reftel). Additionally, the SARG will not permit the temporary settlement of these Iraqi refugees within Syrian borders. End Note.) ¶2. (C) Giadala reported that a team from Chile had recently finished interviewing Iraqi-Palestinian refugees in al-Tanf. Of the 125 individuals interviewed, the Chilean team had selected 100 (consisting of roughly 40 families) for resettlement. Giadala reported that his country may be willing to resettle additional Iraqi Palestinians from Al-Tanf if the 100 selected assimilate into Chilean society without incident. Nearly five percent of the Chilean population was of Palestinian descent, but Chilean Palestinians speak little to no Arabic and many have converted to Christianity, Giadala explained. Given this cultural divide, the Chilean government remained "nervous" about importing "problems," and it first wanted to conduct a small resettlement program on a trial basis. He noted that the interview team selected only those families with children. Giadala postulated that the SARG was agreeable to Chilean resettlement due to the substantial existing Palestinian population within Chile's borders. ¶3. (C) Giadala said his country hoped to transport the selected Palestinians to Chile by mid-March. While the details of how the Chileans were planning to transport the Iraqi Palestinians remained unsettled according to Giadala, he did note that his country was exploring the possibility us using Iranian airlines and was currently discussing with the Venezuelan government the option of using Caracas as a lay-over rest/refuel point before commencing on the final leg to Chile. ¶4. (C) Comment: The Iraqi Palestinians represent the most destitute and vulnerable Iraqi refugees. Chile's willingness to resettle some of them with the potential for more, coupled with the SARG's acquiescence on the matter, represents a positive step. Post will continue to monitor the progress of this initiative. HOLMSTROM