MAYOR OF SWEDEN'S REFUGEE CAPITAL MEETS WITH

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STOCKHOLM 000298 SIPDIS SIPDIS EUR FOR NB E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREF PREL PGOV IZ SE SUBJECT: MAYOR OF SWEDEN'S REFUGEE CAPITAL MEETS WITH AMBASSADOR REF: STOCKHOLM 263 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED--PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On April 18, Ambassador Wood held meetings in Sodertalje (a Stockholm suburb of 83,000 with about 26,000 Iraqi immigrants) to discuss immigration problems of Christian Iraqis. Sodertalje's Mayor said there has been a steep spike in Iraqi Christian asylum-seekers over the past two years, which has oversaturated the welfare system (reftel). The Mayor is soliciting help from other municipalities and foreign governments, including the U.S. Iraqi Christian community leaders told the Ambassador they were frustrated by how the U.S. government and Iraqi authorities are handling religious freedom in Iraq and how the Swedish government is handling its refugee program. Post plans to continue a dialogue with the Iraqi community and Swedish government. End summary. Why Sweden? A Schengen Immigration Problem -------------- ¶2. (U) Sweden is viewed as one of the golden ticket countries for immigrants due to its liberal asylum policies and high standard of living. However, geographically it is more difficult to access than the majority of EU states. According to EU refugee policy, the first Schengen-member state a refugee enters into is responsible for handling that refugee. The lax enforcement, or "pass the buck attitude", of Schengen migration law by certain EU members is partially the reason for the large refugee influx to Sweden. Nearly half of Iraqis going to Europe eventually reach Sweden, of which 10 percent go to Sodertalje, a municipality of 84,000 south of Stockholm. ¶3. (U) Mayor Lago testified on Capitol Hill on April 10 at a hearing arranged by the Helsinki Commission. He briefed U.S. senators on how the Iraqi refugee crisis has affected Sodertalje and what his municipality is doing to ease its refugee burden. ¶4. (SBU) The Ambassador discussed Sodertalje's immigration issues with officials, including Mayor Anders Lago, Sodertalje Municipality Director Ulla-Marie Hellenberg, and member of Sodertalje's Municipal Council, Marita Larnestad. Mayor Anders Lago told the Ambassador the Assyrian/Chaldean Iraqi migration spike over the past two years has oversaturated the municipality's capacity to provide each immigrant with adequate aid. Lago pointed to four main problems: lack of jobs, adequate housing, and day care/schooling; and an increase in public support for anti-immigrant political parties, including among immigrant citizens. Sodertalje's Solution -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Over-immigration forced Sodertalje to restructure its refugee settlement plan. The municipality is focusing on reducing the influx of refugees, creating jobs, and speeding up the asylum process so that refugees can quickly enter the workforce and exit the welfare system. Mayor Lago is lobbying Swedish municipalities and foreign governments to help absorb the newly-arrived refugees. ¶6. (SBU) Lago's main request to the Ambassador was for the U.S. to help absorb 100 Iraqi refugees currently in Sodertalje. He proposed that the U.S. provide "green cards" to 100 refugees as a sign of our intention to ease the burden on Sodertalje. Additionally, Lago would like the U.S. government's help to deepen cooperation between Uppsala University and Wayne State University in their comparative analysis of Iraqi refugee integration. The Ambassador thanked Lago for his thoughts and told him that he would send back his requests to Washington. Iraqi Christians: "We cannot go back" -------------- ¶7. (U) Also on April 18, the Ambassador met with members of the Assyrian/Chaldean Iraqi refugee community in Sodertalje. Pastor Paul Raban of St. Johannes Catholic Church told the Ambassador that, as the "invaders," the U.S. is responsible for taking care of all refugees. Another church official said the Iraqi government cannot protect the Christian minority and therefore the U.S. must protect them. ¶8. (SBU) Three recent immigrants gave testimony to the worsening situation for Iraqi Christians in Iraq and the STOCKHOLM 00000298 002 OF 002 difficulties present for them in Sweden. Their main messages to the Ambassador and Mayor were: -- They do not believe they will ever be able to return to Iraq; -- Sodertalje is oversaturated with immigrants and its welfare services are inadequate to take care of the existing refugees; -- The U.S. must help Sodertalje absorb refugees; -- Iraqi Christians are not considered an ethnic minority, and thus are not protected by the Iraqi constitution. They are targeted for persecution by the Shia and Sunni alike. ¶9. (SBU) Many of the Iraqi Christians criticized the Swedish government in the presence of Mayor Lago. (Comment: Their comments demonstrate resentment of both the Muslim community and the Swedish government. End comment) -- Muslim Iraqis are getting residency, but not Christian Iraqis, because the Swedish government is biased. -- As the Swedish government does not provide adequate support for Iraqi refugees, the government is at fault for criminal activity by the "bored" Iraqi youth. ¶10. (U) Local media were intensely interested in the Ambassador and Mayor's meeting with the Iraqi community. Suroyo TV, a satellite broadcaster to the Middle East, filmed much of the session and posed questions to the Ambassador on-camera. The Ambassador expressed sympathy for the plight of the community, both those who have fled as well as those who remain in Iraq. ¶11. (U) Ambassador Wood listened carefully to the group and thanked them for their time and stories, saying he would convey their comments to Washington and Embassy Baghdad. Further Embassy Engagement with Sweden's Iraqi Immigrants -------------- -------------- ¶12. (U) Post plans to take the following actions to continue its engagement with the Iraqi refugee community and the Swedish government: -- Follow-up visits to Sodertalje to engage in a dialogue with the Assyrian/Chaldean community; -- Connect the Iraqi refugee community in Sweden with U.S.-based NGOs and U.S. Iraqi communities to enhance cooperation on refugee issues. WOOD