ALBANIA AGREES TO DISCUSS RESETTLEMENT OF GITMO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TIRANA 000611 SIPDIS FOR E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/08/2018 TAGS: KAWC PGOV PHUM PREF PREL CH AL SUBJECT: ALBANIA AGREES TO DISCUSS RESETTLEMENT OF GITMO DETAINEES WITH OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES REF: TIRANA 411 Classified By: A/DCM PAUL POLETES FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) Summary: On 17 June 2008, Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Clint Williamson met with Albanian government officials to encourage them to talk about their experiences in accepting detainees from the U.S. military base at Guantanamo. The GOA was very open to discussing their experience with other European countries that may be willing to accept detainees. The Foreign Minister noted that he had already spoken with representatives from the Lithuanian government about this issue. Overall, the GOA remains content with the conduct of the former detainees; despite small concerns, GOA officials viewed the experience as positive. All officials commented that the reaction from China after taking the Uighurs was muted. While there was an initial demarche, Albania's decision to accept detainees has not harmed long term bi-lateral relations with China. The Foreign Minister noted that China asked Albania to discuss accepting any future detainees with them prior to accepting them, but Albania did not offer China a complete assurance that they would do so. ¶2. (C) Ambassador Williamson met with the Deputy Minister of Interior Gent Strazimiri and the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) Director General for Personnel Isuf Celaj to discuss the status of the former detainees. Strazimiri said the refugee shelter held 150 persons but currently had only 19 living at the facility. He added that leaving the refugee center and living in apartments in Tirana was crucial for the integration of the former detainees. The largest problem the refugees had, however, was not physical but psychological integration into Albanian life. Strazimiri noted the Uzbek, Algerian, and Egyptian detainees had an easier time integrating than the Uighurs had. Strazimiri thought communication was the greatest hindrance to the Uighurs integration, both in a common language and what Strazimiri termed "not commendable" communication between the refugee center and the Uighurs. Strazimiri said the detainees do have the right to apply for citizenship after they have lived in Albania for three years. Strazimiri said the MOI would be open to talking with any foreign partner that was interested in learning from Albania's experience in accepting detainees. ¶3. (C) At the Ministry of Justice (MOJ),Ambassador Williamson met with Minister Enkelejd Alibeaj and Deputy Minister Viktor Gumi to discuss any legal challenges the GOA had regarding the detainees. Gumi noted the GOA had signed the 1959 status of refugees, and that UNHCR had monitored Albania's treatment of refugees; the GOA has never received a complaint. In an effort to forestall requests for the GOA to do more, Gumi explained that under Albanian law, Albania cannot offer refugees more than the average Albanian citizen. According to the citizenship law, Gumi said all refugees must reside in Albania for at least five years, have the ability to prove stable residence in Albania, and then be found by the MOI to be a "good citizen." Once these criteria are met, the MOI would review the citizenship package and forward it to the President's office for a final determination. The MOJ was also willing to talk to any countries about the problems and legal issues surrounding accepting Guantanamo detainees. Alibeaj offered to put together the legal framework they used that the GOA can provide to any partner nation. The Minister noted the GOA would be very happy if and when other nations accepted detainees because Albania would then not be the only one. ¶4. (C) At the Foreign Ministry (MFA),Ambassador Williamson met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Lulzim Basha. Basha was very supportive of talking to other countries about Albania's experience taking and integrating detainees, adding that Albania made the initial decision to accept the detainees on the conviction that it was the right thing to do to help a stateless people, and a political decision based on strong principles of human rights. Basha noted, however, that Albania had limited capacity to work with refugees and admitted the acceptance of the detainees was a drain on Albanian resources. Minister Basha had already spoken briefly with the Lithuanian Foreign Minister who had asked in general terms about Albania's experiences, and the MFA remained willing to discuss this issue with any interested European countries. Regarding the reaction from China after Albania accepted the Uighurs, Minister Basha commented the Chinese Ambassador had made an initial protest, during which China requested that Albania not accept more Uighurs without TIRANA 00000611 002 OF 002 first discussing the issue with China. Basha said there was no long term damage to relations between Albania and China. ¶5. (C) In the meeting with Foreign Minister Basha, which was primarily focused on Guantanamo Bay detainees resettled in Albania, Ambassador Williamson also discussed recent accusations of organ trafficking. Basha expressed concern about the fact that no one had approached the Albanian government in any capacity regarding the accusations and said the Albanian Prosecutor General is reevaluating the allegations. Basha believed the EC and other international partners needed to focus first on resolving the Kosovo issue before moving to a potentially inflammatory issue such as the organ trafficking accusations. Williamson told Basha that the issue has already arisen in the context of the UNSC discussions on the ICTY mandate, and that it is possible the Russians may continue to press this point as the Tribunal's status is considered. Because of the political and human rights sensitivities surrounding the issue, Williamson urged the GOA to consider any new evidence that might be found and to follow up on it in an appropriate fashion. Basha assured Williamson that if any more information comes to light, the GOA will inform the authorities. ¶6. (C) COMMENT: The delegation was very well received, and the GOA expressed their support and willingness to discuss their experiences with other European countries interested in taking former detainees. Officials displayed some confusion on the requirements for Albanian citizenship; the MOI thought the residency period was three years while the MOJ said five years. The MOJ did say it is the authority of the President to confirm citizenship and in the past it has been the decision of the President to only grant citizenship to ethnic Albanians, which would disqualify all of the detainees from obtaining citizenship. That said, the former detainees are all doing reasonable well in Albania and despite concerns outlined in reftel, the GOA is doing a commendable job in providing services for them. WITHERS