INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS SEEK HELP IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 001175

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/MAG (NARDI/HAYES)
DRL (JOHNSTONE/KLARMAN) AND IO/UNP
LONDON AND PARIS FOR NEA WATCHER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/21/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL UN TS
SUBJECT: INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS SEEK HELP IN
INFLUENCING GOT

Classified By: Ambassador Robert F. Godec for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

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Summary
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1. (C) PolOffs met with representatives of the United
Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the
International Organization for Migration (IOM) on November 17
and 18. Both organizations echoed a common complaint in the
diplomatic community: the GOT does not share information,
restricts travel, and limits access to public and private
institutions. They asked for the Embassy,s assistance in
urging the GOT to upgrade the UNHCR's diplomatic status, and
also explored joint-sponsorship of economic and human rights
projects. End Summary.

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GOT Drags Feet in Recognizing UNHCR
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2. (C) On November 19, PolOffs met with two UNHCR
representatives to discuss cooperation and the UNHCR's
diplomatic quandary. The organization is in the process of
trying to establish a North African hub in Tunisia, mostly
because it can't go anywhere else. Substantive issues
prevent the UNCHR from establishing an office in Morocco, and
Algeria and Libya are considered too unstable. The proposed
regional hub is part of an EU initiative aimed at
strengthening refugee protection during migratory movements
by unifying mixed migration policy for refugees and asylum
seekers. Establishing a regional office is complicated
because the UNCHR only has Honorary Representational Status
in Tunisia, initially granted in 1963. The UNHCR has been
trying to get full diplomatic status for over a year, but has
had no success to date. Accreditation is also a high
priority for the UNHCR's High Commissioner, who visited
Tunisia in September and raised the issue with the Foreign
Minister.


3. (C) The GOT's response so far has been that it is
examining the issue closely, and will respond once its review
is complete. There has been no response to the draft
agreement the UNHCR shared with the GOT. The head of UNHCR's
local office Sara Baschetti and Regional Project Coordinator
Ann Maymann said that 2009 would be &key year8 because the
money that would fund the establishment of a regional office
expires in 2009. If there is no movement on this issue the
UNCHR might decide to instead strengthen its presence in
Beirut or Cairo where it already has offices. Still,
Baschetti and Maymann stressed that they attached no
deadlines on the proposal when talking to the Tunisians,
though the High Commissioner did tell Foreign Minister
Abdallah that he would like to see a final decision by next
summer.

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So You Want to Work in Tunisia
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4. (C) UNHCR noted that it gets about 100 foreign asylum
seekers per year, and speculated that there might be
additional asylum seekers who are arrested before reaching
the UNHCR's offices. As the UNHCR has no access to detention
centers, it has no way of ascertaining the facts. Baschetti
and Maymann said that they had requested GOT meetings to
discuss these issues, but diplomatic notes sent to the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through which all meetings must
be arranged, were frequently met with silence. They asked
for the Embassy's assistance in addressing these issues.
PolOffs said the Embassy would need to discuss their
concerns, but in the meantime proposed that the UNHCR contact
members of the ruling Democratic Constitutional Rally's (RCD)
Central Committee. As some of the Central Committee members
are not members of the government, meetings with them do not
require a diplomatic note.


5. (C) The UNHCR Representatives acknowledged the numbers
of migrants through Tunisia are low, though they added that
this makes migration an area in which Tunisia could take the
lead and shine by developing and implementing legislation
protecting the rights of migrants and refugees (as well as
being the home of a regional hub). The UNHCR has also asked
the European Union Commissioner to casually raise the issue
of accreditation, which he agreed to do.

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IOM Open to Cooperation
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6. (C) The International Organization for Migration (IOM)
has similar concerns to the UNHCR. PolOff met with Marc
Petzoldt of the IOM on November 18. Petzoldt shared many of
the same frustrations as other members of the diplomatic
community, namely an inability to get meetings with
government officials, excessive red tape, and strict controls
on movement inside the country. Petzoldt, who said he had
previously worked in Sub-Saharan Africa, Afghanistan, and
Iraq, said that Tunisia was easily the most restrictive
regime he had encountered.


7. (C) According to Petzoldt, the IOM's current project is
a publicity campaign about the dangers of illegal immigration
being developed in conjunction with an association closely
affiliated with the Ministry of the Interior. The program
was developed in response to a request by the GOT, thus
Petzoldt said he is hopeful the IOM will be able to implement
the final product. Still, Petzoldt acknowledged the
possibility that the campaign might never see the light of
day because the GOT is sometimes sensitive about issues that
could put Tunisia in a negative light. Pending projects
include plans to work with the government to improve the
quality and accessibility of statistics relating to
immigration and trafficking, and a proposal for the
government to develop legislation protecting the rights of
migrants. The IOM also helps illegal migrants in Tunisia
return to their country of origin, though there are only
approximately 50 of these cases each year.


8. (C) PolOffs also discussed potential joint-projects.
The UNHCR has an ongoing vocational training initiative with
local partners. As the IOM works on internal migration and
health-related issues, Petzoldt said that his organization
promotes general health-awareness and funds micro-credit and
vocational programs in conjunction with local and government
partners. The Embassy might be able to fund some of these
projects through the Middle East Partnership Initiative
(MEPI).

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Comment
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9. (C) It is possible the UNCHR will not receive
accreditation. Despite multiple attempts, the African
Development Bank has still not managed to win full
accreditation for its own staff. Lack of accreditation gives
the GOT some leverage over the organizations in question, so
that could be one possible motive for withholding
accreditation. Another could simply be bureaucratic red tape
because of a centralized structure where employees are not
empowered to make decisions. Whatever the motivation, lack
of accreditation will not help the GOT in its bid to paint
itself as a regional player. The UN is rumored to be
considering moving some administrative positions from Geneva
to North Africa, but it is unlikely any jobs would be moved
to Tunis if the GOT refuses to accredit UN agencies. End
Comment.
Godec