UNHCR-JORDAN: IRAQI REFUGEES WILL ONLY RETURN HOME

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001449

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ENA, AND PRM/ANE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/19/2010
TAGS: PREF EAID PHUM IX JO
SUBJECT: UNHCR-JORDAN: IRAQI REFUGEES WILL ONLY RETURN HOME
WHEN IRAQ IS READY

REF: SECSTATE 51405

Classified By: Ambassador R. Stephen Beecroft
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: Reftel recently established voluntary
repatriation as the goal of U.S. assistance policy for Iraqi
refugees and asked post to approach government and IO
officials to present the policy. In response to the action
request, the Ambassador met with UNHCR Country Representative
Imran Riza to explain that the USG would look for ways to
help create domestic conditions in Iraq which would favor and
promote repatriation with dignity and security. Riza said
the greatest barrier remains the perceived and actual
conditions on the ground in Iraq. The Government of Iraq
(GOI) has still not established structures and procedures to
encourage refugee returns. Riza believes that the GOI should
establish an inter-ministerial committee to oversee the
repatriation process. Riza also reports that newly arrived
Iraqis relay tales of direct threats and increased
lawlessness inside Iraq. This is the cause for an increase in
the number of newly arrived refugees, especially minorities,
in Jordan and Syria. While the Government of Jordan (GOJ)
ministries have impeded organizations from conducting a
thorough census of the Iraqi population, practical
cooperation between UNHCR and the GOJ has been good and
continues to improve. End summary.

Repatriation is Possible, but...
--------------


2. (C) Speaking with the Ambassador, UNHCR's Imran Riza said
that Iraqis could be encouraged to repatriate from Jordan,
but fears about conditions on the ground in Iraq prevent most
from seriously preparing to return. According to a newly
completed UNHCR-Jordan "intention" survey, 90 percent of all
respondents indicated that they did not wish to return in the
near term. The Iraqi community in Jordan appears convinced
that extra-legal detentions and arrests are on the rise in
Baghdad as the GOI struggles to deal with a difficult
security situation. The refugees fear that arrests are being
used to settle scores among Iraqi factions and they have
little confidence in the government's ability to provide
protection if and when they return. In addition to security,
Iraqis say they are equally concerned about economic
conditions, which is a new finding since the previous survey
one year ago.


3. (C) UNHCR continues to formally register between 600 to
700 Iraqi refugees per month. Approximately half are new
arrivals who say they are fleeing persecution by militias and
armed gangs who are operating with impunity in Baghdad. The
other new registrants are long-term residents whose economic
situation has deteriorated since their arrival, prompting new
requests for assistance.

Much needs to be done.
--------------


4. (C) Riza said that successful repatriation planning
should begin in Iraq. In recent meetings with Iraqi
officials in Baghdad, Riza found the GOI's rhetoric hostile
towards refugee assistance and repatriation, with high-level
officials referring to the refugees as unrepentant Baathists
and looters. Riza recommended that the GOI publicly
encourage returns. Once public messages become more
welcoming, the GOI then needs to reorganize itself to support
returnees. Many refugees believe that the GOI is
ill-prepared to help them restart their lives and this is one
cause of their reluctance to return. Riza recommended that
the GOI create a repatriation committee made up of officials
from all interested ministries and agencies with authority to
oversee all matters concerning assistance to returning
refugees and IDPs.


5. (C) Riza also recommended that the international
community work with UNHCR and the GOI to rationalize
assistance so that programs available inside Iraq are
comparable to medical, educational, and financial assistance
available outside Iraq. However, Riza asked that assistance
levels be improved inside Iraq without lowering the quality
of assistance available to needy refugees abroad. According
to Riza, continuation of assistance outside of Iraqi has two
benefits: 1) assistance relieves pressure on the host
countries, making them more amenable to hosting current and
future refugees; and 2) refugees who feel secure and do not
have to worry about meeting basic day-to-day subsistence
needs are more likely to thoughtfully consider and make plans
to return home.


AMMAN 00001449 002 OF 002


UNHCR's funding levels are low
--------------


6. (C) Riza explained that UNHCR would appeal for funds to
support repatriation through the UNHCR Iraq office. Riza's
office is focused on maintaining the humanitarian space and
assistance for the increasingly vulnerable Iraqis in Jordan.
According to Riza, UNHCR Jordan is under funded for its
current operation. UNHCR headquarters in Geneva authorized
Riza to obligate 50 percent of his request for operational
funds, but only 33 percent of the overall UNHCR appeal
through the consolidated appeals process has been funded to
date. The UNHCR regional offices have been encouraged to
seek funding on their own. However, that funding, once
secured, flows into the central coffers of UNHCR headquarters
and does not always end up with the original country office
which solicited it directly from donors. In addition,
European donors have refused to support new programs, saying
that the estimated number of needy refugees in Jordan remains
inflated and does not warrant continued assistance outside of
Iraq. Riza argued that even despite inflated numbers this
was a specious argument that ignored the presence of
genuinely needy Iraqis in Jordan.

The USG can help
--------------


7. (C) UNHCR identified tertiary health care as a critical
need for Iraqi refugees. A number of refugees in Jordan
suffer from chronic, life threatening ailments that require
expensive surgery and/or long-term treatment. Ideally, Riza
would like to see the GOI come up with a health care plan to
cover refugees for catastrophic illnesses. This type of
intervention by the GOI would be a positive gesture towards
refugees, many of whom feel the government would be hostile
to their return.


8. (C) Riza also called on the USG to continue to press the
GOJ for legal status for refugees, as well as for the right
to work and receive vocational education legally in Jordan.
He also asked that the USG encourage the GOJ to allow an
independent survey of refugees to determine their numbers and
their levels of need. Riza said that UNHCR had hoped to work
in cooperation with the GOJ to complete a joint survey of
Iraqis. However, after initially approving the project, the
GOJ Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation had so
diluted the scope of work that it became useless and UNHCR
withdrew from the exercise.

Refugees Are Safe in Jordan
--------------


8. (C) According to Riza, the GOJ is cooperating on refugee
protection. The Ministry of the Interior issued an order in
the spring instructing police officers and labor inspectors
not to arrest Iraqis for labor code violations if they could
present UNHCR refugee documentation. The Government sends
its law enforcement personnel to UNHCR-run seminars on
refugee protection and refugee rights. The GOJ continues
what one official described as a "one-eye-closed policy,"
maintaining tough restrictions on foreign labor and visitors
while actually allowing Iraqi refugees to live, work and use
services in Jordan without formal refugee status. Riza
warned that this tolerance could be dependent on continued
international financial support for refugees.


9. (C) Finally, Riza agreed that the GOJ should take
measures to encourage repatriation. Currently Jordan waives
penalties for Iraqis traveling back to Iraq, but imposes a
ban on reentry into Jordan and stamps the travelers passport
to indicate the ban. Eliminating these measures would
encourage Iraqis to make exploratory trips while considering
a move back home.

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Beecroft
Beecroft