PRC: MFA SENIOR OFFICIAL PROTESTS RELEASE OF

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 001650 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/CM, S/GC, AND S/WCI E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/17/2029 TAGS: MOPS PGOV PHUM PREL PTER KAWC KISL KPAO CH PS UK SUBJECT: PRC: MFA SENIOR OFFICIAL PROTESTS RELEASE OF UIGHURS TO BERMUDA REF: A. STATE 61326 (NOTAL) ¶B. BEIJING 1620 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Dan Piccuta. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (S) China firmly opposed the transfer of Chinese citizen Uighur detainees at Guantanamo to a third nation, Chinese MFA Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Hongbo informed the Charge during a strongly-worded demarche June 17. U.S. attempts to "justify itself" were not welcomed and continuing to approach other nations about resettling Uighurs was "not helpful," he added. The Uighurs were Chinese citizens over whom the Chinese Government had "absolute jurisdiction." Resettling them in a third nation would "send the wrong signal" to the East Turkestan Islamic Movement. In the broader interest of U.S.-China relations and counterterrorism cooperation, China urged the United States to stop the transfer to third parties and repatriate the Uighurs to China immediately. End Summary. China Disapproves -------------- ¶2. (S) China expressed strong concern and firm disapproval of the U.S. decision to release four Uighur detainees from Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility to Bermuda, as well as at the plan to resettle 13 additional Uighurs to Palau, Chinese MFA Assistance Foreign Minister Wu Hongbo told the Charge June 17. Reading from a prepared statement in Chinese, Wu said that the Uighur detainees in Guantanamo were members of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM),a terrorist organization recognized by the UN 1267 Committee, and that they should be turned over to China to be dealt with in accordance with Chinese law. The United States did not have the right to transfer the Uighurs to a third country, not did China approve of their acceptance by a third party, he emphasized. Transferring the Uighurs had violated relevant UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions, and was in violation of U.S. counterterrorism cooperation obligations. Transferring the suspects would send an incorrect signal to ETIM, had undermined the judicial sovereignty of China, and would endanger the security of the United States, Bermuda, Palau and other nations in the region, Wu maintained. Secretary Clinton had had to explain the decision to turn the detainees over to Bermuda in a telephone conversation with UK ;Foreign Minister David Miliband and the decision had been roundly criticized in the UK Media, Wu added. Response to the Nonpaper -------------- ¶3. (S) The Chinese Government has studied the nonpaper the United States delivered June 16 (Refs A and B),Wu said. "Rather than appreciating the mistakes it had made," he said, the United States was seeking to "justify itself" as having a long-standing transfer policy that allowed it to continue approaching other nations to resettle the Uiguhrs. This attitude was not helpful to solving the issue and deeply disappointed China, he said. China urged the United States to act in keeping with the best interests of U.S.-China relations, as well as to appreciate the sensitivities involved in dealing with Uighur terrorist suspects, he added. He further urged the United States to take China's concerns seriously, to cancel the transfer of the suspects to a third party and to repatriate them to China immediately so as to avoid damaging U.S.-China relations and Sino-U.S. counterterrorism cooperation. ¶4. (S) Switching to English, Wu said stiffly that the Uighurs were Chinese citizens. As such, China had absolute jurisdiction over them. The 17 Uighurs were members of a UN-recognized terrorist organization who had trained to carry out terrorist activities and attack the Chinese Government and interests, Wu declared. Thus, China requested that the Uighurs be repatriated immediately. He added that the U.S. BEIJING 00001650 002 OF 002 handling of the matter had been "very disappointing." He noted that the U.S. sought further counterterrorism cooperation, but appeared to have a double standard and approached terrorism on a "selective basis." Transfering the Uighurs to a third country rather than returning them to China would harm U.S. credibility in foreign policy and cause a loss of trustworthiness among U.S. friends, Wu suggested. Bermuda was not a sovereign nation and did not have responsibility for foreign affairs, which was solely the responsibility of the UK. Wu noted that Sino-U.S. relations had a solid base and were moving forward. Thus, for the larger relationship and in light of Sino-U.S. common interests in fighting terrorism, China urged the United States not to transfer the Uighurs and to repatriate them. The Charge Responds -------------- ¶5. (S) The United States did take China's concerns seriously and the decision to transfer the Uighurs was not taken lightly, the Charge responded. The United States had taken steps to ensure that the Uighurs did not engage in terrorism or do anything to endanger any other nation. The United States was hopeful that bilateral counterterrorism cooperation could continue and be strengthened in the future. PICCUTA