Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09DAMASCUS536
2009-08-03 12:25:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Damascus
Cable title:  

UNHCR UPDATES DONOR NATIONS ON IRAQI REFUGEES IN

Tags:  PREF PGOV KTIP IZ SY 
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OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDM #0536/01 2151225
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 031225Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6664
INFO RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN PRIORITY 7659
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 1126
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0655
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0618
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 0700
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA PRIORITY 0055
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0679
C O N F I D E N T I A L DAMASCUS 000536 

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ELA, PRM
LONDON FOR TSOU
PARIS FOR MILLER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/01/2019
TAGS: PREF PGOV KTIP IZ SY
SUBJECT: UNHCR UPDATES DONOR NATIONS ON IRAQI REFUGEES IN
SYRIA

REF: A. DAMASCUS 434

B. DAMASCUS 501

Classified By: CDA Raymond D. Maxwell for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAMASCUS 000536

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ELA, PRM
LONDON FOR TSOU
PARIS FOR MILLER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/01/2019
TAGS: PREF PGOV KTIP IZ SY
SUBJECT: UNHCR UPDATES DONOR NATIONS ON IRAQI REFUGEES IN
SYRIA

REF: A. DAMASCUS 434

B. DAMASCUS 501

Classified By: CDA Raymond D. Maxwell for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: UNHCR officials held an information sharing
meeting on July 28 to discuss: (1) increasing problems for
refugees in renewing their residence permits; (2) the closing
of the Al-Tanf refugee camp; (3) food distribution programs;
and (4) families returning to Iraq. Additionally, WFP
representatives said the UN Joint Assessment Mission (JAM) on
Iraqi refugees in Syria would publish its report in early
August. End Summary.


2. (C) During a July 28 meeting with donor states and NGOs,
UNHCR Acting Resident Representative Philippe Leclerc
introduced his permanent replacement, Renata Dubini, former
UNHCR chief in Liberia. Contacts have characterized Dubini as
"tough" and said she had an excellent reputation in Geneva as
a good diplomat.

--------------
Arrests while Renewing Residence Permits
--------------


3. (SBU) UNHCR reported increasing numbers of refugees fear
deportation as the SARG has reportedly arrested and attempted
to deport about 10 refugees weekly for the past month.
Leclerc said refugees had been arrested for "minor offenses"
that in the past had not "resulted in deportation," such as
expired residence permits and disputes with employers.
Arrests of women on charges of prostitution, many of whom
were potential victims of trafficking and forced
prostitution, remained a concern.


4. (SBU) Not all arrests led to deportation, Leclerc said.
When notified of an arrest, UNHCR officials have intervened
on refugees' behalf to determine if they should be placed in
a trafficking shelter or if a foreign country would approve
an expedited resettlement visa.


5. (SBU) Leclerc said the approximately 10 arrests weekly are
only those reported to UNHCR, and the actual number could be
higher. He said monitoring this issue would be challenging
but important in determining if it worsens. The situation is
delicate, he said, because "we cannot take for granted"
Syria's continued acceptance of Iraqi refugees.


6. (SBU) Leclerc and Dubini discussed this issue with Vice FM

Faysal Miqdad, who explained the up-tick in arrests as
resulting from a SARG crackdown on falsified documents, a
problem which would be addressed in a forthcoming refugee
draft law. (Note: Lawmakers have been working on this bill
since 2007.) Leclerc cited social situations that might drive
refugees to petty crime and to buy fake documents, even with
real information, in order to avoid Syrian bureaucracy.

--------------
Al-Tanf Refugee Camp to Close?
--------------


7. (C) UNHCR still aims to close the Al-Tanf
Iraqi-Palestinian refugee camp by year's end (ref A),
according to Leclerc. Miqdad promised UNHCR officials Syria
would not "refill" the camp with new refugees as UNHCR worked
to resettle the camp's current population. (Note: A Norwegian
diplomat who visited Al-Tanf on July 29 told Emboffs the
camp's current population is between 600 and 700. Recently
the United Kingdom agreed to take 50 refugees and Italy
accepted 150.) Miqdad said he had stopped SARG security
services from sending arrested refugees back to the camp, as
they had done in the past. Leclerc admitted resettling the
remaining refugees in the camp would be difficult, but he was
hopeful more nations would open their doors.

--------------
New Food Distribution Programs
--------------


8. (SBU) A new WFP distribution program began July 26 and
will provide food baskets to 29,700 families in Damascus and

6,900 families outside Damascus. The program has two
distribution sites in Damascus and 12 outside the city, with
one more under consideration in al-Hasaka. The program also
provides vouchers for school uniforms and additional
financial assistance to 500 families. The current
distribution ends August 10.


9. (SBU) WFP decided to address long-standing complaints
about its food basket by adding canned fish and dropping
between five and 10 kilos of beans (ref B). A new Joint
Assessment Mission (JAM) document detailing these changes
will be published in August.

--------------
Few Families Returning to Iraq
--------------


10. (C) Leclerc previewed a forthcoming UNHCR survey of 1,500
refugees, noting 95 percent of those questioned had no desire
to return to Iraq in the "short term." Indeed, only 981
families have returned to Iraq with UNHCR assistance.
Approximately 10 percent of those have since returned to
Syria, though they have not re-registered with UNHCR.


11. (SBU) Leclerc suggested the Iraqi government remained
ineffective at providing assistance to families returning
from Syria; for example, the GOI provides about $860 USD to
returning families, but the payment usually comes about five
to six months late.


12. (C) Comment: The population in Al-Tanf has dropped by one
or two hundred since Emboffs' last visit to the camp on June
4 (ref A). Though UNHCR may fall short of its goal to close
the camp by the end of 2009, it has succeeded in elevating
this issue's visibility within the SARG and has won
resettlement commitments from a number of countries. Still,
refugees' increasing fear of deportation is troubling,
especially when coupled with ineffective assistance
mechanisms for helping refugees returning to Iraq.
MAXWELL