NEW YEAR BRINGS NEW CHALLENGES FOR IRAQI REFUGEES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DAMASCUS 000023

SIPDIS

LONDON FOR LORD, PARIS FOR NOBLES

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/10/2020
TAGS: KDEM SOCI PREL PREF PHUM SY
SUBJECT: NEW YEAR BRINGS NEW CHALLENGES FOR IRAQI REFUGEES
IN SYRIA

REF: A. (A) DAMASCUS 00008

B. (B) 09 DAMASCUS 776

Classified By: CDA Charles Hunter, Reasons 1.4(b) and (d).

1.(C) SUMMARY: UNHCR officials, representatives of U.S.-based
NGOs, and Iraqi refugees consider continued uncertainty about
the security situation in Iraq and the state of Iraqi-Syrian
bilateral relations, upcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections,
and the continued depletion of refugees' savings the most
salient issues facing Iraqi refugees in Syria as the new year
begins. Over the course of recent meetings with Codel
Hastings (ref A) and Staffdel Marcus, UNHCR officials stated
President Bashar al-Asad told them he welcomed international
assistance for refugees in the face of these challenges but
preferred receiving funding for schools over direct monetary
assistance and believed Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
had a responsibility to pay for school construction here.
Vice Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad echoed the president's
criticism of Maliki, calling on the Iraqi government to stop
viewing Iraqi refugees as "traitors" and provide more
assistance. Miqdad also declared that the SARG welcomed
international NGOs working "transparently" in Syria but
viewed the Sudanese government's experience with NGOs who had
criticized the Khartoum regime as "an eye opener." Iraqi
refugees, for their part, generally do not believe they will
return home soon due to ongoing violence and instability in
Iraq, and requested continued USG commitment to Iraqi
refugees in Syria through at least 2011, if not longer.
U.S.-based NGOs reported continued obstacles in working in
Syria's difficult operating environment, but stated they are
making progress by constructing personal relationships with
SARG officials. END SUMMARY.

ASAD WEIGHS IN REGARDING IRAQI REFUGEES


2. (C) During a January 7 meeting with Congressman Hastings
(reftel),President Asad said the time has come for the Iraqi
government to assist Iraqi refugees in Syria. He argued that
with a surplus of tens of billions of dollars the Iraqi
government must take some of the responsibility for its
citizens in Syria. Asad said the Iraqi government
contributes nothing for Iraqis here, while the Syrian
government extends the same services to Iraqis as it does to
its own people. In the same vein, Vice Foreign Minister
Faisal al-Miqdad told us January 9 the Maliki government
"must stop treating refugees like traitors" and start
providing funding for refugee services.


3. (C) Despite the souring of Syrian-Iraqi bilateral
relations that these comments highlight, United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Deputy Country
Representative Philippe Leclerc told us Asad recently
reaffirmed to them his support for Iraqi refugees living in
Syria. The president stressed, as he has repeatedly since
the two countries withdrew their respective ambassadors from
Damascus and Baghdad in late August, that Iraqi refugees
would not be affected by deteriorating bilateral relations.
His remarks mirrored those of other SARG officials who have
reassured UNHCR that Iraqi refugees will not suffer as a
result of troubled Syrian-Iraqi relations, and that Iraqi
refugees will not be forced to leave Syria until they feel
secure in returning to Iraq. "We are ready to pack them and
send them back in one evening, but we will not do that
because it is not a humanitarian solution," Miqdad told us.

4. (C) Asad also informed Congressman Hastings and UNHCR
officials that while he welcomed international assistance for
Iraqi refugees in Syria, he preferred funds for constructing
schools over direct monetary assistance. NGOs estimate that
more than 30,000 Iraqi students are studying in Syrian public
schools this year, putting a drain on SARG resources. Miqdad
said the USG should provide monetary support to Syria for
Iraqi refugees, but added "the UN channel" is the best way to
support Syria's efforts "because your Congress would not
allow direct assistance to Syria." While SARG officials have
estimated the number of Iraqi refugees at between 1.2 and 1.5
million in the past, UNHCR officials report SARG officials
have begun consistently citing 800,000 as the number of Iraqi
refugees in the country. (Note: Currently, over 218,000
Iraqis have registered with UNHCR as refugees. End note.)

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2011


5. (C) UNHCR officials stated they did not see the
possibility of a significant return of Iraqi refugees to
their homeland until at least 2011. "There is continued
uncertainty among Iraqi refugees because of the bombings in
Iraq, the upcoming elections, and lack of basic services like
electricity," UNHCR Country Representative Renata Dubini
related. "Most of them will not be going back for some

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time," she opined. Refugees themselves made the same point
in a January 7 roundtable discussion and a January 9 town
hall meeting, and requested continued USG commitment to Iraqi
refugees in Syria through at least 2011 if not longer.


6. (C) Dubini and Leclerc said they are concerned about
continued funding for Iraqi refugee programs in Syria past
2010 due to factors such as donor fatigue. UNHCR is planning
on launching a $166 million regional appeal for assistance
for Iraqi refugees in Syria on January 18. Miqdad is
scheduled to speak at the event. "This is a good sign
because it means that the Syrian government is cooperating
with us in seeking assistance for refugees, and we didn't
always know that this would be the case," Leclerc said.
However, Dubini and Leclerc conceded the $166 million is
"ambitious" and stated they are counting on only about a
third of that amount.

IRAQI REFUGEES REQUEST CONTINUED USG COMMITMENT

7.(C) During a roundtable discussion with Congressman
Hastings, Iraqi refugee women working as outreach volunteers
stated they were grateful for international and SARG
assistance but were worried about continued commitment from
the international community. "Our funds are being depleted,
our young men are dropping out of schools to try to find work
to support their families, and our people are becoming
depressed. This is a catastrophe for our community," one
woman stated. Other refugees described increasing rates of
social problems like post-traumatic stress disorder and
domestic violence.


8. (C) At a January 9 town hall meeting with Staffdel Marcus,
only a handful of the more than 50 refugees in attendance
raised their hands when asked whether they believed they
would return to Iraq. "I could never go back. My
experiences there were not as bad as some others, but they
were not easy to get through. I wish I could erase my
memories there," one young woman said. Another woman whose
husband is missing said her children were too traumatized to
return to their homeland, and she worried the SARG would not
allow them to remain in Syria "forever." Other refugees said
they were waiting to see what happens after planned
parliamentary elections in March, and still others stated
they worried about the aftermath of a drawdown of US troops
from Iraq.


9. (C) Many refugees added they believed the USG had a
special responsibility to assist Iraqi refugees. "It's
important that the country that invaded us take
responsibility for its effects. We had normal lives and
suddenly we found ourselves here as refugees," one woman
declared. Another explained resettlement to Western
countries was not a viable option for most Iraqi refugees.
"Even if it were possible, a lot of Iraqis don't want to go
to the West and adapt to a different culture," she explained.
"Some of us will never be able to return to Iraq, and most
of us will not go to Western countries, so more has to be
done for Iraqis who will continue to be in Syria, because we
are a big burden on the government's resources here," another
refugee concluded.

SARG VIEWS NGO ACTIONS IN SUDAN AS "EYE OPENER"


10. (C) Representatives of two of the three largest
U.S.-based NGOs assisting Iraqi refugees in Syria -
International Medical Corps (IMC) and International Rescue
Committee (IRC) - as well as the International Catholic
Migration Commission (ICMC) - - discussed the difficult
operating environment for international NGOs in Syria with
Congressman Hastings. IRC Country Representative Gordana
Ivkovic-Grujic described the 14-month process her NGO endured
to gain SARG approval for its "Livelihood Training Program"
for Iraqi refugees. "The Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC)
told us to go to the MFA, the MFA told us to go to the
Ministry of Education," she said, noting the challenge of
navigating the SARG bureaucracy. Ivkovic-Grujic said her
experience had convinced her Syria is "among the most
difficult operating environments in the world for NGOs."
"Now I only have four months to implement a project we asked
for approval 14 months ago," she added.


11. (C) The IRC heard rumors several months ago project
approvals and visas were being held up for the aid
organization due to the fact it had been kicked out of Sudan
by the Sudanese government (ref B). Miqdad appeared to
confirm these rumors. He termed the Sudanese government's
experience with international NGOs "an eye opener for Syria,"
and said the behavior of NGOs in Sudan "was a setback" for
their operations in Syria. Miqdad said NGOs in Sudan had

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moved beyond providing humanitarian assistance and had begun
political activities critical of the government. "NGOs are
not supposed to be biased and this opened our eyes," he
related. He stressed the SARG is "happy American NGOs are
operating here "transparently," but said each NGO would be
reviewed "on a case-by-case basis" before it is allowed to
operate and pursue specific projects in Syria.


12. (C) Despite these operating difficulties, the NGO
representatives noted progress in the environment for
international NGOs working in Syria. While two years ago
there were only a handful of foreign NGOs operating in the
country, today there are approximately 14. "The key to being
successful here is building personal relationships, and that
takes time and patience. But overall, despite all the
frustration, it's better here than it was in 2007," one NGO
representative said.


13. (C) Comment: Notwithstanding the very real difficulties
Iraqi refugees face, the SARG's response to an influx of
hundreds of thousands of displaced persons has generally been
commendable. NGOs do contend with a challenging operating
environment; we will continue advocating for fewer
restrictions on the number and activities of organizations
working here.



HUNTER