BULGARIA REQUESTS GITMO VISIT

S E C R E T SOFIA 000133 SIPDIS FOR S/GC MICHAEL WILLIAMS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/24/2020 TAGS: PGOV PREL BU SUBJECT: BULGARIA REQUESTS GITMO VISIT REF: 09 SOFIA 690 Classified By: Ambassador James B. Warlick for reasons 1.4 (b)/(d) ¶1. (U) Following is the text of a letter received February 24 by Ambassador Warlick from Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Tsvetan Tsvetanov. ¶2. (S) Begin text: Your Excellency, With regard to the request of the Government of the United States of America for assistance in acceptance of individuals "cleared for release" from the Detention Center in the U.S. Naval base in Guantanamo Bay/Cuba and preliminary conversations with Mr. Daniel Fried -- Special Envoy for Closure of Guantanamo, I would like to inform you that in the Republic of Bulgaria there was carried out a careful analysis of this question. The possible acceptance of such of individuals was discussed in the joint meetings of the Parliamentary Commissions of the Internal Security and Public Order of the Foreign Policy, Defence and Security. In the Republic of Bulgaria there was established, with a written Order (No. P-1 dated January 5, 2010) issued by the Prime Minister, an Interdepartmental Working Group to prepare a national position on the reception of abovementioned individuals that had carried out an analysis and evaluation of all the aspects related to the eventual accommodation and integration of the former detainees, as well as had examined the information about eight individuals supplied by the USA. According to the general position of the Interdepartmental Working Group, as potential suitable individuals to be accepted could be identified two among the eight examined persons: ¶1. Jihad DEYAB, Syrian national of Lebanese origin, DPOB 10 July 1971, Jedeta Lebanon; ¶2. Abdul Rauf Omar Mohammad Abu AL-QUSIN, Libyan national, born in 1965 in Tripoli, Libya. According to the position of the Interdepartmental Working Group the supplied information until now is not exhaustive enough to draw up a definitive position on the possible reception of one of the two individuals and for the preparation of his subsequent complete integration. On the 04 February 2010 the Council of Ministers of Republic of Bulgaria issued Decision No. 57 on the reception of the individuals that will be released from Guantanamo. With regard to this Decision, with a view to the complete clarifying of the profiles of Jihad DEYAB and Abdul Rauf Omar Mohammad Abu AL-QUSIN, and with a purpose of the timely planning of the appropriate legal, organizational and law enforcement measures related to accommodation of the individuals, I kindly ask your assistance in receiving by Republic of Bulgaria from the Specialized Administration of the State Department on the closure of the Detention Center at Guantanamo, the whole available information, including the classified, acquired by the security services. Our State would also like to take advantage of the possibility to send a team of two experts and an Arabic interpreter in order to conduct an interview in the Detention Center, with the two aforementioned individuals. It will be of significant importance, to reach a final decision on the part of Republic of Bulgaria, as well as for the preparation of the abovementioned interviews, to obtain the following information as soon as possible: GENERAL QUESTIONS ¶1. What kind of information do the detainees of Guantanamo have about their actual status and their possible future (release, coming back in the State of origin, accommodation in other country, etc.)? In what degree are they informed that they are objects of selection for reception by the different EU Member States? ¶2. Is it acceptable to audio record the interviews that the Bulgarian team will conduct? THE PERSONAL QUESTIONS ¶1. Would it possible to supply us in advance with the biometric data and photos of the two individuals, as well as information about their health condition (information from their medical examination, medical treatment, use of medicines, etc.) and about their psychological profile? ¶2. Are there some identification documents of these individuals available? What type of documents is it? Could the detainees obtain it after their release, no matter whether the documents are valid or not? ¶3. Do they keep some relations (correspondence, phone calls or in other way) with their families (wife, children) and do they declare some intentions to live with them after their release? ¶4. What kind are their intentions about their professional and personal life, respectively -- what are their expectations of the receiving country? ¶5. What is their concrete and specific religious affiliation? What is the level of the sense of religion that they demonstrate (degree of observation of religious principles and practices, and the importance of the religion for their personal views of life)? ¶6. What languages do they speak and in which degree? (In the supplied documents it is noted that Jihad DEYAB speaks only Arabic, but there is information that his mother is Argentinean -- Could be there a probability that he speaks Spanish?) ¶7. Are there among the rest of the detainees individuals that had been detained together with the two aforementioned individuals? If yes, could you inform us about their identity and their status? ¶8. Do the detainees keep some close friendly relations with the rest of detainees and who are they (If it is possible could you provide us with information about their identity, ethnicity, their profile and status.)? We would be grateful to receive information on the person we should contact in view of visiting Guantanamo Detention Center in order to conduct an interview and on the person/contact point in view of the whole organization of the negotiating the procedure about the possible acceptance in the Republic of Bulgaria of a detainee cleared for release. While looking forward to hearing form you at your earliest convenience, I remain, Sincerely Yours, Signed (Tsvetan Tsvetanov) END TEXT WARLICK