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DE RUEHFR #7478 3251341
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 211341Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
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UNCLAS PARIS 007478 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF FR SMIG SZ
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE TO RESETTLE PROTECTED MIGRANTS FROM 
GUANTANAMO 
 
REF: STATE 181903 
 
¶1. (SBU)  Poloff delivered reftel points November 14 to MFA 
Office Director-equivalent for Asylum and Immigration Pierre 
Brethes, MFA Desk officer-equivalent for the United States 
Sameh Safty, and MFA Desk officer-equivalent for Cuba Othman 
El Kashtoul, urging the French government to consider 
resettling annually up to a fixed number of protected 
migrants from the Guantanamo Bay Migrant Operations Center. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Brethes and Safty posed the several follow-up 
questions concerning the request that would need to be 
answered before France could even begin to consider receiving 
one or more of the migrants: 
 
-- How large is the group of individuals from which the 
United States government chooses those to resettle? 
 
-- Are the individuals being resettled in danger of 
persecution by groups other than their home governments? 
 
-- What is the specific, official status of the individuals 
being resettled in the United States?  Refugee, illegal 
immigrant, or other? 
 
-- By what means do U.S. authorities determine that the 
individuals being resettled have a "well-founded fear of 
persecution or torture"? 
 
¶3. (SBU)  While Barthes did not explicitly reject the 
possibility of participating in resettlement of migrants, he 
nonetheless emphasized that France has a standing policy 
against quota-based immigration and would only consider 
candidates on a case-by-case basis.  Brethes noted in the 
same context that France was second only to the United States 
in its openness to immigration and that Haitians already 
figured among the most numerous immigrant populations in 
France. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  Comment: It was not entirely clear whether the 
GOF's questions were aimed to make possible or foreclose 
accepting any migrants.  What did seem clear is that the GOF 
would accept only a small number at a maximum, and under no 
circumstances will commit to receiving any predetermined 
number on an annual basis. 
 
Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm 
STAPLETON