VZCZCXRO7698
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHKUK RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHYN #0588 0971128
ZNY EEEEE ZZH
P 071128Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY SANAA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6745
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNSOM/SOMALI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 0266

UNCLAS E F T O SANAA 000588 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/07/2012 
TAGS: PHUM PREF YM
SUBJECT: HELPING ROYG COPE WITH SOMALI REFUGEES AND AN 
UPDATE ON PALESTINIANS IN IRAQ 
 
REF: FRANCHESCHI - HOOD EMAIL 03/27 
 
¶1. (U)  This is an action request for the Department.  Please 
see paragraph four. 
 
¶2. (U/NF)  In mid-March, UN Assistant High Commissioner for 
Refugees Erika Feller visited Yemen to underscore the need 
for additional resources to cope with the continuing influx 
of refugees from the Horn of Africa to Yemen. The A/HCR met 
with senior ROYG officials, including the FM, Deputy FM, 
MinInt and the Minister of Human Rights among others. She 
stressed the need for the ROYG to abide by its commitments as 
a signatory to the Convention on Refugees as well as the 
possibility of implementing a plan originally utilized by 
UNHCR to cope with North Africa migration to Southern Europe. 
 
¶3. (U/NF) Post believes that targeted assistance could 
provide a significant boost to Yemen's efforts at absorbing 
migrants from the Horn of Africa. Assistance geared toward 
training a corps within the Ministry of Interior to become 
capable of conducting refugee status determinations would 
help Yemen create a system for distinguishing between 
legitimate refugees from economic migrants, instead of the 
current de facto policy of accepting all Somalis on a prima 
facie basis and rejecting most non-Somalis out of hand. 
UNHCR-Sanaa has expressed strong support for this concept. 
Additionally, Post believes that the provision of certain 
equipment to the Yemen Coast Guard, such as rigid-hull 
inflatable boats, would substantially boost their capability 
of interdicting smuggling vessels and conducting surveillance 
along the coast. 
 
¶4. (U/NF)  ACTION REQUEST:  We encourage the Department to 
consult with UNHCR Geneva on the proposal outline in 
paragraph three, including a cost estimate and a notional 
timetable for implementation. 
 
¶5. (U/NF) On an unrelated refugee issue, on March 28, a 
private human rights activist met with PolChief to discuss a 
plan for resettling an estimated 15,000 Palestinian refugees 
from Iraq, with Yemen serving as a way-station en route to 
final resettlement in South America or Europe. The activist 
noted a positive initial reaction from her ROYG interlocutors 
for the plan. Separately, UNHCR stated that the ROYG planned 
to unveil an initiative to host Palestinian refugees from 
Iraq at the Arab League Summit in Riyadh in an effort to 
garner additional pledges of financial assistance. Upon his 
return from Riyadh, the FM told Charge on April 1 that the 
notion of accepting Palestinian refugees from Iraq in Yemen 
would "not be considered at this stage." He added that the 
ROYG had instead joined an Arab League consensus to pressure 
the Government of Iraq to provide better protection to the 
Palestinians in that country. 
KRAJESKI