VZCZCXRO0668
PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHGB #0270/01 0331157
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 021157Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1526
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000270 
 
SBU 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREF IZ
SUBJECT: IN COUNTRY REFUGEE PROCESSING - RESPONSE 
 
REF: A. STATE 4350 
     ¶B. BAGHDAD 0095 
 
FROM THE AMBASSADOR 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  Embassy Baghdad appreciates Department,s 
interest in the details of the in-country refugee processing 
and support for expanding capacity to implement the Refugee 
Crisis in Iraq Act.  Responses to REF A questions are 
contained below. We urge Department to work with us to ensure 
that we have the resources needed to maximize capacity to 
address the large and growing caseload of US affiliated 
Iraqis seeking resettlement, as requested REF B.  End 
Summary. 
 
---------------- 
APPLICANT MURDER 
---------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) The applicant mentioned (REF B, para 6) who was 
killed was previously brought to the attention of PRM. 
Following his murder, his widow contacted IOM to report that 
he had been killed because of his U.S. association and to 
request resettlement processing for herself and her family. 
After concluding that facilitation to Jordan for processing 
in Amman was not the best option, we expedited this case and 
arranged for immediate pre-screening and DHS interviews.  DHS 
approved the case, but it remains on hold pending clearance 
of a finger print hit. 
 
---- 
SAOs 
---- 
 
¶3.  (U) 40 percent of the DHS-adjudicated cases in the IZ 
caseload are currently on hold due to a pending SAO 
clearance.  As of January 29, 433 of the 1,237 cases 
adjudicated in Baghdad had undergone both class and 
fingerprint checks, but were awaiting SAO clearances.  If 
these SAO clearances were obtained, these cases would be 
ready for out-processing.  The other steps which are done in 
Baghdad, such as medical clearances, are not bottlenecks. 
This information was obtained from the daily analysis of DHS 
approved cases which IOM generates every weekday. We would 
note that other programs, in Jordan, Syria and Egypt, have 
much lower percentages of cases on hold, which we attribute 
in part to the timing of our caseload.  Baghdad,s first 
circuit ride was in August/September, when SAO processing 
times were creeping upwards. 
 
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LODGING 
------- 
 
¶4.  (U) Embassy management committed to provide beds for 12 
IOM caseworkers, effective December 1.  Due to the high 
demand for TDY support and a fixed number of apartments, the 
Embassy has instituted a TDY housing policy requiring 
TDY,ers with assignments less than six months (186 days), to 
share bedrooms, with four to an apartment.  As IOM staff has 
a continuous presence here, management will provide IOM with 
three dedicated rooms, allowing the team members to keep 
certain items in their rooms, reducing the amount of luggage 
they need to transport in and out of the IZ.  Management will 
house DHS circuit ride staff as it does other TDY visitors. 
If IOM or DHS opted to assign their employees here for six 
month assignments, as we encourage, in order to improve the 
efficiency of our operation and reduce the burden of managing 
continuous TDYs, they would be housed two to an apartment. 
 
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WORK SPACE 
---------- 
 
¶5.  (U) We currently have 11 trailers at the Ocean Cliffs 
site dedicated for interviewing and administrative space. 
During DHS circuit rides, four trailers will be used for 
adjudication and one for the team lead, while the remaining 
six trailers will be used for IOM pre-screening.  Two IOM 
pre-screeners will offer DHS support.  When the IOM Iraq team 
coordinator is here, he will either share a trailer with the 
DHS team lead, or work from the NEC.  The mayor of Ocean 
Cliffs has previously indicated that more trailers may be 
available upon request. 
 
¶6.  (U) FOB Prosperity is on schedule to become operational 
by the first or second week of April.  This is subject to 
Qby the first or second week of April.  This is subject to 
change due to construction delays that may arise.  Processing 
will continue at Ocean Cliffs until the move takes place.  We 
are working with the DOD project managers to ensure timely 
completion of an acceptable structure with 15 interview 
spaces.  Starting in early February, we will have a weekly 
 
BAGHDAD 00000270  002 OF 002 
 
 
&walk-through8 with the project manager to be able to 
observe progress of the construction.  We will endeavor to 
minimize the loss of interviewing time during the move to 
Prosperity as we did for the move from the Palace to Ocean 
Cliffs, when no interviews were cancelled or missed. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) We have shared the security recommendations made by 
UNDSS for the Prosperity facility with DS. DS will survey the 
site, coordinate with UNDSS, and report back. 
 
------------ 
COST SHARING 
------------ 
 
¶8.  (U) Embassy Baghdad does not expect to implement ICASS 
until at least FY 2011.  This will be a major budgetary 
change for all agencies with personnel here.  In recent 
months, DOD officials in Washington have notified DOS bureaus 
that contractors will be charged for Milair flights, and that 
they will soon be charged for dining and other facilities, 
with the transactions being recorded by the SPOT database 
system.  The Embassy has addressed this matter by issuing 
no-cost travel orders for IOM caseworkers which are valid for 
at least one-year, exempting IOM from having to pay for 
Milair flights.  Embassy is starting to look at alternatives 
to Milair, which would require payments for flights. 
 
-------- 
MEDICALS 
-------- 
 
¶9.  (U) The capacity of the two clinics providing medical 
exams for refugees is 800 per month.   These 800 slots are 
dedicated for refugee exams and do not include SIV medicals, 
which are performed at the IZ-based Qadisiya clinic.  The Red 
Zone (RZ) clinic has the capacity to do 500 individual 
medical exams monthly, while the International Zone (IZ) 
clinic has the capacity to do approximately 300 individual 
medical exams per month.  At the current processing rate, if 
one closed, we would be able to continue medical exams for 
the full caseload. 
 
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FLIGHTS 
------- 
 
¶10.  (U) There are currently seven airlines that operate from 
Baghdad International Airport to seven cities in the Middle 
East.  Royal Jordanian and Turkish Airways each operate 4-5 
flights weekly.  Iraqi Airways operates three to five 
international flights out of Baghdad a day. Iraqi Airways 
currently has several purchase and lease deals in process or 
completed, which could lead to a doubling of the fleet in a 
matter of weeks or months. In addition to this, seven 
international flights a day serve Erbil. Iraqi Airways has 
daily flights from BIAP to Erbil.  Most BIAP and Erbil 
flights have a capacity of 130 to 140 passengers. Current 
capacity is sufficient to handle the refugee and IDP caseload 
and capacity is growing.  In addition to regularly scheduled 
flights, there are numerous charter operators with frequent 
service that could be mobilized if there were ever a shortage 
of regularly schedule seats.  Bottom line is that according 
to current projections, flight capacity will not constrain 
departures of refugees and IDPs. 
 
 
CROCKER