VZCZCXRO4082
PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHIHL RUEHKUK RUEHPOD
DE RUEHGV #0434/01 1601107
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 091107Z JUN 09
FM USMISSION GENEVA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8504
INFO RUCNMEU/EU INTEREST COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY 5695
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 6876
RHEHNSC/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 3040

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 GENEVA 000434 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF PHUM IZ
SUBJECT: CHARGE HOSTS IRAQ REFUGEE DISCUSSION WITH GENEVA 
MISSIONS 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION. 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary and Comment: During a lunch for key donor 
country reps, the Charge outlined the new US strategy for 
Iraq and made a pitch for additional funding, particularly 
for UNHCR's new proposal to lay the groundwork for 
sustainable returns for Iraqi refugees and internally 
displaced.  Participants supported the US strategy and agreed 
with the logic of  investing in returns as a means of 
consolidating stabilization in Iraq.  They were not 
optimistic, however, of convincing their capitals to come up 
with additional funding, given limited resources and 
competing demands by higher-profile crises, such as Pakistan. 
 They also bemoaned that Iraq does not seem like a high 
priority for the UN leadership.  It seems clear that, to be 
successful in garnering new funding, the U.S. will have to 
engage at the political level with European leaders to 
convince them that Iraq is a US priority and that supporting 
returning Iraqis now is a good investment in ensuring 
stability in Iraq and allowing Iraqi asylees in their 
countries to eventually return home.  We recommend also 
engaging with the UN leadership in support of a robust return 
of the UN to Iraq.  End Summary and Comment. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Charge hosted a lunch for Ambassadors and 
representatives from eight Geneva Permanent Missions on June 
4 to discuss U.S. strategy in Iraq, including our approach to 
providing assistance to returning Iraqi refugees and 
displaced persons, and to encourage greater donor support to 
UNHCR's activities to meet the needs of these populations. 
Ambassadors from Canada, Finland, the Netherlands, and Sweden 
attended, as well as representatives from Denmark, France, 
Germany, and Japan.  Also participating from the Mission's 
Refugee and Migration Section were Peter Mulrean and Nick 
Hilgert. 
 
New U.S. Strategy For Iraqi Refugees 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The Charge noted that President Obama had just 
delivered his speech in Cairo reaching out to the Muslim 
world.  An important element of his approach was for the U.S. 
to deal with Iraq responsibly.  President Obama had launched 
a review of U.S. Iraq policy on his first day in office that 
had identified three pillars of the new Administration's Iraq 
strategy.  These were: the removal of U.S. combat brigades 
from Iraq; sustained diplomacy on behalf of a more peaceful 
and prosperous Iraq; and a comprehensive U.S. engagement 
across the region.  Dealing responsibly with Iraqi displaced 
was an important humanitarian concern, but it also was 
critical to supporting Iraqi stability and development.  The 
Charge noted that an increasing number of IDPs as well as 
refugees are returning to their places of origin inside Iraq, 
and that the U.S. anticipates more Iraqi families will return 
this summer, once the school year has finished.  The 
countries represented around the table had a strong interest 
in supporting these trends for humanitarian reasons, for 
political reasons related to our overall efforts in Iraq and 
the broader Middle East and because support for sustainable 
returns in safety and dignity were the best way of reducing 
requests for asylum outside Iraq. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The Charge also raised UNHCR's recent briefing to 
Geneva missions, during which UNHCR's Jordan Representative 
talked about ensuring greater "balance" between assistance 
provided in refugee host countries and that provided to 
returnees once inside Iraq.  He pointed out that 
approximately 80% of all registered refugees originate from 
Baghdad itself, meaning that special effort needs to 
concentrate on improving the sustainability of returns in 
this area.  The Charge clarified that the U.S. does not 
believe now is the time to push for large-scale return, but 
that it is necessary to ensure that UNHCR will be in a 
position to welcome voluntary returnees in a comprehensive 
and dignified manner. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The Charge outlined UNHCR's new project proposal, 
"Facilitating the Transition from Asylum to Return and 
Reintegration," with a budget of $97.5 million for the period 
2009-2010.  In the project UNHCR is expanding services it is 
already providing inside Iraq under its $299 million CAP 
appeal.  In addition to shelter and increased legal and 
protection support, UNHCR is adding cash assistance to help 
returnees in the transition period following their return. 
While it uncertain when significant returns will happen, it 
 
GENEVA 00000434  002 OF 003 
 
 
is essential to get the support mechanisms in place now.  In 
this regard, Mulrean said it is noteworthy that for the first 
time in the refugee crisis UNHCR is trying to "get ahead of 
the curve" in responding to expected needs for future 
returnees.  The CDA concluded by saying the U.S. will soon 
announce a $20 million contribution to the new project 
alongside additional contributions to UNHCR's CAP. We 
distributed copies of the UNHCR project proposal at the end 
of the lunch. 
 
New Strategy a Positive Step 
---------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Swedish Ambassador Hans Dahlgren responded to the 
Charge's presentation by stating that he "could not agree 
more" with the focus on preparing for returns and building up 
the capacity to support return.  He said that the government 
of Iraq also needs to do better than it has in this regard 
and questioned whether or not the UN was solidly behind this 
effort, or if it is mainly a UNHCR-led push.  Dutch 
Ambassador Boudewijn Van Eenennaam agreed with Dahlgren on 
the strategy, but said that during his visits to Syria and 
Jordan in his capacity as Chair of the UNHCR Executive 
Committee in May 2008, he had come away with the impression 
that refugee returns would be limited.  He said it is clear 
that UNHCR is the most effective UN agency in the region, 
pointing out that most NGOs and other international 
organizations are still operating out of Amman.  Canadian 
Ambassador Marius Grinius opined that Iraq's relations with 
its neighbor Iran would play a big role in the future 
stability in the region and pointed to some encouraging signs 
in that regard, although many obstacles need to be cleared 
before the two countries can put the past conflicts behind 
them.  He also felt that one of the caveats in the refugee 
return planning would be whether or not internal conflict 
would start up again after U.S. combat forces departed in 
¶2010. 
 
Return Question Needs a Higher Profile 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Finnish Ambassador Hannu Himanen said that, if the 
current stability continued, the return of Iraqi refugees and 
IDPs could, in fact, be a successful undertaking and good 
investment of resources.  Van Eenennaam agreed, adding that 
there is tremendous human resource capacity in the Iraqi 
refugee community, most notably in Jordan where the most 
highly educated Iraqi refugee population is found.  He noted, 
however, that greater attention needs to be placed on making 
the plight of Iraqi refugees known - the "CNN effect." 
Financial help also needs to be concentrated on organizations 
like UNHCR and ICRC, though he stressed that the 
international community needs to have realistic expectations 
as to the number of refugees who will return, which he did 
not expect to be high for some time.  Participants discussed 
the need for a higher UN profile on Iraq to make it clear 
that this is a UN priority and that the UN is prepared to 
return in large numbers to Iraq, rather than operating out of 
Amman.  One idea that emerged was  the value of having the 
Deputy Special Representative for Secretary General (DSRSG), 
who coordinates humanitarian issues, move his office 
permanently to Baghdad.  The DSRSG could then organize UN 
Country Team coordination meetings in Baghdad, thus drawing 
both UN Agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) 
now based in Amman to Baghdad as well. 
 
Getting Money from Capitals is Hard 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) The Charge reiterated the U.S. commitment to 
maintaining strong levels of financial support to 
organizations working with Iraqi refugees and IDPs, and 
announced our imminent contribution to UNHCR's new project. 
He called on others to do the same.  Japanese DCM Yasushi 
Takase, acknowledged that Japan has not contributed to 
UNHCR's CAP appeal in 2009, but pointed to strong, bilateral 
development commitments with the GOI.  Peter Rasmussen, 
Counselor at the Danish Mission, said that the Danish 
Government had just authorized a three-year (2009-2011) 
contribution of $24 million to support Iraqi refugees and 
IDPs in host countries and in Iraq.  He explained later that 
these funds would be divided among UNHCR, UNICEF and the 
Danish Refugee Council (DRC).  Van Eenennaam pointed out that 
in his report from his mission to Jordan and Syria in May 
2008, he concluded that UNHCR remained underfunded and said 
 
GENEVA 00000434  003 OF 003 
 
 
it would be very important to support UNHCR again this year. 
Grinius said that he is telling Ottawa that UNHCR is 
operating very well and reported that Canadian support to 
UNHCR this year will continue to be substantial and 
consistent.  When pressed, however, there was not much 
optimism around the table of convincing their capitals to 
come up with significant new funds for Iraq.  Participants 
pointed to competing humanitarian priorities;  Pakistan, 
Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka are ongoing crises with high 
public/political profiles requiring tremendous resources and 
inevitably draw donor attention away from issues like Iraqi 
returns.  While they found the logic for funding Iraq returns 
now compelling and claimed to be willing to make an argument 
to capitals in its favor, they doubted there would be much 
enthusiasm at home, particularly given the overall decline in 
humanitarian funding resources. 
 
Comment - Raise the Profile 
--------------------------- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) We came away from the discussion with the clear 
impression that, however sound our strategy and the logic of 
supporting UNHCR's efforts to prepare for eventual 
large-scale returns in Iraq, we will not be successful in 
raising significant funds from other donors unless the USG 
raises the issue's political profile.  Funding Iraq is not a 
priority for political leaders in Europe and they have the 
impression from the USG that we want their support more for 
Pakistan or Afghanistan.  Given competing demands and limited 
resources, they need to hear from our political leadership 
that Iraq too is a high USG priority and that supporting 
returns of IDPs and refugees is a humanitarian/political 
investment that could pay huge dividends in a fairly short 
period of time.  It will also allow the many Iraqi asylees in 
Europe to eventually go home, relieving a burden on European 
governments.  Likewise, we recommend putting pressure on UN 
leadership to make a robust UN return to Iraq a priority, 
with all of the tough security and resource decisions that 
implies.  Without our political-level engagement, our 
conclusion is that UNHCR will struggle just to get donors to 
maintain funding for Iraq at last year's levels and the 
international community may miss an opportunity to get ahead 
of the curve on a key element in ensuring Iraq's future 
stability. 
STORELLA