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RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDM #0716 2800954
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 070954Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6900
INFO RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 7677
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 0028
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 3977
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 1743
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 2453
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0728
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 0200
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 5838
RUEHLJ/AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA 0003

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 000716 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: CVIS KFRD PREF SY IZ
SUBJECT: QUARTERLY CONSULAR CORPS ANTI-FRAUD MEETING 
 
¶1. SUMMMARY: On September 29, the CG, RSO and the FPM attended the 
Damascus quarterly anti-fraud meeting.  Over 30 representatives from 
Damascus, Amman and Cairo-based embassies attended to discuss a 
diverse agenda, but fraud among Iraqi refugees was a recurring theme 
in all the discussions.  End summary. 
 
¶2. GERMAN RESETTLEMENT PROGRAM FOR IRAQIS 
Germany was wrapping up its Iraqi resettlement program, having 
accepted 2,500 refugees.  The German representative highlighted the 
general unreliability of Iraqi civil documents, but was particularly 
skeptical of Iraqi death certificates, estimating that at least 90% 
of the death certificates submitted were forged.  Apart from death 
certificates, of over 6,500 Iraqi documents reviewed by the Germans, 
243 were found to be fraudulent, as follows: 
 
Passports - 13 
Citizenship Cards - 54 
ID Cards - 110 
Birth Certificates - 36 
Other - 30 
 
The Germans also provided examples of genuine and fraudulent stamps 
on documents issued by the Kurdistan Regional Government. 
 
¶3. TRENDS AT DAMASCUS AIRPORT 
In discussing fraud trends at Damascus International Airport, 
participants noted that outward-bound tourism was down to normal 
levels following the surge during the Muslim holiday period. 
However, fraudulent travel continues.  In the two weeks following 
the Eid al-Fitr holiday, the Germans had stopped 20 persons from 
traveling because of forged visas and European residence permits. 
The general trend appears to be Syrians from the Hassakeh and 
Qamishly region fleeing military service .  The routes chosen are 
generally via Cairo or Moscow, with some choosing to take advantage 
of the ability to transit Rome without a visa. 
 
¶4. EU FACT FINDING MISSON CONCERNING IRAQI REFUGEES 
Participants reported that an EU Fact Finding Mission, scheduled to 
visit Damascus October 7-8, followed by a visit to Amman and then 
several days in Baghdad, will be looking at the Iraqi resettlement 
process.  Its report may set a baseline with regards to the 
potential to have displaced Iraqis repatriated to Iraq. 
 
¶5. JORDANIAN "T" SERIES PASSPORTS/DOCUMENTS 
Canadian participants commented that Canada was embroiled in a 
discussion about what to do with Palestinians who had arrived in 
Canada with Jordanian "T" series passports and were subject to 
deportation.  When these deportees arrived in Jordan, the Jordanian 
authorities stripped them of their right to reside in Jordan and 
deported them to the occupied West Bank. The discussion is whether 
deportation to Jordan in such a case is tantamount to deportation to 
the West Bank. 
 
¶6. Other issues discussed were: 
 
- the potential fraud impact of the new Turkish-Syrian visa accord, 
enabling visa-free travel between Turkey and Syria for citizens of 
those countries; 
 
- the imminent start of an Iraqi Airways direct flight from Baghdad 
to London (via Ljubljana) 
 
- Syrian abuse of UK short-term student visitor visas.  The UK is 
currently identifying high risk factors. 
 
- vulnerabilities in the process through which the IOM verifies 
Iraqi civil documents. 
 
¶7. The next meeting is tentatively scheduled to be held in 
November. 
 
Hunter