VZCZCXRO9374
PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHGB #3155/01 3411257
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 071257Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5651
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RUEHDO/AMEMBASSY DOHA 0107
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0373
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 003155 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NSC SAMANTHA POWER 
DEPT FOR USAID AND OFDA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF PHUM PGOV PREL IZ
SUBJECT:  IRAQ REFUGEES AND IDPS - BROOKINGS DOHA CONFERENCE 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  The November 18-19 Brookings conference "Regional 
Perspectives on Iraqi Displacement" in Doha brought together 
representatives of major donor countries, development agencies, 
humanitarian players, and some regional representatives, but 
suffered from the absence of any senior Government of Iraq (GOI) 
officials or any officials from the Syrian government.  Discussion 
focused on the interplay between humanitarian and development 
programs to address the needs of Iraq's displaced, with many 
participants suggesting development partners such as the World Bank 
had a role to play at an early stage.  The U.S. delegation, led by 
NSC Senior Director Samantha Power, emphasized that security and 
national reconciliation would support early returns of displaced in 
some places and not others, and that there is a need to fill gaps in 
addressing the needs of vulnerable IDPs and to ensure their access 
to GOI services.  The U.S. also stressed the importance of Iraqi 
leadership in future discussions on the subject.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) The Brookings-Bern Project organized the conference with 
support from the World Bank.  Conference participants included 
representatives of:  The World Bank, UNHCR, the International 
Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Committee of the 
Red Cross (ICRC), Iraqi Council of Representatives Committee on 
Displacement, the governments of Jordan, Qatar, Lebanon, Egypt, 
Japan, Denmark, Switzerland, the European Union, Canada, and the 
United States.  NSC Senior Director Samantha Power headed the U.S. 
delegation.  Only one Iraqi government official, from the Ministry 
of Interior, participated due to GOI reservations about both the 
venue and the forum.  Dr. Walter Kaelin, representative of the 
Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced 
Persons, participated, as did  Brookings Vice President and Director 
for Foreign Policy Ambassador Martin Indyk. 
 
¶3. (U) Two papers were presented at the conference. The first, a 
general overview of the issue prepared by the Brookings-Bern staff, 
laid out general issues.  It noted the need for better accuracy 
regarding the number of displaced, especially refugees, and stressed 
the need for greater engagement between humanitarian and development 
actors in reaching durable solutions.  The paper also suggested a 
more regional approach to the issue, something that was not widely 
endorsed at the conference.  Another paper prepared by the 
international organization for migration focused on the challenge of 
sorting out legal property claims in Iraq.  The paper cited progress 
that had been made through the Commission for the Resolution of Real 
Property Disputes in dealing with Saddam-era property claims.  The 
paper advocated accelerating this process, working to create a 
better database of property claims resulting from conflict after 
2003, making efforts to resolve disputes arising from the occupation 
of public property, and addressing challenges posed by 
desertification. 
 
¶4. (U) Iraqi parliament Displacement Committee Chairman Dr. Abddel 
Khaliq Mohammad Rasheed Zangana provided an overview of displacement 
in Iraq, including aspects of historical displacement and more 
recent developments.  He noted that various parties have political 
interests in exaggerating the number of displaced.  However, he 
still estimated that there may be 2.0 million externally displaced 
Iraqis and 2-3 million displaced inside the country. Zangana, 
QIraqis and 2-3 million displaced inside the country. Zangana, 
himself a former IDP, gave the government credit for taking certain 
measures, including the institution of orders 101 and 262 that 
provide for restitution of property and compensation to some 
displaced families for their losses.  He strongly recommended that 
the GOI dedicate more resources to the displaced, including an 
increase in returnee grants, now set at 1.0 million dinars, to 3-4 
million dinars. 
 
¶5. (U) World Bank representatives made two formal presentations at 
the conference.  They both focused on how to overcome the relief to 
development gap. Both presentations emphasized the need to integrate 
concerns for displaced people into existing development projects. 
Reflecting on what the World Bank could bring to the issue, it was 
noted that the Bank has a strong convening capacity to include both 
governments and development actors.  The representatives of the 
World Bank also emphasized the importance of the Bank engaging early 
in the process, with a focus on field activity.  Finally, the World 
Bank representatives urged development actors to become engaged even 
at a time when security remains fluid. 
 
¶6. (U) NSC Senior Director Power briefed the group on the results of 
her just completed mission to Iraq.  She noted that the Diyala 
initiative demonstrated that there is the potential for returns 
supported by improved security and national reconciliation in some 
areas.  However, her visit to Iraq's largest IDP cluster located in 
Baghdad (Chikook) showed that in many cases security conditions may 
not yet support returns and that alternate durable solutions will 
need to be sought.  Power also noted that there were important gaps 
 
BAGHDAD 00003155  002 OF 002 
 
 
in the delivery of services and the GOI would need to do more to 
overcome practical impediments for Iraqi displaced seeking access to 
services. 
 
¶7. (U) The U.S. delegation stressed the need for all future such 
discussions to include government of Iraq leadership from the 
beginning.  There was general support for the idea that development 
actors should engage early in addressing the needs presented by 
displacement and that the displacement issue should be factored into 
the national and donor development efforts. 
 
¶8. (U) Dr. Walter Kaelin also provided his own summary of the 
issues. Kaelin noted that the displacement of Iraqis is a complex 
and chronic issue.  While it is important to focus on recent 
displacement, it is also necessary to seek solutions for 
historically displaced individuals.  He pointed to the October 2010 
census as a potentially useful opportunity to get more accurate 
figures on the number of displaced.  However, he stressed that the 
international community's approach to the displaced should be based 
on needs, not numbers.  Kaelin listed several steps that could help 
improve the environment for returns and reintegration including: 
ensuring that stipends are sufficient and the displaced have access 
to them; addressing the needs of IDPs in settlements since they are 
often the most vulnerable; putting in place systems to address 
property restitution; integrating IDP's and return issues into 
development plans; and efforts to overcome limitations on access for 
humanitarian and development actors. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Comment:  Although the organizers had hoped that the 
meeting might launch an effort to develop a regional plan for 
dealing with Iraq's displaced, the absence of serious representation 
from the Government of Iraq and any representation from the 
government of Syria - host to the largest number of Iraqi refugees 
in the world - made such an outcome impossible.  Participants 
nevertheless agreed to continue an exchange of information and views 
on these issues. 
 
HILL