US embassy cable - 03AMMAN8608

UNCLAS AMMAN 008608 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR NEA AND PRM; GENEVA FOR RMA 
CPA FOR J.JOHNSON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF, PREL, KPAL, IZ, JO, UNHCR 
SUBJECT: 11TH HOUR REPRIEVE FOR RUWEISHED REFUGEE CAMP 
 
REF: A. AMMAN 7798 
     B. STATE 350022 
 
1.  (SBU) The GOJ informed UNHCR today, December 31, that the 
Ruweished refugee camp would be allowed to remain open until 
April 2004.  The GOJ previously had pledged to close the camp 
by December 31 (ref a).  536 individuals remain in the camp, 
including 60 Sudanese and Somali nationals who have been 
approved for resettlement in the U.S. and are undergoing 
final processing.  The majority of the camp residents -- 345 
-- are Iraqi-Palestinians who seek to "return" to the West 
Bank or Gaza, a request the Israeli Government is unlikely to 
approve. 
 
2.  (SBU) UNHCR Officer-in-Charge Chizu Matsuri told refcoord 
that ten Sudanese and Somali rejected asylum seekers left the 
Ruweished refugee camp on December 30, opting for a voluntary 
return to Iraq rather than to their countries of origin. 
Matsuri was hopeful that other camp residents, particularly 
the Iraqi-Palestinians, would follow suit. 
 
3.  (SBU) Comment:  We expect that small-scale voluntary 
returns from the camp to Iraq will continue over the next few 
months, as it becomes clear that resettlement is not an 
option for the remaining camp residents.  GOJ recognition of 
this ongoing, spontaneous return process -- as well as GOJ 
desire to protect its good reputation on humanitarian issues 
-- likely played a key role in the decision to allow the camp 
to remain open into the new year.  Given USG concerns that 
countries bordering Iraq promote a patient, organized program 
of returns (ref b), we will continue to urge the GOJ to allow 
the camp to remain open as long as it is needed. 
 
4.  (U) CPA Baghdad minimize considered. 
GNEHM