US embassy cable - 04DJIBOUTI1529

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DJIBOUTI 001529 
 
SIPDIS 
 
LONDON, PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/21/2014 
TAGS: CVIS, DJ, FR, PGOV, PREL 
SUBJECT: FRENCH CONSUL DJIBOUTI WANTS TO EMULATE U.S. VISA 
ADJUDICATIONS PROCESS 
 
Classified By: Andrea K. Lewis, Vice Consul 
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (c) 
 
1. (U) Summary.  The French consul in Djibouti is very 
interested in the process by which AmEmbassy Djibouti 
adjudicates visas.  The Consul states that the American 
process appears more selective.  The French consulate is 
changing the adjudications process in Djibouti for Schengen 
(European Union) visas to emulate the American process.  End 
summary. 
 
2.  (U) ConOff paid a courtesy call on the French consul in 
Djibouti, Marthe Meyrand.  Meyrand received ConOff warmly, 
asking lots of questions about American embassy methods for 
processing visa applications.  Meyrand is new in Djibouti, 
stating she has been in country about four months.  She said 
she wanted to revamp the process of adjudicating visas at the 
French consulate.  She stated she was less concerned about 
the danger of admitting potential terrorists, but would like 
to mitigate illegal immigration.  She was moderately familiar 
with section 214(b) of U.S. law, assuming all visa 
Non-Immigrant Visa applicants to be intending immigrants 
unless adjudicating officer is convinced otherwise. She 
stated that she wished French law made the same assumption. 
 
3.  (U) ConOff was given a full tour of the French Consular 
office and introduced to all its members.  One difference 
noted was that the French do not employ local staff in the 
consular section, as does the American Embassy; all employees 
are French citizens or dual nationals. 
 
4.  (U) Meyrand also asked about visa interviews.  ConOff 
informed her that all applicants except certain exempt 
diplomats were required to appear in person for interviews. 
She seemed pleased by this response and informed that she had 
also recently implemented an interview policy for Schengen 
(European Union) visas issued in Djibouti. 
 
5.  (SBU) Comment: When the French interview policy was 
implemented, it was not widely publicized, and ConOff heard 
from sources that local people were caught off guard.  Some 
anger was expressed; many Djiboutians consider it a right to 
go to France because of the historical colonization by the 
French, and the ongoing close ties between the countries 
since Djiboutian independence in 1977.  Prior to the new 
interview system, individuals could drop their paperwork with 
the French Consul and pick up their visa three business days 
later.  The interview system has been viewed as a statement 
of lack of trust.  End comment. 
 
6.  (U) Meyrand also asked about the U.S. Embassy's 
appointments system for visa interviews.  Due to low volume, 
AmEmbassy Djibouti does not require appointments, but takes 
walk-ins on specified days.  This information is publicly 
available in Djibouti.  Meyrand stated that a walk-in system 
would not work due to the significantly higher demand in 
Djibouti for French (now Schengen) visas than for American 
visas. 
 
7.  (SBU) Meyrand also raised the issue of name checks. 
ConOff was vague with answers, stating only that we do check 
applicant names with Washington.  Meyrand expressed 
frustration with the name check system available to her, 
stating that while it checked names across all Schengen visa 
countries, returned hits did not provide any useful detail 
either about the individual in question or their offense. 
 
8.  (C) While Meyrand asked many questions, she also offered 
information about the French Consular system.  ConOff was 
guarded with answers, and conscious of security issues. 
Meyrand was satisfied with vague answers and appeared pleased 
to accept publicly available information.  She told ConOff 
that she is trying to model the French adjudication process 
after the American process.  She stated that the U.S. seems 
far more selective in granting visas, and she would like to 
emulate that selectivity in granting Schengens in Djibouti by 
implementing as many of our processes as feasible into their 
system. 
 
9.  (C) Comment:  ConOff was surprised by the level of 
implied autonomy exercised by the French Consul in Djibouti 
to redefine the visa adjudications process.  Whether this 
autonomy exists in all French embassies is unknown.  Also 
surprising about the level of autonomy is that such decisions 
affect more than just France.  Schengen visas allow bearers 
to enter any European Union country.  Changing the 
adjudications process could affect all E.U. countries.  End 
comment. 
RAGSDALE