US embassy cable - 05PRAGUE1068

UNCLAS PRAGUE 001068 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, PREL, PREF, EZ, UZ, KG 
SUBJECT: CZECHS OPEN TO URGENT TRANSFER OF SMALL GROUP OF 
UZBEK REFUGEES 
 
REF: STATE 131485 
 
(U) On July 15, we delivered reftel demarche regarding the 
UNHCR request for temporary humanitarian transfer of 456 
Uzbek refugees in Krgyzstan to a safe third country to Petr 
Novak, Deputy Director of the Office of Asylum and Migration 
Policies at the Ministry of Interior, and to Jan Kaminek in 
the Human Rights Department of the MFA.  Novak said the 
Czechs had not yet received any request from the UNHCR, but 
he thought it was helpful that the USG was considering 
re-settlement of some, or all, of the Uzbek refugees once 
processing could safely be completed.  He contacted his 
supervisor, Office Director Tomas Haisman, who is currently 
in Brussels where he participated in a July 13 working group 
on human rights that discussed the UNHCR report on 
Uzbekistan.  Haisman was very interested in the request and 
gave a preliminary indication that the Czechs may consider 
accepting a small group (estimated 20 to 40 refugees) for a 
humanitarian transfer.  They plan to inform the Ministers of 
Interior and Foreign Affairs today, and Novak said that 
action would be taken over by MFA Advisor Tomas Pojar.  In 
addition, Kaminek confirmed that the EU was seized with this 
issue, adding that he expected they would sponsor a country 
resolution on Uzbekistan this fall.  So far, all 25 EU member 
states have agreed on the necessity of such a resolution and 
he expected the first draft to circulate shortly for comment. 
DODMAN