US embassy cable - 05PRAGUE1630

S E C R E T PRAGUE 001630 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/17/2015 
TAGS: PHUM, PREF, PREL, EZ, UZ, KG 
SUBJECT: GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS: CZECHS STILL AGREE TO 
RESETTLE 40 UZBEKS, BUT... 
 
REF: A. STATE 131485 
 
     B. PRAGUE 1090 
 
Classified By: Poloff Sarah C. Peck for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). 
 
1. Action request at paragraphs 5 and 7. 
 
2. (S) Summary. The good news is that the Czechs are still 
committed to resettling 40 Uzbek refugees in the Czech 
Republic (reftel), and are even willing to accept close 
family members of the refugees. The bad news is in the fine 
print: the Czechs will take only 15 of the Uzbeks currently 
being held in the transit camp in Romania (the remaining 25 
"slots" will be filled by close family members still trapped 
in Uzbekistan). The unclaimed Uzbeks refugees who had planned 
to resettle in the Czech Republic must now identify an 
alternative destination country. Czechs also expressed 
concern that Russian-speaking intelligence agents may be 
shadowing the Uzbeks. End summary. 
 
3. (SBU) Poloff met on Nov. 15 with Tomas Haisman, Director 
of the Czech Ministry of Interior Department for Asylum and 
Migration Policies; and Pavla Fridrichova, of the MOI,s Unit 
for Policy, International Relations, and Information on 
Countries of Origin. Haisman explained that the decision to 
take only 15 Uzbek refugees was based on the following 
feedback provided by the refugees themselves: the key to the 
success of resettlement in the Czech Republic is 
reunification with close family members. The Czechs agreed 
that reunification is crucial, and even referred to their new 
plan to reunite Uzbeks with family members as a "pilot 
project." 
 
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Why only 15? 
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4. (C) The Czechs say they were shocked to learn that the 40 
refugees they preliminarily selected had 120 family members 
that wished to come to the Czech Republic. Because the Czechs 
are limited to accepting only 40 people (give or take a few), 
and because the refugees want to be reunited with family 
members, the Czechs were forced to decrease the number of 
refugees they accept to 15 (plus, of course, their close 
family members). 
 
5. (S) Haisman asked the U.S. for help contacting the family 
members of refugees and transporting them safely to the 
border of Uzbekistan. Haisman was confident that the Czechs 
can transport the family members onward to the Czech Republic 
if they can make it to the border of Uzbekistan. 
 
6. (C) Haisman indicated that all the "necessary parties" 
have been notified of the Czech decision to take only 15 of 
the refugees, but he did not know whether an alternative 
destination has been identified for the 25 remaining 
refugees. Poloff asked whether the Czechs could offer 
temporary refugee status to some or all of the 25 until they 
are able to go to another destination country. Haisman said 
the Czechs would consider that possibility. 
 
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Does the 15 include that guy in the trench coat? 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
7. (S) Finally, Haisman said he is concerned that foreign 
intelligence operatives may be following the movement of the 
Uzbek refugees from Romania to the Czech Republic. He spoke 
of "signals" that private groups of Russian speakers are 
asking sensitive questions about the refugees. In light of 
the perceived security concerns, Haisman repeated his request 
for U.S. assistance, or at least guidance on how the Czechs 
can safely contact family members in Uzbekistan, and move 
them safely to the border. 
CABANISS