State Department cable with talking points for Sec. of State Powell's presentation remarks to the UN Commissioner for Human Rights and Permanent Council Meeting in response to the comments of the EU Foreign Minister concerning the U.S. dentention of terrorists at Guantanamo.
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RELEASED IN FULL
ORIGIN EUR-00
INFO LOG-00 AID-00 DODE-00 DOTE-00
NP-00 CIAE-00 INL-00
SRPP-00 DS-00 OIGO-00 FAAE-00 FBIE-00
MEDE-00 EB-00
UTED-00 VC-00 I0-00 L-00
TEDE-00 INR-00 LAB-01
VCE-00 NEA-00 NSAE-00 OIC-02
AC-01 DCP-01 DHS-00
PA-00 IRM-00 TEST-00 EPAE-00 DSCC-00
ACE-00 SS-00
PRM-00 SAS-00 /006R
DRL-01 SWCI-00
089633
SOURCE:
KODAKA.007112
DRAFTED BY: EUR/RPM:GFREDERICK -- 04/06/03 67291
APPROVED BY: EUR/RPM:JYOUNG
DRL/PHD:PMULREAN DRL/MLA:TGRUBISHA PRM/ENA:KPERKINS
NEA/NGA:JCARPENTER
515E44 072248Z /38
0 R 072242Z APR 03
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO USMISSION USOSCE IMMEDIATE
INFO OSCE POST COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS STATE 089633
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OSCE, PHUM, PREL, IZ
SUBJECT: UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES PRESENTATION FOR
OSCE PC--GUIDANCE FOR APRIL 7 OSCE PC
REF: EMAIL FREDERICK-SOBOTKA APR 6
1. IN PREPARING AN INTERVENTION RESPONDING TO THE COMMENTS
OF THE EU FOREIGN MINISTER, POST MAY DRAW ON THE FOLLOWING
POINTS:
MR. CHAIRMAN, LET ME JOIN IN WELCOMING THE UN HIGH
COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES, RUUD LUBBERS. WE APPRECIATE HIS
VERY THOUGHTFUL INTERVENTION AND THE EXCELLENT COOPERATION
THAT UNHCR MAINTAINS WITH THE UNITED STATES.
MR. CHAIRMAN, I'M GRATEFUL TO MR. LUBBERS FOR RAISING THE
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN IRAQ. I KNOW THAT THIS ISSUE
WEIGHS HEAVILY. ON THE MINDS OF EVERYONE AROUND THIS TABLE.
ALTHOUGH IRAQ LIES OUTSIDE OF THE OSCE AREA, MR. LUBBERS IS
CORRECT IN NOTING THAT ITS SITUATION AFFECTS MANY OSCE
COUNTRIES, NOT LEAST BECAUSE OF THE LARGE NUMBER OF IRAQIS
ALREADY SEEKING ASYLUM IN EUROPE.
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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE REVIEW AUTHORITY: ARCHIE M BOLSTER
DATE/CASE ID: 04 NOV 2004 200303827 DOS-002665
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THE UNITED STATES FEELS DEEP CONCERN FOR THE HUMANITARIAN
PROBLEMS OF THE PEOPLE OF IRAQ AND HAS LONG BEEN CONCERNED
ABOUT THE VIOLATIONS OF. HUMAN RIGHTS THAT THEY HAVE LONG
SUFFERED AT THE HANDS OF SADDAM HUSSEIN'S REGIME, THE VERY
SITUATION WHICH FORCED MANY OF THEM TO SEEK ASYLUM. AS
PRESIDENT BUSH HAS SAID, ONE GOAL OF THE COALITION'S
MILITARY ACTION WILL BE TO ALLOW THE IRAQI PEOPLE TO BUILD
A REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT BASED ON FREEDOM.
AS MR. LUBBERS NOTES, THE EVENTS IN IRAQ DO NOT APPEAR TO
HAVE RESULTED YET IN SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS OF INTERNALLY
DISPLACED PERSONS (IDP) OR REFUGEES. INDEED, THE IDP
SITUATION IN THE NORTH IS STABILIZING, WITH RECENT REPORTS
OF PEOPLE RETURNING TO THEIR HOMES.
OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS, THE UNITED STATES HAS TAKEN
UNPRECEDENTED STEPS TO LIMIT THE ADVERSE HUMANITARIAN
CONSEQUENCES OF A CONFLICT WITH IRAQ AND TO PROVIDE RELIEF
AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE TO THE IRAQI PEOPLE. WE ARE WORKING
CLOSELY IN THIS REGARD WITH THE UNITED NATIONS, WHICH HAS A
LEAD ROLE IN COORDINATING AND PROVIDING HUMANITARIAN
ASSISTANCE.
WE HAVE ALSO PRE-POSITIONED STOCKPILES OF EMERGENCY
SUPPLIES, INCLUDING FOOD, MEDICAL KITS, BLANKETS AND
SHELTER MATERIALS -- THE LARGEST SUCH RELIEF PREPARATIONS
WE HAVE EVER UNDERTAKEN.
THE UNITED STATES IS MAKING AVAILABLE FOR THIS PURPOSE
670,000 METRIC TONS OF FOOD WITH A TOTAL VALUE OF $549
MILLION. TO PUT THIS INTO CONTEXT, THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAM
POSITIONED 132,000 METRIC TONS OF FOOD IN THE REGION, WHICH
WILL FEED 2.2 MILLION IRAQIS FOR ABOUT FOUR MONTHS.
IN ADDITION, THE UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT IS DONATING $246 MILLION IN NON-FOOD AID,
INCLUDING $74.5 MILLION FOR EMERGENCY SUPPLIES AND
PROGRAMS, $110 MILLION FOR RECONSTRUCTION, $3.9 MILLION FOR
TRANSITION INITIATIVES AND $60 MILLION FOR WORLD FOOD
PROGRAM CONTINGENCY PLANNING.
OF THE FUNDS PROVIDED BY USAID AND THE U.S. STATE
DEPARTMENT'S BUREAU FOR POPULATION, REFUGEES AND MIGRATION,
ALMOST $125 MILLION IS GOING TO THE UN AND OTHER
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS TO ADDRESS THE HUMANITARIAN
NEEDS OF THE IRAQI PEOPLE, OF WHICH UNHCR WILL RECEIVE $21
MILLION.
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WE ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT SOME DELEGATIONS MAY HAVE QUESTIONS
REGARDING THE TREATMENT OF PRISONERS OF WAR: BOTH THE
UNITED STATES AND IRAQ ARE PARTIES TO THE 1949 GENEVA
CONVENTION RELATIVE TO THE TREATMENT OF PRISONERS OF WAR
(POWS). THE UNITED STATES IS ABIDING, AND WILL CONTINUE TO
ABIDE, TO ITS OBLIGATIONS UNDER THE GENEVA CONVENTION, AND
EXPECTS IRAQ TO DO THE SAME. THE ICRC BEGAN VISITING POWS
HELD BY COALITION FORCES ON MARCH 31, AS SOON AS THE
SITUATION ON THE GROUND MADE IT POSSIBLE TO ENSURE THE
SAFETY AND SECURITY OF ICRC PERSONNEL.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE IRAQIS SHOW NO SIGNS OF ABIDING BY THEIR
COMMITMENTS UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW. IN ADDITION TO
CONDUCTING MILITARY OPERATIONS AND PLACING MILITARY
EQUIPMENT NEAR RELIGIOUS SITES, SCHOOLS AND HOSPITALS,
IRAQI SOLDIERS HAVE DRESSED AS CIVILIANS, USED CIVILIANS -
INCLUDING CHILDREN - AS SHIELDS, AND RAISED FALSE FLAGS OF
SURRENDER IN ORDER TO ATTACK COALITION FORCES. IRAQI
FORCES HAVE FIRED ON CIVILIANS ATTEMPTING TO FLEE AREAS OF
CONFLICT. WE HAVE ALSO SEEN, ON IRAQI STATE TELEVISION,
THE EVIDENCE OF IRAQ'S MISTREATMENT OF COALITION POWS. TO
THIS DAY, THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAQ HAS REJECTED ICRC'S
REQUESTS TO VISIT POWS.
MR. CHAIRMAN, EVEN AS WE FOCUS OUR ATTENTION ON ALLEVIATING
THE NEEDS OF THE IRAQI PEOPLE, THE UNITED STATES WILL NOT •
LOSE SIGHT OF OTHER, JUST AS URGENT, HUMANITARIAN PROBLEMS
IN THE OSCE REGION.
THE OSCE DECISION TO GRANT PARTNER STATUS TO AFGHANISTAN IS
A SIGNIFICANT OPPORTUNITY FOR THE OSCE AND ITS INSTITUTIONS
TO HELP CONTRIBUTE TO THE SECURITY, STABILITY, AND ECONOMIC
RECONSTRUCTION THAT ARE NEEDED TO ENCOURAGE THE SAFE AND
DIGNIFIED RETURN OF DISPLACED AFGHAN CITIZENS.
WE ARE ALSO ENGAGED ACTIVELY IN FACILITATING THE RETURN OF
DISPLACED PERSONS IN THE BALKANS. WHILE THERE HAS BEEN
MUCH PROGRESS IN THAT REGION, OVER 1 MILLION REFUGEES AND
DISPLACED PERSONS IN SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE STILL AWAIT A
DURABLE SOLUTION FOR THEIR PLIGHT, THE LARGEST
CONCENTRATION OF DISPLACED PERSONS BEING HOSTED BY SERBIA
AND MONTENEGRO, AND BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA.
ACCORDING TO UNHCR DATA, OVER 200,000 PERSONS ARE AWAITING
RETURN TO CROATIA, WITH APPROXIMATELY THE SAME NUMBER
AWAITING RETURN TO KOSOVO. ANOTHER 100,000 SHOULD BE GIVEN
THE OPPORTUNITY TO RETURN TO BOSNIA.
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THIS REGIONAL ASPECT OF RETURNS ONLY FURTHERS OUR BELIEF
THAT A TOP PRIORITY ISSUE FOR THE OSCE MISSIONS IN THAT
REGION IS THE WORK TO FURTHER ENCOURAGE REGIONAL RETURNS
AND INTEGRATION, EVEN MORE SO AS UNHCR SCALES BACK ITS
PROGRAMS THERE.
THE UNITED STATES ALSO HAS SERIOUS CONCERNS OVER THE
SITUATION OF DISPLACED PERSONS IN CHECHNYA AND INGUSHETIA.
WE BELIEVE THE OSCE HAS A VALUABLE AND CONTINUING ROLE TO
PLAY IN ASSISTING DISPLACED PERSONS THERE. ONE POSSIBLE
FUTURE JOINT PROJECT WITH UNHCR WOULD BE TO PROVIDE THE
IDPS WITH THE NECESSARY LEGAL ASSISTANCE TO UNDERSTAND
THEIR RIGHTS AND OBTAIN THE BENEFITS TO WHICH THEY ARE
ENTITLED.
IN CLOSING MR. CHAIRMAN, I WOULD LIKE TO COMPLIMENT MR.
LUBBERS ON THE VERY USEFUL AND INFORMATIVE INFORMAL
BRIEFING ON STATELESSNESS THAT THE UNHCR LIAISON OFFICE
PROVIDED TO US HERE LAST YEAR. MAY I SUGGEST THAT IT COULD
BE SIMILARLY PRODUCTIVE FOR UNHCR TO ORGANIZE ANOTHER SUCH
BRIEFING, PERHAPS FOCUSING ON ITS VIEWS OF THE ROLE OF OSCE
IN ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF REFUGEES AND IDPS. ONCE AGAIN,
THE UNITED STATES APPRECIATES GREATLY THE HARD WORK OF YOUR
STAFF HERE IN VIENNA AND WORKING WITH THE OSCE IN THE
FIELD. THEY CONTRIBUTE GREATLY TO THE GOOD RELATIONS
BETWEEN OUR TWO ORGANIZATIONS.
IN THIS SAME VEIN, WE WELCOME UNHCR PARTICIPATION AT THE
UPCOMING CONFERENCE ON ANTI-SEMITISM AND THE CONFERENCE ON
RACISM, XENOPHOBIA AND DISCRIMINATION, WHICH YOU MENTIONED
IN YOUR REMARKS. THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT YOUR ORGANIZATION
HAS MUCH TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEBATE.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN.
POWELL
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