GRS 390
RESTRICTED
FM RABAT
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 149
CF 061045Z JUNE 86
CONFIDENTIAL
NFMUST-1 RECEIVED IN RE
INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA
18 JUN 1986
DESK ONTA INDEX
INFO ROUTINE ALGIERS, UKMTS NEW YORK
ГА
ле
रां
un seft. in lead QT
P/A
~NFM. 040/7.
0°
Lold fones (um) that our position
semants as in
Byrne's letter of 26/7/080
-
To Adams (Geneva) - Folio 126 an [= gyp 040/2 t. c). S'e. stay out
Terken
UNHCR ASSISTANCE TO REFUGEES IN ALGERIA: MOROCCAN DEMARCHE
1. FOLLOWING THEIR LOBBYING LAST YEAR, THE MOROCCANS HAVE RETURNED TO THE CHARGE. WHEN I CALLED YESTERDAY, 5 JUNE, ON THE DIRECTOR FOR EUROPE AND THE AMERICAS IN THE MOROCCAN MEA, HE
HANDED OVER A LONG AIDE MEMOIRE URGING THAT IN DISCUSSION LATER THIS MONTH BY THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF CONTINUING UNHCR ASSI- STANCE TO THE REFUGEES IN THE TINDOUF CAMPS, THE UK AND OTHER DONOR COUNTRIES SHOULD WORK FOR A TIGHTENING UP OF THE CONDITIONS GOVERNING THE PROGRAMME. SEBTI SAID HE WAS TAKING SIMILAR ACTION
WITH OTHER EC AND WESTERN COUNTRIES.
2. COPIES OF THE AIDE MEMOIRE FOLLOW BY BAG BUT THE ORAL EXPOSITION WAS IN FACT MORE PRECISE. THE MAIN POINTS WERE:
(1)
(11)
THE UNHCR REPRESENTATIVE SHOULD HAVE FREE ACCESS TO THE CAMPS AT ALL TIMES WITHOUT HAVING TO OBTAIN PRIOR AUTHORITY
FROM THE ALGERIAN AUTHORITIES.
THE UNHCR OFFICE SHOULD BE IN TINDOUF ITSELF RATHER THAN
ALGIERS SO AS TO CHECK THAT THE CAMPS WERE NOT BEING USED
FOR ANY MILITARY PURPOSE.
(111) VOLUNTARY RETURN OF REFUGEES GENUINELY OF SAHR AQUI ORIGIN
SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED. MOROCCO ESTIMATED THEIR NUMBERS AT NO MORE THAN 6-7,000 BUT HAD MADE CLEAR ITS WILLINGNESS TO FACILITATE THE RETURN OF ANY WHO PROVED TO QUALIFY.
(IV)
(v)
THE UNHCR SHOULD PREPARE A CENSUS BOTH IN CONNECTION WITH (111) ABOVE AND PREPARATORY TO THE PROPOSED REFERENDUM ON THE WESTERN SAHARA (SEBTI HANDED OVER A COPY OF A LETTER
WHICH HE CLAIMED WAS WRITTEN IN 1977 BY WALDHEIM AS UN
SECRETARY GENERAL TO SADREDDINE AGA KHAN AS HIGH COMMISSIONER ASKING UNHCR TO TAKE THIS ON DOUBTFUL AUTHENTICITY BUT COPIES FOLLOW BY BAG ALSO). FOLLOWING THE EXPULSION OF TOUAREG REFUGEES FROM ALGERIA,
IT LOOKS OF
it.
челе 31clc
CONFIDENTIAL
/UNHCR