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World

Djokovic free but Australia deportation threat still looms

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  • Australian minister considers Djokovic visa cancellation
  • Leaders of Serbia, Australia speak on phone
  • Rival Nadal says court ruling is “fairest decision”
  • Australia’s Kyrgios ’embarrassed’ at Serbian’s treatment

MELBOURNE, Jan 11 (Reuters) – Novak Djokovic on Tuesday warmed up for his bid to win a record 21st tennis major at next week’s Australian Open, hitting practice shots at Melbourne Park, but he still faces the threat of deportation from the country.

A week after he arrived in Australia, Djokovic finally reached the tennis court after a judge on Monday quashed the federal government’s decision to cancel his visa.

But the world number one could still be detained by the federal government for a second time and deported. Immigration Minister Alex Hawke’s office said he was still considering whether to use his discretionary power to cancel Djokovic’s visa.

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“In line with due process, Minister Hawke will thoroughly consider the matter,” a spokesman said, declining to comment further due to legal reasons.

Australia has a policy barring non-citizens or non-residents from entry unless they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. It allows for medical exemptions but the government argued that Djokovic, who is not vaccinated, did not provide adequate justification for an exemption.

The court ruled Djokovic was treated unfairly by border force officials on his arrival and ordered his visa cancellation be overturned. It did not, however, address whether his exemption – based on Djokovic contracting COVID-19 last month – was valid.

Djokovic’s plight drew international attention, creating a row between Canberra and Belgrade and fuelling heated debate over mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies.

Public opinion in Australia, which is battling an Omicron wave of infections and where more than 90% of the adult population is double vaccinated, has been largely against the player. Melbourne endured the world’s longest lockdown and Victoria state has Australia’s highest number of COVID-19 deaths.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s office said he spoke with Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic on Monday and explained Australia’s non-discriminatory border policy. Serbian media reports said Brnabic emphasised the importance of Djokovic being able to prepare for the tournament.

Djokovic, who expressed his gratitude to the judge and his determination to compete at the first major of the year in a Twitter post on Monday, did not publicly address the situation on Tuesday.

He was filmed by media helicopters practicing at Rod Laver Arena amid tight security at Melbourne Park. He was also confirmed as top seed for the event.

The ATP, the governing body of men’s tennis, applauded the court ruling, saying the dispute was “damaging on all fronts, including for Novak’s well-being and preparation for the Australian Open”.

OPPOSITION TO VACCINATION

Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic practices ahead of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, January 11, 2022. Tennis Australia/Scott Barbour/Handout via REUTERS

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Djokovic was detained by border officials when he landed at Melbourne airport last Wednesday night. His visa was cancelled because he failed to provide appropriate evidence to meet entry requirements, border officials said.

However, in quashing that decision, Judge Anthony Kelly was critical of the hours-long airport interview and said the player had not been given enough time to contact lawyers and tennis officials to discuss his predicament.

Djokovic had been granted a medical exemption by the Victoria state government based on evidence he contracted COVID-19 last month – the second time he had been infected. The player, who has long opposed mandatory vaccination, confirmed during the interview he was unvaccinated.

Some Australian media reported that Australian Border Force was investigating potential discrepancies in the traveller form submitted by Djokovic and his whereabouts in the days before he arrived in Australia.

In the document submitted to court Djokovic ticked “no” when asked he had been overseas in the 14 days prior. Social media posts, however, appeared to show him in Belgrade on Christmas Day and in Spain on Dec. 31.

The Australian Border Force did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Djokovic’s lawyers at Hall & Wilcox declined to comment.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN

The Australian Open begins on Jan. 17. Djokovic has won the tournament, one of four tennis Grand Slams, for the past three years and nine times in all.

Spain’s Rafa Nadal, who is tied on 20 majors with Djokovic and Switzerland’s Roger Federer, called the fraught build-up to the tournament a “circus” and said the “fairest decision” had been made.

Nick Kyrgios said while he supported vaccination he felt “embarrassed as an Australian athlete, seeing what this guy has done for us and the sport”.

However, former American player turned pundit Pam Shriver warned on Twitter the controversy may not be over: “If he plays the booing will be deafening.”

Melbourne resident Keith Moore told Reuters: “We’ve had to go through vaccination protocols and lockdowns for such a long time and he swans in and pretty much does what he likes because he’s the world best tennis player.”

John Alexander, a member of Morrison’s Liberal Party and a former professional tennis player, said a new decision to deport Djokovic would diminish the status of the Australian Open.

“We had previously been the poor cousin of the four events,” he said. “We’ve got a lot going for us, but we need to treat it carefully.”

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Reporting by Reuters bureaus; Writing by Jane Wardell; editing by Richard Pullin, Michael Perry and Angus MacSwan

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World

Djokovic back in practice after winning appeal to stay in Australia

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  • Star tweets picture of himself on court hours after ruling
  • Police use pepper spray on Djokovic supporters
  • Judge rules cancellation of Djokovic’s visa ‘unreasonable’
  • Immigration Minister could still exercise power to revoke visa
  • Djokovic had claimed medical exemption from vaccine requirement

MELBOURNE, Jan 10 (Reuters) – World tennis number one Novak Djokovic tweeted a picture of himself practicing at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena hours after winning a court challenge on Monday to remain in Australia.

The fight over his medical exemption from COVID-19 vaccination may not be over, however, as the Australian government said it was still considering another move to deport him.

“I am pleased and grateful that the judge overturned my visa cancellation,” Djokovic wrote on Twitter. “Despite all that has happened I want to stay and try to compete at the Australian Open.”

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Earlier Judge Anthony Kelly had ruled the federal government’s decision last week to revoke the Serbian tennis star’s visa amid was “unreasonable” and ordered his release.

“Novak is free and just a moment ago he went to the tennis court to practice,” Djokovic’s brother Djordje told a family news conference in Belgrade. “He’s out there to set another record.”

Djokovic himself, who arrived in Australia last week in pursuit of a record 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open from Jan. 17, had spent the day at his lawyers’ chambers.

There were chaotic scenes on Monday evening as supporters who had gathered outside the lawyers’ office chanting “Free Novak!” surged around a black car with tinted windows leaving the building, while police at one stage used pepper spray as they tried to clear a path. read more

A spokesman for Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said he was considering using his broad discretionary powers he is given by Australia’s Migration Act to again revoke Djokovic’s visa.

The controversy has been closely followed around the world, creating diplomatic tensions between Belgrade and Canberra and sparking heated debate over national vaccination rules.

Serbia’s parliamentary speaker, Ivica Dacic, said he was concerned Hawke could still deport Djokovic, a move that would bar the 34-year-old from the country for three years.

“The process should have ended when the court ruled on the matter,” Dacic told Serbia’s Happy TV. “It defies common sense.”

COURT ‘CIRCUS’

Spanish rival Rafa Nadal called the drama surrounding the build-up to the tournament a “circus”.

A supporter of Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic holds his photo during a rally outside the Park Hotel, where the star athlete is believed to be held while he stays in Australia, in Melbourne, Australia, January 9, 2022. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

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“Whether or not I agree with Djokovic on some things, justice has spoken and has said that he has the right to participate in the Australian Open and I think it is the fairest decision,” Nadal told Spanish radio Onda Cero.

The authorities’ efforts to let the media and public follow events in court at times descended into farce, with pranksters hijacking internet links to stream loud music and porn.

Judge Kelly said he had quashed the decision to block Djokovic’s entry to Australia because the player was not given enough time to speak to tennis organisers and lawyers to respond fully after he was notified of the intent to cancel his visa.

Officials at Melbourne’s airport, where Djokovic had been detained on arrival late on Wednesday, reneged on an agreement to give Djokovic until 8.30 a.m. to speak to tournament organiser Tennis Australia and lawyers, Kelly said.

Djokovic was instead woken by officials around 6.00 a.m. after a brief rest and said he felt pressured to respond. The player, long an opponent of mandatory vaccination, told border officials he was unvaccinated and had had COVID-19 twice, according to a transcript of the interview.

MEDICAL EXEMPTION

Kelly earlier told the court it appeared Djokovic had sought and received the required medical exemption from COVID-19 vaccination on the basis that he had contracted the virus last month. He had presented evidence of this before he travelled to Melbourne and when he landed on Wednesday evening.

“What more could this man have done?” Kelly said.

Kelly’s ruling did not directly address the issue of whether the exemption on the grounds of an infection in the past six months was valid, which the government had disputed.

Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said earlier that his organisation had spoken with federal and state officials for months to ensure the safe passage of players. Tennis Australia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Though news of the ruling was greeted with drums and dancing by around 50 supporters outside the Melbourne court, wider public opinion in Australia, where more than 90% of the adult population is double vaccinated, has been largely against the player.

Emotions ran particularly high in Melbourne, which has experienced the world’s longest cumulative lockdown.

The country’s COVID-19 cases surpassed 1 million on Monday, with more than half recorded in the past week, driving up hospitalisation numbers, straining supply chains and overloading testing facilities.

The saga kicked off when Djokovic posted a photo of himself leaning on his luggage on Instagram last Tuesday, telling the world he was headed to Australia with a vaccination exemption.

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Reporting by Sonali Paul and Ian Ransom in Melbourne and Ivana Sekularac and Zoran Milosavljevic in Belgrade; additional reporting by Byron Kaye, Cordelia Hsu, Loren Elliott and John Mair; Writing by Jane Wardell and Alex Richardson; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Hugh Lawson

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World

Australia rushes to file defence of Djokovic ban as court battle looms

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MELBOURNE, Jan 9 (Reuters) – Australian authorities scrambled on Sunday to file a legal defence of their decision to bar entry to tennis world number one Novak Djokovic over his COVID-19 vaccination status, as the Serbian superstar spent his fourth day in immigration detention.

Djokovic was hoping to win his 21st Grand Slam at the Australian Open, starting next week, but instead of training has been confined to a hotel used to accommodate asylum seekers. He is challenging the decision to cancel his visa after being stopped on arrival at Melbourne Airport early on Thursday.

A vocal opponent of vaccine mandates, Djokovic had declined to reveal his vaccination status or reason for seeking a medical exemption from Australia’s vaccine rules. He broke his silence on Saturday with a legal challenge saying he had been granted an exemption due to contracting – and recovering from – the virus in December.

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The Melbourne drama has rocked world tennis, caused tensions between Serbia and Australia and become a flashpoint for opponents of vaccine mandates around the world.

Australia says its health department notified tournament organising body Tennis Australia in November that a recent COVID-19 infection was not necessarily grounds for exemption in the country, as it is elsewhere. Djokovic’s lawsuit says the Department of Home Affairs wrote to him this month to say he had satisfied the requirements to enter the country.

Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said in his first media interview since the furore began that his organisation had spoken with federal and state officials for months to ensure the safe passage of players.

“Primarily because there is (so) much contradictory information the whole time, every single week we were talking to Home Affairs, we were talking to all parts of government to ensure that … we were doing the right thing and (following) the right process with these exemptions,” Tiley told Channel Nine television.

“The conflicting information, and the contradictory information we received, was because of the changing environment. We are in a challenging environment.”

Home Affairs, which was due to file its defence on Sunday, requested a delay of the matter’s hearing from Monday to Wednesday, a court representative told Reuters. The application was rejected, according to a ruling on the federal court’s website.

Djokovic’s lawyers will have up to two hours to present their case from 10 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Monday, while the government department gets two hours to present its defence from 3 p.m., the Federal Circuit and Family Court ruled.

A Home Affairs spokesperson was not immediately available for comment about its legal defence.

Supporters of Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic rally outside the Park Hotel, where the star athlete is believed to be held while he stays in Australia, in Melbourne, Australia, January 9, 2022. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

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SPOTLIGHT ON REFUGEES

Health Minister Greg Hunt, asked about the furore at a media conference on Sunday, declined to comment since it was before the court, but noted that several other people involved in the tournament had their visas revoked.

Finance Minister Simon Birmingham, asked about the matter on Channel 9 television, said without referring directly to Djokovic that “there’s a clear difference between visas and entry requirements” and “entry requirements … sit over and above the visa conditions”.

Czech player Renata Voracova, who was detained in the same detention hotel as Djokovic and had her visa revoked after issues with her vaccine exemption, left the country without challenging her status, the Czech Foreign Ministry said.

Djokovic’s situation has drawn an unlikely crowd to the modest Melbourne hotel which, until this month, was best known for media reports about asylum seeker occupants claiming they were served food containing maggots.

Anti-vaccine protesters, refugee advocates and Djokovic fans have converged outside the building, which is under police guard.

“We are sorry that he has been detained, but we ask you: why does it take the presence of a celebrity to bring attention to our plight?” said Bangladeshi refugee Mohammad Joy Miah, who has been at the facility since 2020.

Since the hotel’s windows don’t open, Miah gave his speech over the phone, which a supporter projected through a megaphone at a protest outside the facility on Sunday.

Home Affairs was not immediately available to respond to Miah’s comments.

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said Djokovic had been given gluten-free food, tools to exercise and a SIM card to stay in contact with the outside world.

“It’s a positive tone from the Australian side. The Serbian government is ready to provide all the guarantees necessary for Novak to be allowed to enter Australia, the Serbian president is also involved,” Brnabic said.

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Reporting by Courtney Walsh in Melbourne and Byron Kaye in Sydney; Editing by Paul Simao, William Mallard and Ana Nicolaci da Costa

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Sports

Djokovic in limbo in hotel for detained asylum seekers as lawyers fight Australia ban

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MELBOURNE, Jan 6 (Reuters) – Novak Djokovic faced at least 72 hours holed up in a Melbourne hotel for immigration detainees after he was denied entry into Australia on Thursday amid a political firestorm over hismedical exemption from COVID-19 vaccination requirements.

The tennis star, who is chasing a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam at the Australian Open, remained in the country after his lawyers launched an appeal seeking to overturn the federal government decision. A court agreed not to deport him before a full hearing scheduled for Monday.

The saga, fuelled by domestic political point-scoring about the country’s handling of a record surge in new COVID-19 infections, has led to an international row, with Serbia’s president claiming his nation’s most celebrated sportsman was being harassed.

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Djokovic’s family on Thursday held a rally in front of Serbia’s parliament building in Belgrade, with around 300 fans, some draped in Serbian flags, chanting slogans in support of their idol. His father told the crowd the protests would be held every day until his son was released.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison defended the decision to deny Djokovic entry at a televised news briefing.

“There are no special cases, rules are rules,” he said. “We will continue to make the right decisions when it comes to securing Australian borders in relation to this pandemic.”

Spanish champion Rafael Nadal told reporters in Melbourne that he felt sorry for his rival “but at the same time, he knew the conditions since a lot of months ago.”

Djokovic, who has consistently refused to disclose his vaccination status while publicly criticising mandatory vaccines, kicked off the furore when he said on Instagram on Tuesday he had received a medical exemption to compete in the Open starting Jan. 17.

The announcement prompted an outcry in Australia, particularly in the tournament host city of Melbourne, which has endured the world’s longest cumulative lockdown to ward off the coronavirus.

COURT BATTLE

At a hearing in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia on Thursday evening, lawyers for Djokovic and the government agreed the player could remain in the country until at least Monday.

Djokovic’s fate is tied to a political fight in Australia, characterised by fingerpointing between Morrison’s conservative administration and the left-leaning Victoria state government.

The squabbles rumbled on as Australia’s daily COVID-19 infections hit a record high for the fourth consecutive day, overwhelming hospitals and causing labour shortages. read more

Under Australia’s federal system, states and territories can issue exemptions from vaccination requirements to enter their jurisdictions. However, the federal government controls international borders and can challenge such exemptions.

Djokovic received his exemption from the Victorian government – for reasons that are not known – which supported his federal government-issued visa.

Tennis – Davis Cup Finals – Group F – Serbia v Austria – Olympiahalle, Innsbruck, Austria – November 26, 2021 Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in action during his match against Austria’s Dennis Novak REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

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On his arrival, however, Federal Border Force officials at the airport said Djokovic was unable to justify the grounds for his exemption.

The Australian task force that sets the exemption parameters lists the risk of serious cardiac illness from inoculation and a COVID-19 infection in the past six months as qualifiers. But Morrison said Tennis Australia had been advised weeks ago that a recent infection did not meet the criteria for exemption.

Tennis Australia and Victoria government officials said Djokovic had received no preferential treatment.

With the Open to start on Jan. 17, Nick Wood, a lawyer for Djokovic, earlier told Judge Anthony Kelly that Tennis Australia had advised they needed to know about his participation in the tournament by Tuesday.

In response, Kelly, who had asked when Djokovic was scheduled to play his first match, said: “If I can say with the respect necessary, the tail won’t be wagging the dog here.”

‘NOT HUMAN AND NOT FAIR’

The move by the Australian government to block Djokovic’s entry has caused ructions between Canberra and Belgrade.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Twitter he had spoken with Djokovic and accused the Australian government of harassment.

“This persecution is unfair, starting with the Australian prime minister,” he later told Serbian media. “They are acting as if the same set of rules apply to everyone, but they’ve let in others on the same grounds that Novak had applied to.”

Morrison said he was aware “representations have been made” by the Serbian embassy in Canberra but denied accusations of harassment.

Djokovic’s father Srdjan told media in Serbia that his son was ushered into an isolation room under police guard when he arrived at Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport late on Wednesday after a 14-hour flight from Dubai.

His family held an emotional news conference at Djokovic’s restaurant in Belgrade, with his nine previous Australian Open trophies on display, before protesting in front of parliament.

“They are keeping him in captivity. They are stomping all over Novak to stomp all over Serbia,” said his father, who earlier described his son to local media as “the Spartacus of the new world”.

There was also support on the streets of the Serbian capital.

“He is the best in the history of that sport and they cannot break him in any other way but this one. But they are not going to break him,” said Belgrade resident Zdravko Cukic.

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Reporting by Courtney Walsh in Melbourne and John Mair in Sydney; Additional reporting by Ivana Sekularac and Zoran Milosavljevic in Belgrade; Writing by Jane Wardell and Alex Richardson; Editing by Stephen Coates, Simon Cameron-Moore and Hugh Lawson

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World

Thousands block roads across Serbia in anti-government protest

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BELGRADE, Dec 4 (Reuters) – Thousands of people blocked roads across Serbia in an anti-government protest against two new laws that environmentalists say will let foreign companies exploit local resources.

Serbia’s government has offered mineral resources to companies including China’s Zijin copper miner (601899.SS) and Rio Tinto (RIO.L). Green activists say the projects will pollute land and water in the Balkan nation.

The protest is a headache for the ruling Peoples’ Progressive Party led by the President Aleksandar Vucic ahead of parliamentary and presidential election next year.

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Thousands gathered on the main bridge in the capital Belgrade chanting “Rio Tinto go away from the Drina River.”

They held banners reading: “Stop investors, save the nature,” “We are not giving away the nature in Serbia,” and “For the land, the water and the air”.

Roadblocks have been set up all over Serbia including the second largest city of Novi Sad, in Western Serbia in Sabac, Uzice, and Nis in the South, in Zajecar in the East.

Anti-government protesters wear masks during a protest in Belgrade, Serbia, December 4, 2021. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

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“The reason (for the protest) is to protect our land, water and air. We do not want it to be sold cheaply,” said Stefan, a student protesting in Belgrade.

Rio has promised to adhere to all domestic and EU environmental standards, but environmentalists say its planned $2.4 billion lithium mine would irreversibly pollute drinking water in the area.

The protesters are angry about a referendum law passed last month which will make it harder for people to protest against polluting projects, as well as a new expropriation law, which makes it easier for the state to acquire private land.

President Aleksandar Vucic on his Instagram profile published a picture from the village of Gornje Nedeljice where Rio Tinto have already started buying land for its future lithium project.

Vucic said once the environmental study on the project is complete, he would call a referendum to allow people to decide whether the project should go through.

“Everything we build today we are leaving to our children,” Vucic wrote on Instagram.

(This story corrects figure in paragraph 8 to $2.4 billion instead of 2.4 million)

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Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic and Ivana Sekularac; Editing by Christina Fincher

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World

Serbs lift roadblocks in Kosovo as NATO moves to end car plate row

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Kosovo ethnic Serbs pass through barricades near the border crossing between Kosovo and Serbia in Jarinje, Kosovo, September 28, 2021. REUTERS/Laura Hasani

JARINJE, Kosovo, Oct 2 – Kosovo’s border crossing with Serbia was reopened on Saturday as Serbs removed trucks and cars and NATO troops moved in under a European Union-mediated deal to end a dispute between the neighbouring countries over car licence plates.

Kosovo special police forces withdrew from the border crossing in the north of the country nearly two weeks after Serbs blocked roads to protest at Kosovo’s decision to introduce temporary licence plates for all cars from Serbia.

The Kosovo government said the licence plate requirement was imposed in retaliation for Serbian measures taken against drivers from Kosovo since 2008, when Kosovo declared independence from Serbia.

“From this weekend and for the next two weeks, KFOR will maintain a temporary, robust and agile presence in the area, in accordance with the mentioned arrangement,” said a statement by the NATO-led peacekeeping force, called KFOR.

Serbia, which lost control over Kosovo after NATO bombing in 1999, does not recognise Kosovo’s independence and therefore its right to take actions such as registering cars.

This month’s confrontation boiled over into violence, but the two countries – with mediation by EU special envoy Miroslav Lajcak – struck a deal on Thursday.

Under the deal, stickers will be used on licence plates to cover state symbols, and NATO, which has some 3,000 troops in Kosovo, will be allowed to control the area.

Local Serbs chatted on Saturday with Slovenian soldiers, who are part of the NATO force, as they removed barricades while Kosovo police vehicles stood at the border crossing.

The deadline for their withdrawal was 4 p.m. (1400 GMT).

As Serbia moves towards EU membership it must resolve all outstanding issues with Kosovo. The two parties agreed to an EU-mediated dialogue in 2013, but little progress has been made.

Kosovo’s independence was backed by Western countries including the United States and Britain, but it is still not recognised by five EU member states and its membership of the United Nations is blocked by Serbia’s traditional ally Russia.

Reporting by Fatos Bytyci
Editing by Ivana Sekularac, Alexander Smith and Helen Popper

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World

Protesters block roads to stop enthronement of Montenegro’s top cleric

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PODGORICA, Sept 4 (Reuters) – Several thousand protesters used tyres, rocks and vehicles to block roads leading to the city of Cetinje in southwest Montenegro on Saturday in a bid to stop the Serbian Orthodox Church holding an enthronement ceremony for its new top cleric.

The protests reflect tensions in the Balkan country, which remains deeply divided over its ties with Serbia, with some advocating closer ties with Belgrade and others opposing any pro-Serb alliance.

Montenegro left its union with Serbia in 2006 but its church did not get autonomy and remained under the Serbian Orthodox Church, making it a symbol to some of Serbian influence.

Opponents of the enthronement of Joanikije II to the top clerical position, known as the Metropolitan of Montenegro and Archbishop of Cetinje, pushed through police barricades on Saturday, taking control of roads leading to the city.

At one point police used tear gas but this failed to disperse the protesters who said they would hold the barricades through the night.

Protesters also took down a fence the police had put around the monastery in Cetinje where the enthronement is supposed to take place on Sunday morning.

“We are on the barricades today because we are fed up with Belgrade denying our nation, and telling us what are our religious rights,” protestor Andjela Ivanovic told Reuters. “All religious objects (churches) built in Montenegro belong to people here and to the state of Montenegro.”

In the capital Podgorica by contrast, thousands gathered to greet the Serbian Patriarch who arrived on Saturday afternoon. None of the church officials talked about the possibility of moving the date or the venue of the enthronement ceremony.

Reporting by Ivana Sekularac and Stevo Vasiljevic; Editing by David Holmes

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World

In desperation, U.S. scours for countries willing to house Afghan refugees

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The U.S. flag is reflected on the windows of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan July 30, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer

WASHINGTON, Aug 13 (Reuters) – President Joe Biden’s administration has been holding secret talks with more countries than previously known in a desperate attempt to secure deals to temporarily house at-risk Afghans who worked for the U.S. government, four U.S. officials told Reuters.

The previously unreported discussions with such countries as Kosovo and Albania underscore the administration’s desire to protect U.S.-affiliated Afghans from Taliban reprisals while safely completing the process of approving their U.S. visas.

With the Taliban tightening their grip on Afghanistan at a shockingly swift pace, the United States on Thursday announced it would send 1,000 personnel to Qatar to accelerate the processing of applications for Special Immigrant Visas (SIV).

Afghans who served as interpreters for the U.S. government and in other jobs are entitled to apply for the SIV program.

So far, about 1,200 Afghans have been evacuated to the United States and that number is set to rise to 3,500 in the coming weeks under “Operation Allies Refuge,” with some going to a U.S. military base in Virginia to finalize their paperwork and others directly to U.S. hosts.

Fearful the Taliban’s advances are raising the threat to SIV applicants still awaiting processing, Washington is seeking third countries to host them until their paperwork is done and they can fly to the United States.

“It is deeply troubling that there is no concrete plan in place to evacuate allies who are clearly in harm’s way,” said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service resettlement organization.

“It is baffling why the administration has been taking so long in order to secure these agreements,” she said.

While there still are no third country agreements, a State Department spokesperson said, “We are evaluating all available options.”

COUNTRIES HESITATE

Two U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said countries were hesitant to take in the Afghans because of concerns about the quality of security vetting and health screening for COVID-19 before they were allowed to fly.

The Biden administration was exploring having Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan take in thousands of applicants, but that effort has made little progress. read more

“There’s concerns that you might expect: ‘Who are these people? How do you know these people? Can you assure that these people will get visas to the United States? Who’s going to care for and feed these people. What happens if these people wander off this facility you’ve got them in?” a senior State Department official said.

The official declined to confirm the countries in talks with the United States.

A deal to house about 8,000 Afghans in Qatar, which hosts a large U.S. military base, has been close for weeks, said a second U.S. official and another person familiar with the matter, but a formal agreement has yet to be announced.

Officials warn the pace of any potential agreements may be stymied by the rapidly changing Afghanistan situation.

U.S. Representative Jason Crow, who has led congressional efforts to speed SIV processing, said the administration should use a temporary U.S. troop deployment at Kabul airport for the drawdown of embassy staff to accelerate evacuations of SIV applicants irrespective of whether it has a third country deal.

At the same time, Crow, a former Army Ranger who served in Afghanistan, said it is very difficult to evacuate many SIV applicants and their families because they cannot reach Kabul.

“If you’re not already in the Kabul security perimeter, getting there is very, very hard,” he told Reuters. “That is a hard reality.”

The reluctance of some countries has prompted the administration to appeal to others that may be willing to help if Washington provides some assistance, officials said.

The United States has offered economic and political concessions to Kosovo for taking in several thousand Afghans, but there is concern in Washington about its ability to house the Afghans, sources said.

The foreign ministry in Kosovo did not respond to a request for comment. The embassies of Albania, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

‘NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO LEAVE’

The 1,200 Afghans evacuated are but a fraction of the 21,000 people in the SIV application pipeline and the Biden administration is still struggling to find temporary homes for the evacuees.

Advocates estimate the total number of evacuees under the SIV program at between 50,000 and 80,000 when family members are included.

James Miervaldis, chairman of the board of No One Left Behind, an organization that helps SIV applicants get to the United States, said there now appeared to be little chance that most of the SIV applicants will be evacuated.

“The math and the timeline just do not add up … Those people are not going to be able to leave,” said Miervaldis, an Army Reserve non-commissioned officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The issue has been closely watched by lawmakers in Congress, including Biden’s allies.

“We have to follow through on our promises to the thousands of Afghans who risked their lives to help us. It’s time for the Biden (administration) to cut the red tape and get this done,” said Democratic congresswoman Sara Jacobs.

Reporting by Idrees Ali, Jonathan Landay, Humeyra Pamuk and Ted Hesson; Additional reporting by Fatos Bytyci in Pristina; Editing by Mary Milliken, Howard Goller and Daniel Wallis

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