US embassy cable - 05PARIS2976

UNCLAS PARIS 002976 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, IZ, FR 
SUBJECT: FRANCE WELCOMES FORMATION OF IRAQ TRANSITIONAL 
GOVERNMENT 
 
REF: STATE 79017 
 
1.  (U) Poloff delivered reftel demarche April 29 to MFA Iraq 
Desk Officer Bernard Chappedelaine, who assured us that 
France welcomed formation of the Iraq Transitional Government 
(ITG) and would say so in a public statement later that day. 
The statement, issued at the MFA's noon press briefing April 
29 (informal Embassy translation below), notes positively 
that ITG formation is a step in Iraq's political transition, 
and acknowledges efforts to make the government as 
representative of all Iraqis as possible and calls on the new 
government to promote inter-community dialogue. 
 
2.  (U) Informal Embassy translation of the MFA's April 29 
statement:  "France welcomes the much awaited announcement of 
the formation in Iraq of the transitional government based on 
the January 30 elections, a new stage in the political 
transition under way in that country.  France congratulates 
Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari.  It takes note of the 
continuing efforts to confer on the government the broadest 
possible representativity.  It calls on the government to 
promote dialogue between all the communities.  It hopes that 
the transitional government will be able to move toward the 
effective exercise by Iraq of its sovereignty within the 
framework traced by Resolution 1546."  End Embassy 
translation. 
 
3.  (U) Baghdad minimize considered. 
ROSENBLATT