US embassy cable - 05DUBLIN548

C O N F I D E N T I A L DUBLIN 000548 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/09/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL 
SUBJECT: FORMATION OF TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT EASES EU 
DISCUSSIONS 
 
REF: STATE 79107 
 
Classified By: Pol/Econ Chief Mary E. Daly for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1.  (C) POL/ECON Chief met May 9 with Stephen Dawson, Deputy 
Director of the DFA's Middle East office, to discuss reftel. 
Dawson said that the formation of Iraq's interim government 
has made discussions of Iraq easier within the EU.  Those who 
were opposed now felt they needed to give the elected 
transitional government a "fair run" and were thus more 
willing to see the EU adopt a positive attitude. 
 
2.  (C) Dawson said that the GOI would not issue a national 
statement to complement that of the EU.  However, in a May 
28th response to a parliamentarian's question, the DFA called 
formation of the ITG  "an important milestone on the path to 
political reconstruction" and "the first time the Iraqis have 
had a government freely chosen by themselves."  The note to 
parliament also discusses "the difficult security situation" 
and problems between Sunnis and Shia.  Dawson said there were 
several reasons the Irish had not issued a national 
statement.  For one, he said any statement supportive of the 
ITG would also have had to include references to the security 
situation and the ethnic composition of the government.  The 
DFA felt doing so would diminish the impact of a positive 
statement on the ITG.  Secondly, he said the Irish will have 
a logistical problem issuing statements while FM Ahern 
carries out his role as envoy for the UNSYG.  The FM and the 
political director, he said, are traveling so much in their 
UN roles that coordination of such statements will be 
difficult.  All things considered, he said, the DFA decided 
that the EU statement and the note to parliament offered 
sufficient support for now and they will look for future 
opportunities to issue positive statements on Iraq. 
KENNY