US embassy cable - 05BAGHDAD3137

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 003137 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/29/2025 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, IZ 
SUBJECT: IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER TOUR D'HORIZON WITH NEW 
AMBASSADOR 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Robert Ford. 
Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (C) Summary.  Foreign Minister Zebari told 
Ambassador on July 28 that MFA plans to open 30 new 
embassies and train 500 new diplomats who represent a 
broad cross-section of Iraqi society.  Ambassador told 
Zebari a more assertive Iraqi diplomacy is needed. 
The Iraqi Foreign Minister said the Iraqi MFA soon 
would open missions in Jeddah and Riyadh, but he 
wished the Saudis would be more helpful politically. 
He was warmer in his remarks about Egypt, but the 
apparent murder of the Egyptian diplomat was a 
setback.  Regarding the border scuffles with Kuwait 
near the city of Basra, Ambassador offered assistance 
to help set up a meeting.  Zebari agreed to form an 
ITG delegation to talk to the Kuwaitis.  The 
Ambassador and Foreign Minister agreed that pressure 
had to be maintained on Syria, and Zebari asked the 
Ambassador to weigh in with the Prime Minister to 
forestall any sudden Jafari trip.  Zebari opined that 
the Iranians would continue to pose a challenge; he 
implied that the new president Ahmedinejad could steer 
Iranian policy in uncomfortable new directions.  The 
Iranians had pushed Prime Minister Jafari to accept 
the 1975 Algiers agreement during Jafari's recent trip 
to Iran.  Zebari noted that Jafari had refused, and 
Zebari himself commented that the agreement in its 
entirety would not be acceptable any longer.  Barzani 
said it would be useful for Kurdish leader Masood 
Barzani to come to Baghdad to finalize a constitution 
deal.  End Summary. 
 
MFA GROWING 
----------- 
 
2.  (C) Foreign Minister Zebari told Ambassador on 
July 28 that MFA would increase the number of 
embassies abroad significantly by opening 30 new 
embassies.  Currently about 45 embassies exist.  He 
also plans to train 500 new diplomats who represent a 
broad cross-section of Iraqi society.  Zebari informed 
that the MFA would be reorganized in the coming months 
and assured that the appointment of an Iraqi 
ambassador to Washington DC is a high priority. 
 
RELATIONS WITH NEIGHBORS 
------------------------ 
 
3.  (C) Zebari said commitments to send ambassadors to 
Iraq by Morocco, Egypt, Yemen, Jordan, and Saudi 
Arabia were eroding due to the insurgency's recent 
campaign against diplomats.  Ambassador urged Zebari 
to become more involved in security issues and 
recommended that he get the right government officials 
together to coordinate the right kind of security 
protection that foreign missions could trust.  Zebari 
dodged this suggestion and instead passed on Jordanian 
King Abdulla's request for International Zone (IZ) 
property for the Jordanian mission.  MFA 
Undersecretary for Bilateral Affairs Bayati reasoned 
that making available 10 properties in the IZ for 
diplomatic missions would be a factor in encouraging 
neighboring countries to open missions in Baghdad. 
Zebari said the MFA had raised this issue with the 
Cabinet Secretary General who now controls property 
distribution in the IZ, but he askd he merican 
Embassy to weigh in as well. 
 
4.  (C) Zebari's review of Iraq's bilateral relations 
included: 
 
-- KUWAIT.  Despite recent border tensions near 
Basrah, Zebari said relations with Kuwait are 
excellent.  Zebari mentioned he had spoken with 
Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sabah last November about the 
need to quietly resolve the border question, stating 
that this is an emotional issue for Iraqis. 
Ambassador offered assistance to help set up a meeting 
with the Kuwaitis, and Zebari agreed to form an ITG 
delegation to Kuwait to discuss border disputes and 
other issues. 
 
-- TURKEY.  Zebari said that MFA has engaged with 
Turkey on the PKK trilateral and Second Border Gate 
initiative.  (Comment:  In reality, top MFA decision 
makers have been out of the country much of the last 
two months and have been disorganized in forming a 
delegation to attend the second PKK trilateral in 
Washington, DC. End Comment.) 
 
-- IRAN.  Zebari said that, during his recent trip 
with PM Jafari, the Iranians did not deny that 
insurgents from Afghanistan are transiting through 
Iran.  Ambassador suggested that perhaps the Iranians 
are pursuing multiple lines of engagement -- sort of 
"hedging."  Zebari thought that new president 
Ahmadinejad would inaugurate changes in Iran and that 
these likely would not be positive.  Zebari said there 
was one notable disagreement that emerged during 
Jafari trip to Iran:  restoring the 1975 Algiers 
agreement.  The Iranians wanted Jafari to recognize 
it, and Jafari refused, Zebari noted.  Its border 
language might be acceptable, he observed, but not the 
other elements of the agreement. 
 
-- IRAN CONTINUED.  On attitudes toward the U.S., 
Zebari said that the Iranians are afraid of continued 
American presence in Iraq and subsequent building of 
permanent U. S. military bases.  Jafari assured 
Iranians that Americans would leave when Iraq no 
longer needs their help.  Ambassador noted that the 
USG does not want hostile relations between Iraq and 
Iran, but the USG will closely monitor Iranian efforts 
to boost its influence, as well as "hedging 
strategies" of infiltrating people and weapons into 
Iraq.  Ambassador encouraged Zebari to educate Iran on 
this. 
 
-- SAUDI ARABIA.  Relations with Saudi Arabia are 
good, but lack of an Iraqi embassy in Riyadh hampers 
the Haj pilgrimage, said Zebari.  Zebari said Iraqi 
missions in Riyadh and Jeddah have been renovated and 
will soon be reactivated.  He added that the Saudis 
have not been politically helpful. 
 
-- JORDAN.  Zebari said Jordan's government and 
leadership follow a good policy on Iraq, but "at the 
lower levels things are not so good."  He was pleased 
that, after Talabani's visit, the King stopped media 
agitation against Iraq. 
 
-- SYRIA.  Syria has not been helpful and pressure 
should be maintained, insisted Zebari.  He requested 
the Ambassador's help with Iraqi leaders, particularly 
to guard against any plans by PM Jafari to visit 
Syria.  Ambassador advised that a coordinated 
government policy on Syria would be useful.  Iraq is 
willing to move ahead on opening an embassy, and on 
August 2 the MFA will send a team to Damascus "to 
check to see they mean to normalize relations." 
 
-- EGYPT.  Relations are good, and there will likely 
be a September summit that will include terrorism as a 
topic, said Zebari.  However, he did not appreciate 
Egypt's handling of the recent kidnapping and murder 
of its ambassador to Iraq.  Instead of blaming the 
terrorists, Zebari complained that Egypt had blamed 
him for the murder of the Egyptian diplomat because 
Zebari had announced the new ambassador's appointment 
during the Brussels conference on Iraq. 
 
NATIONAL COMPACT NEEDED 
----------------------- 
 
5.  (C).  For a successful Iraqi future, Ambassador 
stressed the need for a "national compact" that is 
embodied in the constitution.  He noted that he could 
even fly north to bring Kurdish leader Masood Barzani 
back to Baghdad with him so Barzani can participate in 
final negotiations to reach consensus on contentious 
issues.  Zebari, a close ally of Barzani, thought this 
a good idea. 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
6.  (C) Zebari was his usual affable self, but he 
several times made references to the importance of 
other Iraqi officials and the U.S. treating the Iraqi 
MFA as a serious institution charged with coordinating 
Iraqi foreign policy.  Zebari would like to be 
included on more of the itineraries of high-level 
American visitors who come to Baghdad to discuss 
bilateral relations. 
7. (U) REO HILLAH, REO BASRAH, REO MOSUL, and REO 
KIRKUK, minimize considered. 
 
 
Khalilzad