US embassy cable - 03KUWAIT1335

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 001335 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/ARP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/09/2013 
TAGS: PREL, MOPS, BU, IZ, KU 
SUBJECT: IRAQ: BULGARIA SEEKING TO SUPPORT RECONSTRUCTION 
 
Classified By: DCM Frank C. Urbanic for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (U) This is an action request.  Please see para 6. 
 
2. (C) Summary. The Government of Bulgaria is seeking ways to 
support efforts by the DoD Office of Reconstruction and 
Humanitarian Assistance in the reconstruction and civil 
administration of Iraq according to Bulgarian Ambassador to 
Kuwait Angel Mantchev.  Mantchev met with ORHA Baghdad 
Regional Coordinator Ambassador Barbara Bodine on April 8 to 
inquire how Bulgaria could support ORHA,s mission. 
Ambassador Bodine outlined ORHA,s work, stressing that 
Bulgaria,s long history of political and commercial contacts 
with Iraq could prove invaluable.  In response to Ambassador 
Bodine,s questions, Mantchev said Bulgaria had particular 
experience in highway construction and agriculture in Iraq; 
could grant access to Embassy personnel recently evacuated 
from Baghdad; and might be able to assign detailees to ORHA 
to work as advisors in Iraqi ministries.  He added that the 
Ministry of Economy has formed a working group to consider 
other ways for the GOB to participate. End Summary. 
 
3. (C) Mantchez opened the meeting noting that his government 
had instructed him to make contact with ORHA to find out how 
Bulgaria could support the reconstruction and civil 
administration aspects of ORHA,s mission.  Ambassador agreed 
that support for ORHA was an excellent opportunity for 
Bulgaria to participate in the coalition.  She added that 
Bulgaria, alongside other Eastern European countries, could 
potentially make a unique contribution to the reconstruction 
of Iraq since they had recently made the successful 
transition from totalitarian to democratic systems. 
 
4. (C) Civil Administration.  Mantchev said the GOB was 
especially interested in helping with civil administration in 
Iraq.  He said that, as an initial step, the seven Embassy 
personnel the GOB had evacuated from Baghdad to Sofia and 
Damascus could meet with U.S. Embassy personnel to discuss 
their experiences.  Ambassador Bodine said we would be 
interested in learning about their work with Iraqi 
ministries, especially their view of the prominent--and not 
so prominent--people at each ministry that ORHA could turn to 
in helping to get the ministries operating again, and any 
information on how the ministries functioned.  (Action 
request for Sofia and Damascus: would appreciate your 
approaching the GOB and Bulgarian Embassy Damascus to arrange 
to meet these former Embassy officers.) 
 
5. (C) Reconstruction and Humanitarian Relief.  Mantchev said 
that Bulgarian companies and subcontractors have significant 
experience in Iraq dating back to the 1970,s and 80,s.  He 
noted that the Nasariyah-Hillah highway had been built by a 
Bulgarian firm and that agribusiness companies had also been 
active there.  Bulgaria had also trained Iraqis in many 
fields, Bulgarians who had married Iraqi students and were 
now living in Iraq.  In the field of humanitarian relief, 
Mantchev said that Bulgaria might be able to send bottled 
water. 
 
6. (C) Liaison and Personnel.  Ambassador Bodine gently 
dissuaded Mantchev when he offered to send Bulgarian liaison 
personnel to ORHA.  Instead, she suggested that Bulgaria 
should move, as soon as it was safe, to reopen its mission in 
Baghdad as a Liaison Office.  The office could maintain 
contacts with both ORHA and the Iraqi Interim Authority 
(IAA).  If the GOB wished to contribute personnel to ORHA, 
the best way would be to send them as detailees to serve as 
sub-ministerial advisors; the GOB should consider sub-areas 
at the division or bureau level within ministries in which it 
had the personnel/expertise to contribute.  In addition, 
Bulgaria could send an aid official to the