S E C R E T ABU DHABI 002170

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP AND NEA/NGA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/04/13
TAGS: PREL IZ TC
SUBJECT: ADNAN PACHACHI IS BAGHDAD BOUND


1. (U) Classified by Ambassador Marcelle M. Wahba
for reasons 1.5 (B) and (D).


2. (S) Former Iraqi foreign minister Adnan Pachachi
contacted the Ambassador over the local weekend
with the news that he will be flying into Baghdad
on Tuesday, May 6 aboard a UAE Air Force C-130 with
a small group of his supporters. MFA Minstate
Hamdan bin Zayid and Armed Forces Chief of Staff
Shaykh Muhammad bin Zayid separately told the
Ambassador that the UAEG is supporting the
establishment of an office for Pachachi in Baghdad
and providing him with security, until he has set-
up his own Iraqi security detail.


3. (S) Comment: Pachachi believes he has much to
contribute in the evolving dialogue on the future
Iraqi government. The octogenarian statesman has
spent the last several weeks touring various Arab
capitals briefing leaders, including Hosni Mubarak
and King Abdullah, on his vision, and soliciting
their advice. Here in Abu Dhabi, where he has
resided with his wife since the early 1970s,
Pachachi has been hosting informal diwans where
Iraqi expats of all stripes have been airing their
concerns about the current state of affairs and
presenting suggestions on how to shape the new
government. For the Emiratis, Pachachi's
moderation, his message of inclusion and his strong
pan-Arab credentials are an important balance to
what they view as the alarming emergence of Shi'a
sectarianism coupled with signs of Iranian meddling
in Iraqi affairs. End Comment.

WAHBA