USEB 112: DEPUTY SECRETARY'S MEETING WITH IRAQI PRIME

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 000221

STATE FOR NEA/I

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/22/14
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER IZ
SUBJECT: USEB 112: DEPUTY SECRETARY'S MEETING WITH IRAQI PRIME
MINISTER ALLAWI

CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR JOHN D. NEGROPONTE FOR REASONS 1.4 (B)
AND (D).


1. (C) SUMMARY. Prime Minister Allawi told the Deputy Secretary
that he and his counterparts in the Arab world are looking
forward to his tour of the region. Allawi plans to have an open
and honest discussion with Syria about their involvement in
Iraqi affairs. He would like to see Interior Ministers of
regional states work together to address border security issues.
Allawi said he believes that the Government is making headway
against the insurgents, and he has told those fighting the
Interim Government that they are welcome in the political
process on condition that they work within the law. Planning
for the National Conference is coming along, but logistics and
security are proving to be obstacles. The Deputy Secretary
engaged Allawi on ways to use the UN General Assembly to Iraq's
advantage, and he noted that the U.S. Congress plans to stay
engaged in Iraq. Allawi said prompt implementation of U.S.
reconstruction projects is essential to easing Iraq's
unemployment problem. END SUMMARY.

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ALLAWI TO KEY ON SYRIA FIRST
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2. (C) Deputy Secretary Armitage met with Iraqi Prime Minister
Ayad Allawi on July 18. Ambassador Negroponte, Assistant
Secretary Burns, and MNF-I Commander General Casey also attended
the meeting. Allawi opened the meeting by noting that he will
leave July 19 on a trip to Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, the
UAE, and Kuwait. He said he believes his Arab neighbors are
looking forward to this visit. He plans to consult with them
extensively about Iraq's security.


3. (C) Allawi said that he hopes he can reason with Bashar Al-
Asad of Syria, but he will be open and honest about the role
that Syria has played in the insurgency in Iraq. He said that
his strategy for now is to neutralize the Syrian threat because
the bigger threat is from Iran. Allawi plans to ask King
Abdullah of Jordan and President Mubarak of Egypt to put
pressure on Asad to control the "nerve center" of foreign
fighters and resources to the insurgency in Iraq. The Deputy
Secretary and Allawi agreed that Asad is too weak to control the
elements coming out of Syria. Allawi added that there is also
evidence that Syrians are trying to rebuild the Ba'ath party
under another name to run for elections in January in Iraq.
Allawi mentioned that Prime Minister Hariri of Lebanon told
Deputy PM Barham Salih that Iraq will not make any headway with
the Syrians. However, Allawi plans to push the Syrians and
demonstrate to them that a stable Iraq is in their long-term
interest.

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CONTRIBUTING TO THE UN PROTECTION FORCE
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4. (C) The Deputy Secretary briefed Allawi on his discussions
with India and Pakistan concerning assistance to Iraqi security
forces and troop contributions for the UN protection force. The
Deputy Secretary told Allawi that neither he nor Secretary
Powell could get a commitment from the Pakistanis to contribute
troops to Iraq, noting that the GOP may not want to be the first
Muslim country to commit troops. Allawi offered to call
Musharaf to discuss the issue with him, but the Deputy Secretary
encouraged him to wait. The Deputy Secretary said that the
Indian Government has clearly limited its offer of support to
training Iraqis in India.

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DEALING WITH THE INSURGENTS
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5. (C) With the exception of the past few days, Allawi said that
he thought that the Interim Government was making headway
against the insurgents. He told the Deputy Secretary that he
had some discussions with insurgents and he delivered a firm
message: "bring on violence and we will fight you; you are
welcome in the political process, but you must work within the
law." The Deputy Secretary asked about the situation in Samara,
which Allawi acknowledged is a problematic area. Allawi
described how he had met with Samarans with the clear message
that unless they choose the political path, he would confront
them. Allawi added that the Samarans did not have too many
demands, and those that they have can be met. Allawi outlined
his demands of the Samarans: 1) surrender criminals; 2)
cooperate with the multinational forces; and 3) pass information
to the authorities that will improve security. He underscored
that he has constantly emphasized that nobody is above the law
and criminals will be punished.


6. (C) Allawi told the Deputy Secretary that the IIG is working
to ensure that essential services are provided. U.S.
reconstruction projects are very important because they will
alleviate the unemployment problem Iraqis face. Allawi has
asked his ministers to provide weekly reports on essential
services so that he can track improvements and publicize
successes. He has also asked the Minister of Health to report
on civilian casualties caused by insurgents and the Minister of
Electricity to report on the how the insurgents have affected
the use of electricity in Iraq. Allawi plans to publicize the
reports to show Iraqis how disruptive the insurgents are to the
Iraqis' safety, security, and well-being.

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THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE
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7. (C) Although the political process is moving forward and
preparations for the National Conference are coming along,
Allawi said that logistics such as hotel rooms, Conference
venue, and security are key challenges. Allawi would like to
the see the Conference shortened to two or even one day from its
current three days in order to ease the logistical and security
difficulties. He said that the Conference will either take
place at the Convention Center or at Baghdad University. "We are
definitely going to proceed with it," he added. The Deputy
Secretary underscored the importance of the Conference, adding
that it will be a milestone for Iraq, demonstrating to Iraqis
and the international community the GovernmentQs ability to make
decisions and follow through on initiatives.


8. (C) Allawi mentioned that Iraq is still lacking a good
program for reconciliation and national unity but he hopes that
the National Conference will be a starting point for
discussions. He added that he hopes his trip through the region
will help with a dialogue on reconciliation. He also wants to
organize a meeting of the interior ministers from Iraq's
neighbors to discuss the security situation and border security
which will help with the same process of reconciliation.

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UNGA AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR IRAQ
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9. (C) The Deputy Secretary urged Allawi to make good use of the
UN General Assembly session in September to talk with his
counterparts in the Arab world and beyond. Allawi acknowledged
that he had not thought about UNGA, but he did not think that it
would be particularly useful. Instead, he proposed a meeting
that would include G-8 countries, Egypt, Morocco, and other
Islamic countries to specifically discuss the stability of Iraq.
Allawi said that such a meeting could empower Iraq to send a
message to Iran and Syria, and he thought it would be a useful
tool to reflect on security in the region.


10. (C) The meeting ended by Allawi thanking the Deputy
Secretary for the United States' continued support. The Deputy
Secretary stressed the U.S. commitment to Iraq. The U.S. is
focused on speeding up the disbursement of funds that Congress
appropriated for Iraq's reconstruction. Ambassador Negroponte
added that he and the Deputy Prime Minister met to discuss
forming a joint U.S.-Iraqi committee that will talk about the
best way to spend the appropriations.


NEGROPONTE