DJIBOUTI AND DEMARCHE ON DEMOCRATIC IRAQ

C O N F I D E N T I A L DJIBOUTI 000386 SIPDIS STATE FOR AF, AF/E, NEA E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/15/2014 TAGS: PREL PARM IZ UN DJ SUBJECT: DJIBOUTI AND DEMARCHE ON DEMOCRATIC IRAQ REF: STATE 056282 Classified By: AMBASSADOR MARGUERITA D. RAGSDALE. REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) Ambassador delivered reftel demarche March 15 to Minister of Cooperation, Mohamoud Youssef Ali, in Djibouti's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ali responded that Djibouti would like to see an elected government take charge in Iraq and peace restored. In that regard, it is important that coalition forces hand over power to a democratically-elected government soonest. ¶2. (C) Ali also stated that the upcoming Arab League Summit in Tunis was unlikely to take a position that might be interpreted as "imbalanced" on this issue. He noted other positive steps the League has taken on Iraq, including condemnation of the terrorist attacks on Shiites in Kerbala and other resolutions. RAGSDALE