FINANCE MINISTER CHANGES TRAVEL PLANS

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 003603

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/03/2015
TAGS: EFIN IZ OTRA
SUBJECT: FINANCE MINISTER CHANGES TRAVEL PLANS

REF: A. NEA/I 8/31/05 OI

B. BAGHDAD 3546

Classified By: AMBASSADOR ZALMAY KHALILZAD FOR REASONS 1.4 (b) AND (d)


1. (C) Further to ref A request, on September 2 the
Ambassador called Minister of Finance Allawi to ask that
Allawi not/not accompany President Talabani to the United
States September 8-16 (ref B). Allawi agreed and said that
he needs to stay in Iraq to work on the budget. Allawi will
travel later to the US for the annual World Bank/IMF
meetings, September 23-25, where he said he intends to meet a
number of his Gulf State counterparts to discuss debt relief
issues. Allawi also told the Ambassador that he will focus
on debt relief during an early October tour of the Gulf
States.


2. (C) In separate conversations with Emboffs, Allawi said
that he will start with the UAE and Kuwait. He also said that
he is concerned about the Saudis, and suggested that the US
could help him "politically" with the Saudi government.
Khalilzad