FORMATION OF TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT EASES EU

C O N F I D E N T I A L DUBLIN 000548

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/09/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: FORMATION OF TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT EASES EU
DISCUSSIONS

REF: STATE 79107

Classified By: Pol/Econ Chief Mary E. Daly for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) POL/ECON Chief met May 9 with Stephen Dawson, Deputy
Director of the DFA's Middle East office, to discuss reftel.
Dawson said that the formation of Iraq's interim government
has made discussions of Iraq easier within the EU. Those who
were opposed now felt they needed to give the elected
transitional government a "fair run" and were thus more
willing to see the EU adopt a positive attitude.


2. (C) Dawson said that the GOI would not issue a national
statement to complement that of the EU. However, in a May
28th response to a parliamentarian's question, the DFA called
formation of the ITG "an important milestone on the path to
political reconstruction" and "the first time the Iraqis have
had a government freely chosen by themselves." The note to
parliament also discusses "the difficult security situation"
and problems between Sunnis and Shia. Dawson said there were
several reasons the Irish had not issued a national
statement. For one, he said any statement supportive of the
ITG would also have had to include references to the security
situation and the ethnic composition of the government. The
DFA felt doing so would diminish the impact of a positive
statement on the ITG. Secondly, he said the Irish will have
a logistical problem issuing statements while FM Ahern
carries out his role as envoy for the UNSYG. The FM and the
political director, he said, are traveling so much in their
UN roles that coordination of such statements will be
difficult. All things considered, he said, the DFA decided
that the EU statement and the note to parliament offered
sufficient support for now and they will look for future
opportunities to issue positive statements on Iraq.
KENNY