GOF OFFERS TRAINING TO IRAQI POLICE AND JUDGES,

S E C R E T PARIS 001764

SIPDIS

FOR NEA/I/PM, EB/IFD AND EUR/WE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/15/2014
TAGS: PREL EAID IZ FR
SUBJECT: GOF OFFERS TRAINING TO IRAQI POLICE AND JUDGES,
SEEKS TO ADVANCE INTERNATIONAL COORDINATION MECHANISM

REF: PARIS 1716

Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt, reasons
1.5 (b) and (d).


1. (SBU) In recent discussions with us on Iraq, working-level
MFA officials have described new French training programs for
Iraqis under the EU umbrella and preliminary GoF thinking on
the U.S.-proposed international coordination mechanism for
Iraq assistance. The new GoF assistance is part of the
recently approved EU "rule of law" package for Iraq, and will
consist of a four-week training program for 160 Iraqi police
officers in France this summer, followed by a month-long
training program for 30 Iraqi magistrates in Bordeaux in the
fall. The proposed police training is separate from an
earlier GoF offer to train some 1,500 Iraqi gendarmes in
France and Qatar, to which the GoF has not received a reply
from the Iraqi government since President Chirac raised the
issue with visiting IIG President Yawer in mid-January.


2. (C) MFA Iraq desk officer Renaud Salins commented to us
during a March 11 discussion on Iranian interference in Iraq
(reftel) that the summer and fall training programs put the
GoF at the top of the EU in terms of contributions to the new
rule of law program, which aims to train some 800 Iraqi
officials. He added that it was a strange, but good feeling
for France to be at the head of any contribution list for
Iraq.


3. (C) Salins also informed us that the GoF is seeking to
encourage EU reflection on the proposed international
coordination mechanism for Iraq, first floated by the U.S.
earlier this year. The GoF's preliminary thinking on the
coordination mechanism was that it should, of course, be led
by the Iraqi government, and that it was up to Iraq's
Transitional Government to define Iraq's immediate assistance
needs. At the same time, the GoF believed that the UN could
play an important role within the coordination mechanism to
help the Iraqi government identify assistance needs and
create a sort of clearinghouse for international aid. The EU
should play an important role as well in the coordination
mechanism, still to be defined. Salins commented that the
only EU member which had showed enthusiasm for advancing the
coordination mechanism idea was the UK, which was keen on
promoting an international conference on Iraq to take place
in May. Salins was unsure whether the May timeframe was
realistic, given the continued delay in formation of the ITG.
In any case, French, UK and EC working-level representatives
had met in Brussels the week of March 7 to explore further
the international conference and coordination mechanism
ideas.


4. (C) UK Embassy First Secretary Tom Fletcher (protect)
informed us March 16 that the UK continued to consult with
the French on the coordination mechanism and conference
proposals. He described the UK and France as differing on
one point: France was more inclined to limit the coordination
mechanism on capacity building activities for Iraq, while the
UK was leaning towards a more ambitious, open-ended mandate.
Fletcher also confirmed that the UK embassy in Baghdad had
approached IIG VP Ibrahim al-Ja'fari on the conference
proposal and found him open to the idea. Fletcher also
clarified that while the venue for such a conference remained
to be determined, the logical choice was Brussels, with the
EC hosting.


5. (C) Comment: The GoF continues to move in a positive
direction in offering more assistance to Iraq, primarily via
training programs for Iraqis in France. At the same time,
the French red-lines on no troops in Iraq and qualified
assistance to the NATO training mission remain in place, and
the GoF continues to be averse to sending any personnel into
Iraq for reconstruction or assistance projects, as long as
security conditions are difficult. End comment.


6. (U) Baghdad minimize considered.
Leach