SECOND FRENCH DEMARCHE ON SECURITY CONCERNS IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 002661 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/15/2015 TAGS: PREL IZ FR SUBJECT: SECOND FRENCH DEMARCHE ON SECURITY CONCERNS IN BAGHDAD REF: A. PARIS 426 ¶B. EMAIL ESPINOZA-ROSENBLATT 2/8/2005 Classified By: Acting DCM Josiah Rosenblatt, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) This message contains an action request for Washington, see para 5. ¶2. (C) MFA DAS-equivalent for Iraq/Iran/Arabian Gulf Affairs Antoine Sivan, during a previously scheduled meeting with poloff April 18, raised security problems involving the French embassy in Baghdad, which he said will be the subject of high-level GoF demarches in Washington and Baghdad, and were the topic of a similar French demarche in January (reftel). Sivan said the security problems center around three issues, which were recently summarized in a cable from French Ambassador to Iraq Bernard Bajolet to the MFA: 1) access to the Green Zone, 2) access to the airport zone, and 3) lack of gun permits for firearms carried by French security officials. On Green Zone access, Sivan reported that the French embassy in Baghdad possesses only one "blue badge" which facilitates expedited access and was used by Ambassador Bajolet. All other badges (green and others) used by French embassy staff at Green Zone checkpoints required waiting in line 20-30 minutes outside checkpoints and typically involved extensive car searches, despite the diplomatic status of the staff. Sivan concluded that the badge access issue inhibited the work of the French mission in gaining access to Iraqi officials and other embassies located in the Green Zone, in addition to exposing French personnel to danger by requiring them to wait for long periods in exposed, vulnerable areas. According to Sivan, Bajolet had complained to Paris that a system of "diplomatic apartheid" existed with respect to issuance of badges to Coalition member embassies, who reportedly did not face the same delays or restrictions as non-Coalition members, like France and Germany. When poloff asked Sivan about the measures taken last February to facilitate French access to the Green Zone, which were the subject of a February letter of appreciation from Bajolet to our Baghdad mission (ref b), Sivan affirmed that he had no doubt Washington and our embassy in Baghdad had sought to resolve the problem, but the message was not traveling to the level of soldiers manning the Green Zone checkpoints and the situation remained "worse than ever." ¶3. (C) Sivan also complained over difficulties French embassy personnel faced in accessing the Baghdad airport road, which he said had become much more restrictive since the shooting incident involving Italian official Nicolas Calipari. Again citing Bajolet's reporting, Sivan said the French embassy lacks the necessary DoD-issued badges which permit access to a priority checkpoint line, requiring French vehicles to face long waits in the non-priority line of cars seeking access to the road. Sivan again complained that an apparent distinction existed between Coalition member embassies and non-Coalition members in ability to access the airport road, and said that the new restrictions hampered the operations of the French embassy in Baghdad. On gun permits, Sivan complained that the French mission, despite repeated appeals to U.S. and Iraqi authorities, had never received permits for its officials to carry weapons, so the French security staff did so without any authorization. When asked to what extent France had pursued the issue with the Iraqi MFA, Sivan claimed that the Iraqi government had claimed ignorance on the issue and told the French mission to take up the issue with the USG. ¶4. (C) In closing, poloff offered to convey Sivan's concerns to Washington, and reiterated the difficult security situation and operating conditions in Baghdad, which U.S. personnel had to contend with on a daily basis and which no amount of badge issuance could resolve. Sivan conceded that the GoF understood the security risks associated with maintaining its mission in Baghdad, and that not all risks could be eliminated; at the same time, the GoF wanted to address avoidable security risks, such as keeping cars waiting in stationary spots subject to frequent terrorist attacks. He added that it was not unreasonable to expect that Coalition and non-Coalition embassies would enjoy the same treatment with respect to access to the Green Zone and the all-important airport road. He added that if French personnel were harmed in an attack while waiting at one of these checkpoints, it could provoke a domestic outcry and affect bilateral relations to a similar degree as the Calipari case, obviously an outcome we all would like to avoid. ¶5. (C) Comment/Action Request: We hope that Washington and/or Baghdad can provide guidance on responding to the latest GoF security complaints, which are undoubtedly half of the story. We expect the GoF will raise this issue with Senior Iraq Coordinator Jones during his April 25 visit, and would appreciate it if Washington can provide additional guidance or background on this issue by COB April 22. End comment/action request. ¶6. (U) Baghdad minimize considered. WOLFF