FRANCE WELCOMES FORMATION OF IRAQ TRANSITIONAL

UNCLAS PARIS 002976 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL IZ FR SUBJECT: FRANCE WELCOMES FORMATION OF IRAQ TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT REF: STATE 79017 ¶1. (U) Poloff delivered reftel demarche April 29 to MFA Iraq Desk Officer Bernard Chappedelaine, who assured us that France welcomed formation of the Iraq Transitional Government (ITG) and would say so in a public statement later that day. The statement, issued at the MFA's noon press briefing April 29 (informal Embassy translation below),notes positively that ITG formation is a step in Iraq's political transition, and acknowledges efforts to make the government as representative of all Iraqis as possible and calls on the new government to promote inter-community dialogue. ¶2. (U) Informal Embassy translation of the MFA's April 29 statement: "France welcomes the much awaited announcement of the formation in Iraq of the transitional government based on the January 30 elections, a new stage in the political transition under way in that country. France congratulates Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari. It takes note of the continuing efforts to confer on the government the broadest possible representativity. It calls on the government to promote dialogue between all the communities. It hopes that the transitional government will be able to move toward the effective exercise by Iraq of its sovereignty within the framework traced by Resolution 1546." End Embassy translation. ¶3. (U) Baghdad minimize considered. ROSENBLATT