EU STILL DEBATING FOLLOW-UP TO IRAQ TRAINING

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 001075 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/29/2016 TAGS: PREL PTER PHUM EAID IR EUN USEU BRUSSELS SUBJECT: EU STILL DEBATING FOLLOW-UP TO IRAQ TRAINING MISSION REF: A. A) BRUSSELS 163 ¶B. B) 05 BRUSSELS 4417 ¶C. C) 05 BRUSSELS 1466 Classified By: USEU POLOFF TODD HUIZINGA, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: According to EU interlocutors, the EU is still deliberating on an extension of the EUJUST LEX training mission (for Iraqi police, justice and prison officials), which expires on June 30. While the EU Council Director for Civilian Crisis Management said EU activities would probably not be expanded, the EUJUST LEX Deputy Chief predicted the follow-on mission would continue training and step up mentoring and monitoring. He hoped EU Foreign Ministers would approve specific ideas at their May 15 GAERC meeting. UK officials said an EC Mission in Baghdad would open soon; also, the UK is pushing the Austrian EU presidency to put out a strong EU declaration of support for Iraq, after a national unity government is formed. END SUMMARY. -------------- MEMBER STATES MAY LIMIT EU ROLE -------------- ¶2. (C) In March 17 meetings with Ambassador James Yellin, Embassy Baghdad Rule-of-Law Coordinator and Adviser to the Interior Minister, EU interlocutors discussed EU deliberations on how to follow up on the EUJUST LEX rule-of-law training mission in Iraq (reftels) once the mission's mandate expires on June 30. Pedro Serrano (PROTECT),EU Council Director for Civilian Crisis Management, said he did not believe the EU would expand EUJUST LEX's "limited scope" of activities. He said EU member states were more interested in either concentrating on their own bilateral programs in Iraq or in maintaining a limited EU footprint on the ground. -------------- MEASURED EXPANSION OF EUJUST LEX? -------------- ¶3. (C) EUJUST LEX Deputy Head of Mission Ignacio Ulloa Rubio (PROTECT) was more optimistic than Serrano. He said five options for the follow-on mission are now on the table: (1) extend the mission unchanged; (2) enlarge the mission's Baghdad liaison office from 5 people to 10 people; (3) continue to bring Iraqis to EU member states for training outside of Iraq, but add mentoring and monitoring activities in Iraq; (4) in addition to current training outside Iraq, begin training on the ground (for example, at the Judicial Institute of Baghdad); and (5) give EUJUST LEX a role in coordinating training activities of EU member states. Ulloa Rubio said option (5) would almost certainly not gain the approval of EU member states, who wanted to retain their freedom of action in Iraq. Option (1) was a possibility, but (2) and (3) -- a measured expansion of the mission -- would likely be approved. According to Ulloa Rubio, approval of option (4),providing training in Iraq itself, was unlikely but possible. -------------- UK: PUSHING FOR EC MISSION, EU DECLARATION -------------- ¶4. (C) In a separate meeting, the Iraq watchers of the UK Permanent Representation in Brussels said a Memorandum of Understanding was currently being negotiated between the UK and the European Commission (EC) regarding the EC Mission in Baghdad, to be housed temporarily in the UK Embassy. They predicted the EC Mission could open by May. Our UK contacts also told us that the UK was pushing the Austrian EU presidency to put out a strong EU Foreign Ministers' declaration, in the form of GAERC conclusions, once a national unity government in Iraq is formed. This declaration would express strong EU support for the Iraqi government and outline some specific steps the EU would take to assist Iraq, beyond those already underway. ¶5. (U) This message was not cleared by Ambassador Yellin before his departure. GRAY .