Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06SEOUL3858
2006-11-08 09:02:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Seoul
Cable title:  

IRAQ DEPUTY COORDINATOR STEPHENSON VISIT TO SEOUL:

Tags:  MARR PARM PREL IZ KS 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 003858 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS TO S/I AND NEA/I

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/05/2016
TAGS: MARR PARM PREL IZ KS
SUBJECT: IRAQ DEPUTY COORDINATOR STEPHENSON VISIT TO SEOUL:
NOVEMBER 2-3, 2006

Classified By: POL/MC JOSEPH Y. YUN. REASONS: 1.4 (b/d).

-------
SUMMARY
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 003858

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS TO S/I AND NEA/I

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/05/2016
TAGS: MARR PARM PREL IZ KS
SUBJECT: IRAQ DEPUTY COORDINATOR STEPHENSON VISIT TO SEOUL:
NOVEMBER 2-3, 2006

Classified By: POL/MC JOSEPH Y. YUN. REASONS: 1.4 (b/d).

--------------
SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) A U.S. delegation headed by Barbara Stephenson,
Deputy Coordinator for Iraq (S/I),visited Seoul November 2-3
to express appreciation for the important role South Korea
has played in Iraq, discuss plans for troops, and thank the
ROKG for its willingness to lead a Regional Reconstruction
Team (RRT). She welcomed the announcement by DFM Yoon that
his government had selected a highly-qualified senior
diplomat to lead the RRT (Park Gyu-ok, currently Minister at
the ROK Embassy in Saudi Arabia, who will arrive in Irbil by
the end of November). Yoon described the ROK vision of its
role as "strengthen capacity building, based on efforts at
Zaytun and KOICA, in a way that complements the Compact and
supports reconciliation." He added that was how renewal of
its forces would be sold to the ROK National Assembly.


2. (C) MOFAT Development Cooperation Division Director Choe
informed Stephenson that the ROK would attend the launch of
the International Compact with Iraq, but had no plans to
increase its contribution beyond implementation of its 2003
pledge. ROK officials also said that because of security
concerns they will not expand the range of their
reconstruction effort beyond Irbil. S/I Stephenson strongly
encouraged the ROK to share its own remarkable development
experience with the people of Iraq and noted that "Irbil is
what success looks like." MND Deputy DG for International
Cooperation Choi noted that while MOFAT has the lead for RRT
projects, MND must provide the logistics and security needed
to carry them out. MND Assistant Minister Kwon urged
clarification of the U.S. and ROK roles in the RRT, but
voiced confidence the U.S. and ROK leads would work well
together. END SUMMARY


3. (SBU) A U.S. delegation headed by Barbara Stephenson,
Deputy Coordinator for Iraq (S/I),and consisting of
Ambassador James Yellin, U.S. Deputy for the RRT in Irbil,
Peter Evans, Deputy Director of the Iraq Political-Military

Affairs Desk (NEA/I),and LtCol William Pitman of the Joint
Staff J-5, visited Seoul November 2-3, 2006 to discuss the
Republic of Korea's future plans for its troops in Iraq and
to hear its vision for the role it is taking on as leader of
the Irbil-based RRT. Throughout her visit, S/I Stephenson
expressed the USG's sincere appreciation for the important
role the ROK has played in Iraq, noting that South Korea has
the third largest number of troops there. (NOTE: Only the
United Kingdom and United States have more than the ROK's
current level of 2,400 troops in Iraq). She also thanked the
ROKG for "stepping up" to lead an RRT, and praised the
excellent civil-military relationship South Korean forces
have built with local residents in Irbil through medical,
engineering and educational programs. She said those
programs had won over many hearts and minds in Irbil, and had
been so successful they are now being used as models for
similar reconstruction efforts elsewhere in the country. She
and her delegation delivered that message to the following
ROK officials:
.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT)
--------------
Deputy Foreign Minister Yoon Byung-se
Development Cooperation Division Director Choe Ceol-kyu
North America Division III Deputy Director Chun Young-hee
Middle East Division Director Kang Do-ho
.
Ministry of National Defense (MND)
--------------
Assistant Minister for Policy Kwon An-do
Deputy Director General of the International Cooperation
Division BG Choi Jong-il
International Policy Team Director Kim Jeong-seop
ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff, Operations Directorate, Overseas
Deployment Division COL Lee Jeong-ha


--------------
RRT Leader and Vision
--------------


4. (C) S/I Stephenson's meetings in Seoul started off with
the welcome announcement by Deputy Foreign Minister Yoon that
his government had selected a highly qualified senior
diplomat to lead the Irbil RRT. He did not give the person's
name -- noting that it would take some more days to finalize
their choice -- but noted that they had selected an Arabic
speaker with 20 years of regional experience in the Middle
East, who would be coming to Irbil via his current assignment
in Saudi Arabia. (NOTE: Embassy was later able to identify
that person as Minister Park Gyu-ok through established
contacts in MOFAT's Middle East Division). DFM Yoon assured
the delegation that the ROK lead would be arriving in Irbil
by the end of November, would have the full authority of the
ROK government to make the necessary decisions on the ground,
and looked forward to working with Ambassador Yellin to get
the RRT up and running by the end of the year. Yoon broadly
described the ROK's vision of its role in the RRT as "to
strengthen capacity building, based on efforts at Zaytun and
KOICA, in a way that complements the Compact and supports
reconciliation." He characterized the U.S. value-added as
addressing "rule-of-law and other political aspects." During
the visit, Ambassador Yellin was asked to explain the U.S.
vision for the RRT. He did so by stressing five important
points: 1) That the USG appreciated the ROK taking the lead
and that he would fully support it as the RRT deputy; 2) That
it was important that the Kurdish region be related to/not
separated from the rest of Iraq; 3) That further
democratization of the KRG was needed; 4) That a more
participatory free market economy also needs to be
encouraged; but that 5) Any solution to these problems has to
be in line with what the Iraqi people want, and cannot simply
be imposed upon them. All agreed that establishment of a
good hydrocarbons law could go a long way to achieving these
goals.

--------------
Selling It To The National Assembly
--------------


5. (C) DFM Yoon and other ROK interlocutors made it clear to
S/I Stephenson that although the ROK Zaytun Division is
operating in a very safe area of Iraq, the presence of troops
there remains a controversial domestic political issue in
South Korea. Yoon said his ministry had briefed the National
Assembly informally on the RRT and that in doing so it had
emphasized the national building aspect of the Zaytun's
efforts while downplaying the military situation. That
approach has helped to minimize opposition from the National
Assembly, Yoon confided, adding that his government prefers
to keep the issue "very low key, with no fanfare." He
welcomed an offer by NEA/I Deputy Director Evans to share
with the ROKG information on how the USG has described the
RRT to its own Congress. Wrapping up the discussion, S/I
Stephenson said, "Although our gratitude is boundless, we
will keep it to the level of public expression that you want."

--------------
ROK Reconstruction Effort
--------------


6. (C) During a follow-on lunch with MOFAT officials hosted
by Development Cooperation Division Director Choe Ceol-kyu,
S/I Stephenson's delegation delved into more detail with
their counterparts on ROK reconstruction efforts in Iraq.
Director Choe said the ROK had thus far contributed $260
million in Iraq, for projects administered through the Korean
International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in both Baghdad and
Irbil. In Irbil, decisions on the most appropriate use of
the money were made after direct consultations with the
Kurdish Regional Government (KRG),Choe informed the
Stephenson delegation. KOICA would like to venture beyond
Irbil to consider starting projects in other parts of Iraq,
but has been unable to do so because of the security problems
afflicting much of the rest of the country. Korean oil and

reconstruction companies were also eager to go into business
in Iraq but the South Korean government currently does not
allow its citizens to travel there. Complaining that his
division had to work hard to convince one National Assembly
member at a time to support the reconstruction effort, Choe
went on to explain that is because every assembly member
worries about the safety of ROK nationals operating in Iraq.
Choe said the ROK would attend the launch of the
International Compact with Iraq, but that it had no plans at
present to increase the level of its reconstruction effort,
saying that for now the ROKG was focused on full
implementation of its total pledge from 2003 which included
debt relief, in addition to the aforementioned $260 million
in funding.


7. (C) S/I Stephenson and her delegation strongly encouraged
the ROK to share its own remarkable development experience
with the people of Iraq, noting that South Korea had
developed from a per capita level of less than $100 after the
devastating Korean War to $14,000 today. However, both the
MOFAT and MND officials with whom she would meet later in the
day were careful not to promise any further ROK monetary
contributions to Iraq, nor continuation of the Zaytun
presence in Irbil beyond their expected renewal (at reduced
levels) through 2007.

--------------
MND Recommends Troop Renewal
--------------


8. (C) In a meeting later in the day with MND Deputy
Director General of the International Cooperation Division,
Choi Jong-il, General Choi recounted how he had helped to set
up the Zaytun base in Irbil as deputy commander there in 2004
and expressed interest in the political situation in Iraq
following the President's recent meetings with Prime Minister
Maliki. Asked by S/I Stephenson how moving to Provincial
Iraqi Control (PIC) would affect the Zaytun's operations in
the North, BG Choi proudly answered that the Zaytun had
overcome initial opposition from the local community in Irbil
to earn their "eternal friendship" and that the local people
now wanted them to stay there permanently. He said that what
is most pertinent for the ROK military to know is:

-- What are the U.S. and MNF-I plans in Iraq? and
-- What are the security conditions there?

The answers to both questions are important for the ROK to
know as it goes through the process, between now and the end
of the year, of considering renewal of its forces there.
General Choi cited Defense Secretary Rumsfeld's words of
gratitude at the October 2006 SCM for the ROK's role in Iraq,
Afghanistan and counter-terrorism efforts, and stated that
MND supports extension "to maintain its accomplishments in
Irbil," but cautioned that renewal of ROK troops to Iraq
would depend upon "the will of the people, the decisions of
politicians, and international trends." S/I Stephenson
assured General Choi that the U.S. fully understood that was
the case, yet urged MND to tell the ROK National Assembly
that "Irbil is what success looks like."


9. (C) General Choi went on to state that while MOFAT was in
charge of the RRT, MND must provide the facilities and
security. For that reason the Ministry of National Defense
planned to attach a military liaison to the RRT lead before
the end of December, he added.

--------------
Korean Pride in the Zaytun
--------------


10. (C) During the delegation's final meeting of the day
with MND Assistant Minister for Policy, Kwon An-do, showing
obvious pride in MND's role in safeguarding and
reconstructing the Irbil area, urged the USG to listen to the
advice of the Zaytun unit which had succeeded in winning the
hearts and minds of the local populace without having to kick
in their doors. He also suggested a mechanism be set up so

that lessons learned could be shared with the ROK by those
who have established PRTs elsewhere in Iraq. S/I Stephenson
asked Ambassador Yellin to take that suggestion back to
Baghdad and encouraged the ROK to attend the next Partners
Meeting in London, where its officials can talk directly with
British, Italian and U.S. officials most familiar with other
PRTs.


11. (C) Yellin said he wanted to pursue these projects as
Deputy of RRT: 1) Relations of Kurdistan to the rest of Iraq;
2) Open KRG's governance so it is not so bifurcated between
the PUK and KDP; and 3) Open KRG's economic system so it does
not also reflect the schism of PUK/KDP politics.


12. (C) Kwon concluded the meeting by saying there was a
need to clarify roles and consult on overlapping areas of
responsibility as we move forward together to implement the
RRT, but voiced confidence that the U.S. and ROK leads would
work well together, commenting that South Korea was
accustomed to teamwork with the United States.


13. (U) Deputy S/I Stephenson has cleared this message.
VERSHBOW