TOPI PROMISES MORE ALBANIAN TROOPS; SURPLUS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 004203

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/29/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV IZ
SUBJECT: TOPI PROMISES MORE ALBANIAN TROOPS; SURPLUS
MUNITIONS FOR ITO


Classified By: Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker for Reasons 1.4(d/b)


1. (C) SUMMARY. In a December 23 meeting, Albanian
President Bamir Topi told Ambassador Crocker, MNF-I CG David
Petraeus and PolMil Minister Counselor Ambassador Marcie Ries
that his country planned to increase the number of its troops
in Iraq. Albanian Minister of Defense Fatmir Mediu, who
along with Chief of the Albanian General Staff Luan Hoxha,
and Diplomatic Advisor Arben Cici, also accompanied President
Topi, told the CG that Albania also wished to donate surplus
ammunition to Iraqi Security Forces. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) President Topi opened by describing the "special"
relationship Albania wished to pursue with the United States
in all fields, adding that is was the general will of the
Albanian people to increase ties with the United States. On
the military side, Topi noted his country's soldiers would
gain valuable experience by contributing to Coalition Forces.
Topi said Albania expected to "intensify operations" and
increase the number of troops in the Iraq Theatre of
Operations. He noted that Albania had also recently
undergone many of the challenges Iraq now faces in
establishing a viable democracy and acknowledged Ambassador
Marcie Ries' contributions to Albania's process. The CG
remarked that the Albanian forces' professionalism had earned
them a special relationship with the U.S. He said attacks
against Coalition assets were at one-quarter of their
December 2006 level, and assured Topi that CF would continue
their relentless pressure against AQI. He underscored the
importance of the Mosul area (where the Albanian contingent
is based) and told President Topi it would be the focus for
large-scale operations in the coming months.


3. (C) The CG told Topi that Coalition Forces were
increasingly successful in locating weapons caches and
attributed this in part to the parallel "Iraqi Surge" that
has added well over 100, 000 IA and IP since the end of 2006.
He emphasized the importance of holding cleared areas and
locating with the population ("you can't commute to this
fight") and the critical role the approximately 75,000
Concerned Local Citizens play in this respect. The CG
described AQI activity in some areas as "mafia-like" and
argued that a wide array of assets, including financial, were
necessary to defeat the enemy. The CG cautioned that despite
the positive recent trends, the Coalition "hadn't turned a
corner" and that AQI remained "tenacious."


4. (C) To Defense Minister Fatmir Mediu's question about
the effect troop reductions would have on Coalition
anti-terror operations, the CG answered that the Coalition
had already drawn down by one Brigade Combat Team and the
Marine Expeditionary Unit, but that the transition to IA
oversight would be conducted in a way to minimize the risk of
a resurgent AQI. The CG closed by saying that while the
Coalition was increasingly transitioning security to the
Iraqis, it intended fully to "remain a partner" in the
process.


5. (C) Ambassador Crocker conceded that progress on the
political front had been slow, but there had been positive
developments, particularly at the local and provincial
levels. He mentioned that the draft Accountability and
Justice (De-Baathification) law, was scheduled to receive a
third (final) reading in the Council of Representatives in
early 2008. Passage of the law, he went on, would be a
"significant gesture" to Iraq's Sunni community. The 2008
Budget, which he also expects to pass in early 2008, was also
a welcome development because of its substantial provincial
investment component. He suggested that ongoing local
reconciliation initiatives combined with some national
legislative gains might be enough to cement recent
improvements in security. Although the process remained
"slow, hard and painful," Ambassador Crocker told President
Topi Iraq was in a "much better place" than it had been a
year previously.


6. (C) Ambassador Crocker reminded President Topi that
there were also "neighborhood" challenges and noted Iran's
"large, but negative role." He added the USG had seem some
recent "course alteration" but nothing to indicate a
"cessation" of Iran's current policies. Ambassador Crocker
mentioned we expected to meet the Iranians "within a week or
so" for a further round of tri-lateral talks and would most
like to see a "clearly defined policy shift" on their part.
He cautioned that some of Iraq's other neighbors remained
"suspicious" of the GOI's ties to Teheran and pointed to the
complete absence of Arab Ambassadors in Bahgdad as proof of
this. On the Northern Border issue, the Ambassador told
President Topi we were "working with the GOT" but that the
key was to find a way to "eliminate the PKK without
destabilizing Iraq." The Ambassador concluded that despite
the "considerable challenges" remaining, he hoped an

BAGHDAD 00004203 002 OF 002


increasing number of positive developments would trigger a
"virtuous circle" of improved security, service provision and
political reconciliation.


7. (C) Albanian Defense Minister Fatmir Mediu said he hoped
to deploy one additional 120-man company in support of
Coalition activities in Mosul, and underscored his preference
for committing fewer high-quality troops rather than larger
numbers of less-capable soldiers He cautioned that the
measure would require the Albanian parliament's approval, but
echoed President Topi's earlier message about ties with the
United States and predicted easy passage. Mediu also said
Albania had surplus ammunition it wanted to donate to Iraqi
Security Forces and discussed transportation options with the
CG.


8. (C) Mediu than asked Ambassador Crocker about
de-baathification legislation and reconciliation progress
generally; the Ambassador highlighted positive steps like the
USD 75 million Anbar supplemental budget as proof the central
government was reaching out to Iraq's Sunni communities. He
described the recently-passed amendment to the pension law,
which covers former Ba'athists, as more practically important
than the increasingly "symbolic" draft De'baathification
legislation pending in the Iraqi Council of Representatives.
While he noted that antagonism between Prime Minister Maliki
and Vice President Hashimi was an issue, he thought an
up-tick in "cross-sectarian outreach," like Vice President
Hashimi's trip to visit Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani in Najaf
and Ammar al Hakim's trip to Anbar province were the types of
initiatives improving security conditions would foster.
CROCKER