IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER ZEBARI ON REGIONAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 000572

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/05/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV PREF ARABL EG IZ
SUBJECT: IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER ZEBARI ON REGIONAL
CONSULTATIONS AND ARAB LEAGUE MEETINGS

REF: CAIRO 559

Classified by Ambassador Francis Ricciardone for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).

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Summary
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1. (C) Iraqi Foreign Minister Zebari told the Ambassador on
March 3 that he was working with the Egyptian government and
UNHCR to ease residency requirements for the growing number
of Iraqis in Egypt. On Egypt-Iraq relations, Zebari said he
had selected a candidate for Ambassador to Cairo, but
confirmation and agrement remained contentious within the
GOI. Planning for upcoming meetings of Iraq's neighbors is
at the top of Zebari's agenda: Egypt's Foreign Minister was
"positive" regarding GOE participation at a March 10 Baghdad
Neighbors meeting. The Ambassador encouraged Iraqi
participation in Bright Star, an Egyptian-hosted regional
military exercise to be held in September. End summary.

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Refugees
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2. (C) The Ambassador met briefly on March 3 with Iraqi
Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, a long-time personal
acquaintance, who was in Egypt to attend an Arab League
ministerial meeting in advance of the League's March 28-29
Riyadh Summit. Zebari, who had just finished meeting with
the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, detailed his talks
with senior GOE officials over the growing number of Iraqis
in Egypt. Registration for these people in Egypt, he said,
was becoming "a problem." He said he told Egyptian
Intelligence Chief Omar Soliman that Iraq "wants these people
to come back," to help rebuild the country when conditions
permit. In the meantime, Iraq will "do its part," he
asserted, but assistance from neighbors is required to
provide these people and their families with health care,
education, and other basic services. Zebari also complained
of the challenge of issuing new Iraqi passports. Centralized
printing in Baghdad of 3,000 passports daily is insufficient
for the 5 million required. Zebari also mentioned his
concern that among the new Iraqi arrivals in Egypt was a
growing number of former Army and Intelligence officers from
the Saddam era.

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Iraq-Egypt Relations
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3. (C) Zebari said that Egypt was allowing senior members of
the former "Iraqi Army and Intelligence" to reside in Cairo.
He added that, when confronted, Egyptian officials denied the
charge. Zebari also noted approvingly that Egypt's
intelligence service had "increased its presence" in Iraq.
Asked why Iraq had still not sent an Ambassador to Cairo,
Zebari admitted "the problem is in Baghdad. We selected one
of our best diplomats (my deputy),a secular Shia and career
diplomat, to serve in Cairo." The GOE has accepted him, but
members of the GOI were obstructing his appointment "over
politics." Zebari added that he would formally nominate the
diplomat in May, when he submits a list of nominees to the
Council of Representatives for confirmation. The Ambassador
strongly encouraged Zebari and the GOI to place a senior,
seasoned diplomat in Cairo as soon as possible, especially
one comfortable speaking on camera who can challenge the
widespread disinformation and bias over present circumstances
in Iraq. Zebari agreed that the nominee should receive media
training -- as Zebari himself had done.


4. (C) Regarding a recent failed attempt to arrange a visit
to Egypt by President Talabani, Zebari blamed the last-minute
cancellation on the GOI's own Presidential Protocol staff and
their excessive demands. Despite his personal appeals to
Talabani and his assurances that Egypt would manage the visit
appropriately, Zebari was unable to overule the Protocol
staff - the result of which was damage to Iraq-Egypt ties.
"Our government," he complained, "needs to act more
professionally and more realistically." As another example,
Zebari entirely blamed NSA Rubaie for "botching" Saddam's
execution.

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Neighbors Meetings
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5. (C) Zebari said he had two agenda items for his visit to
Cairo: to obtain regional buy-in for a meeting of Iraq's
neighbors in Baghdad on March 10, and to encourage stronger
Arab commitments to Iraq at the March 28-29 AL Summit in

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Riyadh. Zebari said Iraq had "worked for months" to arrange
the Baghdad neighbors meeting. The Secretary's February 27
public remarks committing the U.S. to participate in that
meeting, he added, were "excellent." While the Iraqis
understand there will be no direct talks between the USG and
Iranian/Syrian representatives, the meeting offered a chance
to "break the ice" -- a "win-win" situation for everyone, he
said. It was crucial, he continued, for the neighbors to
show their support for Iraq's government and the Baghdad
Security Plan. "We will hold them (the neighbors) to their
security commitments," he added.


6. (C) On the issue of a follow on ministerial of Iraq's
neighbors and others, Zebari said a decision would emerge
during ongoing regional consultations and at the
sub-ministerial in Baghdad. He did not reference possible
GOE efforts to link their participation at the March 10
meeting to their hosting of a ministerial (reftel). Zebari
said he consulted Egyptian FM Aboul Gheit, and said the
latter was "positive." (Note: Aboul Gheit likewise was
positive in a subsequent conversation with the Ambassador.
End note) Zebari noted intense interest among European and
other missions in Baghdad to participate in the March 10
meeting, and said the GOI would transport participants by
charter flight en masse from Amman. He assured the
Ambassador that the meeting - to be held outside the Green
Zone - would be well-protected.

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Bright Star
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7. (C) The Ambassador recalled his personal efforts to
prompt an Egyptian invitation for Iraq to participate in the
September 2005 Bright Star regional military exercises held
every two years in Egypt. The Egyptian Field Marshall
personally approved the invitation, but the Iraqi officers
who had accepted the invitation failed to show up. The
Ambassador encouraged Iraq to send a representative to the
September 2007 Bright Star exercise. Zebari welcomed the
Ambassador's advice and committed to following up on the
issue with the Minister of Defense in Baghdad.
RICCIARDONE