NEW WAY FORWARD ON IRAQ: MAINTAINING PARTICIPATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAKAR 000962 SIPDIS SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY ECOWAS COLLECTIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR PM/RSAT, AF, AF/RSA AND AF/W NSC FOR AF SENIOR DIRECTOR PITTMAN PARIS FOR POL - D'ELIA E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/30/2017 TAGS: MARR MASS MOPS PREL PTER IZ SG SUBJECT: NEW WAY FORWARD ON IRAQ: MAINTAINING PARTICIPATION IN THE IRAQ COALITION REF: STATE 054925 Classified By: Ambassador Janice L. Jacobs for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). (C) Senegal has been more neutral on Iraq than during the first Gulf War, when Senegal proudly provided troops to help evict Saddam from Kuwait. Senegal resisted French pressure to take a more critical posture, and, in fact, President Abdoulaye Wade publicly noted his satisfaction that Saddam had been removed from power. Over the last year, Wade and his Foreign Ministry have expressed growing unease with the loss of life in Iraq. Nonetheless, with over 2,600 peacekeepers currently deployed in six different operations, Senegal is neither able nor willing to contribute to the coalition in Iraq. JACOBS