GOALS FOR UPCOMING EXPANDED IRAQ NEIGHBORS

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 005191 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/29/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL IZ RS SUBJECT: GOALS FOR UPCOMING EXPANDED IRAQ NEIGHBORS MINISTERIAL IN ISTANBUL REF: STATE 149172 Classified By: Political M/C Alice Wells for reasons 1.4 (b/d). ¶1. (C) We delivered reftel demarche on October 26 to MFA Middle East and North Africa Department Director Sergey Vershinin. Vershinin expressed appreciation for U.S. efforts to keep the GOR informed of U.S. goals for the upcoming Expanded Iraq Neighbors Ministerial and to seek agreement on establishing a support mechanism for the Neighbors process. Vershinin understood the support mechanism to be a variant of the "secretariat" proposed by the GOR during the first Neighbors meeting in May at Sharm el Sheikh. He requested clarification on whether such a body would include the Neighbors or the Expanded Neighbors, as the former would not include Russia, while suggesting the support mechanism be based outside Iraq, given that many of the Iraq Neighbors do not currently have diplomatic missions in Baghdad. ¶2. (C) Vershinin told us the GOR looked forward to PM al-Maliki's update on his government's efforts to achieve national reconciliation, including progress made on a range of political and economic issues. Vershinin expressed GOR interest in a communique by Ministerial participants supporting Iraqi efforts. Burns