ITALIANS SEE SIGNS OF PROGRESS IN IRAQ

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 000711 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR S/I AND NEA/I E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/16/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV MOPS IZ IT SUBJECT: ITALIANS SEE SIGNS OF PROGRESS IN IRAQ Classified By: Classified by Jonathan R. Cohen, Acting Political Minist er Counselor, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) Summary ¶1. (C) DFM Ugo Intini and MFA Iraq Task Force Director Amb. Gianludovico Martino traveled to Baghdad, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh April 2-3 to discuss political developments in Iraq. In Baghdad, the Italians noted that the majority of Iraqi interlocutors, while concerned about the continuing violence, believed that the government, economy and civil society were developing in the right direction. Iraqi government officials noted a growing sense of nationhood among the Iraqi people but agreed that the continued violence still threatened the stability of the state. Intini and Martino were told by the Iraqis that efforts to grant amnesty to some former Baathist officials and insurgents were being opposed by Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani and PM Al Maliki. In Riyadh, the Saudi DFM Al Kabir told the Italians that the Saudis were supportive of the Iraq Compact but not open to hosting a conference in Riyadh. The Italians were also unsuccessful in convincing the Saudis to provide greater debt relief for Iraq. De Martino noted that Saudi interlocutors were deeply suspicious of PM Al Maliki, calling him an agent of Iran. End summary. ¶2. (C) On April 2-3 DFM Intini and De Martino traveled to the Middle East to meet with Iraqi, Saudi and UAE officials to discuss the situation in Iraq. De Martino provided a readout to poloff on April 5. In Iraq, the Italians met with President Talibani, PM Maliki, FM Zebari, and DPM Salih. De Martino stated that all the Iraqis believed that although violence persists, the country's political and economic development are proceeding in the right direction - toward a unified, sustainable Iraq. All agreed that there is a growing sense of Iraqi nationhood among the population, but the political and social situation remained fragile. Support for religious-based parties, while still strong, was declining due to their inability to provide greater economic benefits to the population at large. While the Italians viewed this as a positive development, failure by more moderate parties to provide a better standard of living could lead to continued radicalization. ¶3. (C) On security issues, the Iraqis provided the Italians an overview of the Baghdad security plan, which they believed - and the Italians agreed - was producing small, but tangible results. When they asked about the possibility of providing some level of amnesty to former insurgents, the Italians were told that PM Maliki and Grand Ayatollah Al Sistani were opposed to the idea. The Italians expressed their own opposition to any merging of religious-based sectarian militias into the Iraqi security forces. ¶4. (U) In the press conference after meeting FM Zebari, Intini announced that Italy would contribute 400 million euros over the next three years for infrastructure projects in Iraq and pledged that Italy would continue to be a committed partner for the political and economic development of Iraq. ¶5. (C) In Riyadh, the Italians met with DFM Al Kabir to discuss the launching of the Iraq Compact and debt relief. The Saudi government was generally supportive of the Iraq Compact but was not open to hosting a conference in Riyadh. The Saudis were equally unwilling to consider additional debt relief. De Martino noted that Saudi officials were deeply suspicious of the current Iraqi government, calling PM Al Maliki an agent of Iran. When asked about recent comments by Saudi King Abdullah calling the American presence an "illegitimate occupation", Al Kabir insisted that the Saudi government believed the American presence was essential for the security of the region. SPOGLI