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