AMBASSADOR MEETS FOREIGN MINISTER ON IRAQ

S E C R E T ULAANBAATAR 000150 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/06/2017 TAGS: MARR PREL MASS IZ MG PL SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETS FOREIGN MINISTER ON IRAQ ROTATION, PRESIDENT ENKHBAYAR'S U.S. VISIT REF: A. (A) WILDER-MINTON EMAIL OF 3/5/07 ¶B. (B) ULAANBAATAR 056 Classified By: Ambassador Mark C. Minton, for reasons 1.5(B) and (D) ¶1. (S) Summary: The Ambassador met with Foreign Minister Enkhbold on March 6 to follow up on the phone call the previous evening between President Bush and President Enkhbayar, and to state our hope that we will receive an early and positive response on our request that Mongolia send an 8th rotation of 100 troops to provide force protection for Polish troops at Camp Echo. The Foreign Minister responded that President Bush's phone call had underlined the importance of the issue. He reaffirmed President Enkhbayar's commitment to seriously consider the U.S. request and give a quick response. The Polish ambassador later told Ambassador that he has requested a meeting with the Foreign Minister to state his government's hope that Mongolian forces stay on. On March 6, Ministry of Defense officials asked the embassy to cancel the scheduled departure on March 11 of five Mongolian staff officers to Iraq (as a much-reduced 8th rotation),and stated that LTG Togoo had asked the ministry to urgently review plans in view of the presidential phone call the previous evening. A press statement released by President Enkhbayar's office stated that Enkhbayar told President Bush he would seriously study the request to continue participation in Iraq reconstruction operations and would respond in the near future (full text of statement in para. 6). End summary. ¶2. (S) Ambassador used a March 6 meeting with Foreign Minister Enkhbold to follow up on the telephone conversation the previous evening between President Bush and President Enkhbayar. The Ambassador noted that the phone call was a good opportunity to discuss a range of bilateral issues, and said that the call and the prospective visit to the U.S. this year by President Enkhbayar would help give momentum to the relationship. The Ambassador said that he had been instructed to follow up on two issues: Mongolia's desired timing for the Enkhbayar visit; and the issue of Mongolia's 8th rotation of troops in Iraq. He noted that the scheduled departure of the 7th rotation from Camp Echo gave a certain urgency to the latter issue. The Ambassador noted that, at the end of January, visiting EAP DAS Christensen had formally �A;conveyed our request regarding the 8th rotation to the Foreign Minister (ref b). In line with President Bush's call, we hoped for a formal and positive response to the request. ¶3. (S) The Foreign Minister responded that he had been in the room the previous evening while the two presidents spoke by phone. President Enkhbayar had not yet discussed the possible timing of his visit to the U.S., Enkhbold said, but added that MFA looked forward to finding mutually convenient dates and to the boost the visit would give the relationship. With regard to Iraq, the Foreign Minister said, President Enkhbayar had undertaken to give the U.S. request for a full 8th rotation serious consideration. The Foreign Minister noted that Mongolia has been preparing to "pull out" after the current rotation, and to send only a few staff officers to Iraq. No troops had been prepared to replace the current rotation of 100 soldiers. Mongolia would need to consider how to proceed, but the fact that President Bush had raised the issue with President Enkhbayar had elevated the matter and underlined the importance of the issue. As President Enkhbayar had said the previous evening, Mongolia would give the U.S. request very serious consideration and respond quickly. The Foreign Minister undertook to keep the Ambassador informed. ¶4. (S) After the meeting, the Ambassador spoke with his Polish counterpart, and informed the Pole that the United States continued to work to convince Mongolia to send a full 8th rotation to Iraq to provide force protection to the Polish contingent. The Ambassador said he had met with the Foreign Minister that morning to follow up on President Bush's call the previous evening. The Pole responded that he too had asked to see Foreign Minister Enkhbold, to note Poland's decision to keep troops in Iraq until the end of 2007, and to ask that Mongolia send a full 8th rotation to Camp Echo. The Pole said that he would inform the Ambassador of the discussion once the meeting occurred. ¶5. (S) At mid-day on March 6, the Defense Attache Office was informed by the General Staff Peacekeeping Department that LTG Togoo, Chief of General Staff, instructed them to cancel the scheduled arrangements for sending five Mongolian staff officers to Iraq on March 11, where they would be stationed with Polish forces. DAO has been working through the logistical issues before an 11 March departure date (note: while these officers have not been officially termed by the Mongolian Armed Forces as the much-reduced "8th rotation," they implicitly had that role). According to the MOD official, LTG Togoo stated that, in view of the phone call the previous evening between the two presidents, the ministry should urgently review plans for the next deployment to Iraq. ¶7. (U) On the afternoon of March 6, President Enkhbayar's press spokesmen released the following statement (note: informal embassy translation): On the evening of March 5, 2007, U.S. President George Bush phoned Mongolian President N. Enkhbayar, and discussed issues of bilateral relations and cooperation in the international arena. (President Bush) warmly recalled his visit to Mongolia in November 2005, and expressed his views on strengthening bilateral cooperation. On behalf of the American people, he reiterated appreciation for the participation of Mongolia in reconstruction operations in Iraq and requested that Mongolia continue this participation. The Mongolian President asked President Bush to pay attention to the delay in receiving assistance from the Millennium Challenge Account. He also asked that visitor visa conditions for Mongolians be eased, the number of Mongolian youths who study in American universities and colleges on U.S. scholarships be increased, Mongolian citizens in the United States be included in a guest worker program, and that the U.S. support Mongolia joining APEC. President Bush stated he would ask the relevant U.S. agencies to look into and resolve the issues raised by Mongolia. President N.Enkhbayar stated that he would give serious consideration to President Bush's request regarding Mongolia's continued participation in Iraq reconstruction operations and respond in the near future. President Bush invited President N. Enkhbayar to visit the United States at his convenience. President N. Enkhbayar accepted the invitation with appreciation. End press release. MINTON