EMBASSY AND MFA CLARIFY LINES OF COMMUNICATION ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 001929 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/23/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL AMGT ABLD IZ SUBJECT: EMBASSY AND MFA CLARIFY LINES OF COMMUNICATION ON FOREIGN EMBASSY PROPERTY ISSUE Classified By: Political Counselor Matt Tueller. Reasons 1.4(b,d). ¶1. (C) On June 17, Pol and Management Counselors met with Ambassador Srood Najib, MFA's Americas Director, to review recent developments related to turning over USG-occupied property in the International Zone (IZ) to the MFA as sites for future foreign embassies. In particular, POL and MGT Counselors highlighted the unhelpful role the Prime Minister's Office is now playing in the process. Najib was presented with copies of letters from the PM's office (one addressed to the Embassy, another provided to MNF-I) informing of "decisions" the PM's "coordination body" had made regarding dispensation of properties currently set aside for embassy premises. Some of these "decisions" call for some properties to be given over to other GOI interests or unspecified parties rather than being set aside for diplomatic facilities. ¶2. (C) POL and MGT Counselors explained that the problems are twofold: (1) the "decisions" of this body are at odds with the understanding the Embassy has worked out with the MFA on priority diplomatic occupants, and (2) the lines of communication between the Embassy and the GOI have become confused and responsibility for GOI decision making unclear. POL and MGT Counselors underlined that the U.S. interest and commitment is to work these issues through the MFA exclusively and sought Najib's guidance on how, or whether, to respond to the PM's office. ¶3. (C) Najib responded in a tone of quiet exasperation saying "they (the PM's Office) are sending letters telling us of decisions they've made on various properties and they can't do that." He noted that the PM's office had originally listed him as part of the "coordination" body but he told them to remove his name as they had never coordinated with him and it wasn't their place to do so in the first place. He went on "we have to draw the line with the PM's office and I will talk to them directly." In response to POL and MGT Counselors' query on how best to respond to questions from any quarter on this issue, Najib said we should direct any inquiries to the MFA. He added "we need to make sure that those (foreign countries) who stood with us have priority" but also quickly agreed with PolCouns' comment that priority should also be given to those who will be critical partners for Iraq's future -- in particular its key Arab neighbors and the European Commission. ¶4. (C) Note for Embassy Amman: At the conclusion of the meeting, Najib indicated he would travel to Amman at the end of June for a meeting with the UN to close the books on the Oil for Food Program. PolCouns asked Najib to provide us specific dates of his trip so we can inform Embassy Amman, and recommended that he make time during his visit to meet GOJ counterparts working on standing up Jordan's Embassy in Baghdad. ¶5. (C) Comment: Relations between the MFA and the PM's office on this issue are bad and could well become worse. Control over dispensation of the properties in question offer many opportunities to further narrow agendas, rather than serve broader national interests. To ensure this doesn't become a self-inflicted wound that throws obstacles in the way of countries that want to plant their diplomatic flags in Baghdad, post is committed to working these issues in a transparent manner and to do so exclusively through the MFA -- just as we would anywhere else in the world. CROCKER