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