IRISH DIRECTOR OF MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS DISCUSSES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DUBLIN 000329

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/09/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL PARM KNNP UNSC IAEA MARR MOPS PINR
IR, IZ, LE, EI
SUBJECT: IRISH DIRECTOR OF MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS DISCUSSES
IRAQ, IRAN, AND LEBANON

REF: A. STATE 60393

B. STATE 60125

C. STATE 57726

D. STATE 56560

E. STATE 54639

F. STATE 52061

G. STATE 52030

H. STATE 50592

I. STATE 49259

J. STATE 48615

Classified By: Pol/Econ Section Chief Ted Pierce;
Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).

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Summary
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1. (C) POLOFF reviewed affairs in Iraq, Iran, and Lebanon
on June 5, 2008 with Michael Gaffey, Director, Middle East
and North Africa Division, Department of Foreign Affairs.
Ireland is considering the invitation to the Friends of Iraq
conference in Abu Dhabi and intends to continue providing
significant humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people.
Ireland will align its national policy on sanctions against
Iran with EU policy, which will be informed -- at least in
the short-term -- by a planned mid-June visit to Iran by IAEA
Director General ElBaradei. Ireland supports Arab League
efforts to resolve the political crisis in Lebanon. While
Ireland, as ever, is unwilling to get out in front of the EU
on matters relating to the Middle East, once EU decisions are
made we can expect Ireland to implement them expeditiously.
End summary.

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Friends of Iraq
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2. (C) Gaffey acknowledged receipt of the invitation to the
Friends of Iraq Conference in Abu Dhabi, June 17-19 (Refs A,
D and H). He indicated that Ireland was still considering
whether to participate. Gaffey said that Irish officials at
their embassies in Riyadh, Cairo, and Brussels were
considering the invitation and would discuss it with the
conference points of contact.


3. (U) POLOFF gave Gaffey the read-out on the Stockholm ICI
Annual Review Conference (Ref B). Gaffey noted that Ireland
was represented at the conference by its Ambassador to Sweden
rather than a Minister because the Prime Minister had ordered
all Ministers to stay home and campaign for the upcoming
referendum on the EU Lisbon Treaty, scheduled for June 12.


4. (U) In discussing Irish Aid to Iraq, Gaffey reiterated
Ireland's intention to assist where it feels it can make the
greatest humanitarian impact, saying that Ireland is willing
to increase the level of funding if the circumstances seem
right. (Note: Ireland donated nearly five million euros (USD
7.8 million) to the Iraqi people in 2007. End note.)

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Iran
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5. (C) Gaffey took on board U.S. views of the latest IAEA
report on Iran (Ref C),commenting that the report was
hard-hitting. POLOFF urged that Ireland speak out at the
IAEA Board meeting and expressed U.S. disappointment at the
slow pace of EU uptake on sanctions against Iran under UNSCR
1803 (Ref E). Gaffey responded, saying that intensive
discussions were ongoing within the EU and that further
actions by both the IAEA and the EU would be informed by a
planned mid-June visit to Iran by IAEA Director General
ElBaradei. (Gaffey noted that ElBaradei's trip, if it
proceeds as planned, will precede the June GAERC meeting and
could influence GAERC decisions.) Gaffey also stated that
Ireland's 60-day report to the UNSC on UNSCR 1803 (Ref J)
would have to await a consensus decision on a common course
of action on Iran by the EU.


6. (C) On a related matter, Gaffey reported that Ireland had
accepted a request from Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Medhi
Safari to make an official visit to Ireland on June 26 for
"bilateral and trade discussions." Noting that two similar
requests from Safari for meetings just prior to the UN vote
on UNSCR 1803 had fallen through, Gaffey expressed the
opinion that Safari's visit would produce little of
substance. Commenting on his observations of Iranian
visitors (including past meetings with Safari),Gaffey
described the Iranians as universally unable to engage in
dialogue. Rather, he said, they recite the party line while

DUBLIN 00000329 002 OF 002


earnest notetakers record what they say. In the case of
Safari, Gaffey said this was unfortunate, describing Safari
as bright and knowledgeable on economic issues. Gaffey
promised to give POLOFF a read-out after the Safari visit.

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Lebanon
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7. (C) Gaffey reiterated that Ireland supports Arab League
efforts to resolve the political crisis in Lebanon (Ref F),
noting that President Michael Suleiman seemed to be doing
well so far. Reflecting on Ireland's experience in seeking a
post-conflict political settlement in Northern Ireland,
Gaffey mused that Suleiman's challenge is all the more
daunting for having an armed Hizballah as part of the
government. In retrospect, Gaffey said, the most alarming
aspect of the recent violence in Lebanon was how it had
seemed to split along the decades-old fault lines that
perpetuated the Lebanese civil war. At the end of the day,
Gaffey commented, peace in Lebanon will depend largely on
achieving peace in the broader Middle East.

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Comment
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8. (C) It comes as no surprise that Ireland is unwilling to
get out in front of the EU on matters relating to the Middle
East. Nonetheless, once EU decisions are made, we can expect
Ireland not to drag its feet in implementing them.
FAUCHER