RUSSIA SATISFIED WITH U.S.-IRAQ AGREEMENTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 003488 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL IZ RS SUBJECT: RUSSIA SATISFIED WITH U.S.-IRAQ AGREEMENTS REF: STATE 126109 Classified By: Political M/C Alice G. Wells for reasons 1.4 (b/d). (C) We delivered reftel points on December 3 to MFA Iraq desk officer Alyakbarov Bekhbud, who told us that the GOR was satisfied with the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement and Security Agreement (SA) because they gave the GOI more control over the activities of U.S. troops and set a date for the ultimate withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. This came close to the GOR's long-held position that the U.S. needed to announce a timetable for the withdrawal of its troops in order to force the GOI to realize that it could not rely upon the U.S. indefinitely and become more self-sufficient. The GOR also thought that the prospect of U.S. troops leaving Iraq would enhance Iraqi national reconciliation and add a positive element to next year's elections. We responded to Bekhbud's query whether the setting of a withdrawal date was done in response to the outcome of the U.S. presidential election by assuring him that these agreements had been under negotiation for months and reflected the position of the current administration. BEYRLE