(U) SECRETARY RICE'S APRIL 22, 2008

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PARTO 051302

SIPDIS

(Note: the unique message record number (MRN) has been modified. The original MRN was 08 PARTO 000002, which duplicates a previous PARTO telegram number.)


E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/12/2018
TAGS: OVIP RICE CONDOLEEZZA PGOV PREL PVTS
PINR, KU, IZ
SUBJECT: (U) SECRETARY RICE'S APRIL 22, 2008
PARTICIPATION IN THE THIRD EXPANDED IRAQ NEIGHBORS
CONFERENCE


1. (U) Classified by: Kevin Whitaker, Deputy
Executive Secretary, S/ES, Department of State.
Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


2. (U) April 22, 2008, Kuwait City, Kuwait


3. (U) Participants:

U.S.
The Secretary
A/S C. David Welch, NEA
Ambassador David Satterfield, NEA/I
Ambassador Ryan Crocker, U.S. Embassy Baghdad
LTG William Fraser, JCS
Matthias Mittman, NSC
Matt Tueller, U.S. Embassy Baghdad
Thomas Rosenberger (Embassy Notetaker)

Non-USG Meeting Participants:
Kuwaiti Prime Minister Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Ahmad Al
Sabah
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari
UN Under-Secretary General Lynn Pascoe
Canadian Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs
Deepak Obhrai
Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister for Arab Affairs
Ambassador Mohammed Bader Al-Deen
Jordanian Foreign Minister Dr. Salah Al-Bashir
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al-Moalem
Italian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Ugo Inteni
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov
Slovenian(EU Presidency) Foreign Minister Dr. Dimitrij
Rupel
OIC Secretary General Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu


4. (C) SUMMARY. The Third Iraq Neighbors
Ministerial, held in Kuwait on April 22, offered Iraqi
PM Nouri Al-Maliki an opportunity to present to Iraq's
neighbors and members of international bodies a
picture of the progress in the country. He received a
warm welcome and a show of support from the
participants. There was a general consensus that
notable progress had occurred in Iraq, but that the
current situation remained fragile. Iran and Syria
laid blame for ongoing problems on the presence of
"foreign troops." The EU led calls for the exchange
of diplomatic representations, and the OIC announced
the establishment of a permanent office in Baghdad.
END SUMMARY.

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Progress in Iraq
--------------


5. (C) Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki told the participants

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that Iraqis have moved beyond their violent past and
are now unified. He presented an image of a new Iraq
that wants to be at peace with its neighbors, in
contrast to the war-mongering of the former regime,
and lamented that Iraqis are still paying the price
for the errors of the previous leadership. He chided
the attendees for a lack of progress on commitments
made at previous conferences, notably on debt
forgiveness, and extolled other countries with "no
mutual historical or cultural ties" who forgave Iraqi
debt. He also called for an exchange of diplomatic
representation.


6. (C) Kuwait MFA U/S Khaled Al-Jarallah described
the conference as positive and transparent, saying it
had succeeded in laying the groundwork for further
progress. Most of the heads of delegations who spoke
commented favorably on the achievements in Iraq.
Several added the caveat that the gains were fragile
and that the future remained uncertain. Typically,
Arab heads of delegations conceded progress in Iraq
but failed to recognize that real change had occurred,
a point noted by the Secretary in her remarks.

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Outside Interference?
--------------


7. (C) The negative role of outside interference was
another theme of the conference, including citations
by some of the negative impact that armed militants
had in Iraq. Iran and, to a lesser extent, Syria
dismissed the GOI's continuing request for Coalition
presence in Iraq and blamed Iraqi woes on "foreign
forces" in Iraq. Iranian FM Manoucher Mottaki opined
that these forces "contribute to the continuation of
security mayhem, stirring disputes and conflicts, and
further complicate the political and security crises
in Iraq." He also said that he opposed (as
translated) "the unilateral policies of the Coalition
powers" and their "conspiracies" against the people of
the region. Syrian FM Walid Al-Moalem also called for
foreign troops to leave Iraq and indicated that he
held the USG "morally and legally responsible for the
difficult human conditions of the displaced Iraqis."

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OIC Office in Baghdad
--------------


8. (C) Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)
Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu announced that
the OIC office in Baghdad had officially opened three
days prior to the ministerial. He said he hoped that,
building on the 2006 Mecca Declaration Initiative,
this permanent presence would enable the OIC to play a
key role in reconciliation efforts between Sunni and

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Shi'a sects. He also announced OIC's plans to send a
joint delegation composed of representatives of all
OIC affiliates to Baghdad.

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Canada Speaks Out for Christian Minorities
--------------


9. (C) Canadian Parliamentary Secretary to the
Minister of Foreign Affairs Deepak Obhrai called for
increased efforts to recognize and respect minorities
in Iraq, lamenting the murder of Chaldean Archbishop
Paulos Farraj Rahho and the shooting of Assyrian
Orthodox Priest Adel Youssef.

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EU Calls for Diplomatic Representation
--------------


10. (C) Although there was little specific action on
new diplomatic representation in Iraq, Slovenian FM
Dimitrij Rupel (representing the EU Presidency)
encouraged "those neighbors and other members of the
international community who have not already done so
to take advantage of the improved security situation
and commit to sending ambassadors to Baghdad and
opening diplomatic missions to facilitate direct
bilateral diplomatic relations."

--------------
Japan's New Loan
--------------


11. (C) Japan's Senior Vice Minister for Foreign
Affairs Itsunori Onodera announced that Japan will
extend a new loan of 350 million USD for water supply
projects in the Kurdish region of Iraq and a sewage
facilities project in Baghdad. These were in addition
to the existing loans that amounted to 2.1 billion
USD. In announcing this, he stated that "Japan is
determined to continue its assistance to Iraq." His
voice was prominent among those that called for an
exchange of diplomatic representation and lauded PM
Maliki's efforts in Basrah.

--------------
Russia: "We've done the most for Iraq"
--------------


12. (C) Russian FM Sergey Lavrov urged caution in
terms of a withdrawal of foreign troops, which he
stressed "are considered by many Iraqis as occupants
[sic]." He also stated that "of all the nations which
have already restructured Iraqi debt, Russia has done
more for the Iraqi people than any other country in
terms of the value and percentage of debt relief."
RICE