SWEDEN ASKS FOR U.S. HELP ON MAY 29 IRAQ CONFERENCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L STOCKHOLM 000278 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/16/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON IZ EU SE SUBJECT: SWEDEN ASKS FOR U.S. HELP ON MAY 29 IRAQ CONFERENCE Classified By: DCM Robert Silverman for reasons 1.4 (B) & (D). ¶1. (C) On April 15, MFA Political Director Bjorn Lyrvall told the DCM the Swedes look forward to working closely with the U.S. on the International Compact with Iraq (ICI),and asked for the following USG assistance: -Encouraging ICI invitees to send ministerial-level representation to the conference, especially from Gulf states; -Encouraging a broad representative delegation of Iraqi government officials, including parliamentarians; and -Encouraging the Iraqi government to make significant progress on its Hydrocarbon Law and to release the necessary budgetary funds for upcoming provincial elections, prior to the May 29 conference. ¶2. (C) Director of the Middle Eastern's Department for the Gulf States, Dag Juhlin-Dannfelt, said the ICI was largely an "empty shell" that must be filled with substantive content. Lyrvall said Iraq would be on the April 28-29 GAERC agenda to start discussing what the EU can announce at the ICI conference. In addition, the Swedes are considering the following additional events: May 28: -A meeting chaired by Italy of participants in the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI), including a discussion of linkage with ICI; -UNDP presentation of its "Development Report for Iraq." May 30: -A NGO event on human rights, sponsored by the Swedish aid agency SIDA, focusing on women. Participants include "Kvinna till Kvinna" ("Women to Women"),a Swedish NGO; -Iraqi Parliamentarians meeting with Swedish counterparts to encourage ownership of the ICI; -Business or trade event, with a briefing from the Iraqi Trade or Oil Minister to the European business community on opportunities in Iraq. ¶3. (C) Comment: Last week Iraq's Ambassador to Sweden told us that DPM Barham Salih shortly will send an official from his office to Stockholm to work on the agenda. This is a good idea to get the Iraqis synched up with the Swedes. WOOD