IRAQI MINISTERS SEEK MEETING WITH COUNTERPARTS IN

UNCLAS BAGHDAD 000297 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAGR ECON ETRD IZ OTRA PGOV PREL SOCI SUBJECT: IRAQI MINISTERS SEEK MEETING WITH COUNTERPARTS IN WASHINGTON ¶1. At a February 2 meeting with EMIN Wall, Deputy Prime Minister Rafa'a Al-Issawi expressed interest in leading a delegation of ministers to Washington, DC. The delegation would include the Minister of Health, Agriculture, Transportation, and Electricity who would like to meet with their U.S. counterparts. Issawi said the trip would symbolize a strong message of cooperation in the spirit of the Strategic Framework Agreement. He said the agenda would include training, exchange, and other ties across each agency. ¶2. Action request and recommendation: We recognize that this request is premature but hope that at the appropriate time we can strongly support the Deputy Prime Minister's proposal. The Deputy Prime Minister is an increasingly influential player in the GOI's emerging power structure. A visit to Washington under his leadership would reinforce our message of continued support to the Iraqi government and demonstrate that we want to shift emphasis over time from military to more economic and humanitarian cooperation. CROCKER