EU RULE OF LAW MISSION IN IRAQ: FUTURE PLANS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 001344 NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/01/2019 TAGS: EUN IZ MARR MOPS PHUM PINS PREL PTER SOCI SUBJECT: EU RULE OF LAW MISSION IN IRAQ: FUTURE PLANS REF: A. USEU 976 ¶B. USEU 733 ¶C. BAGHDAD 722 Classified By: Deputy Political Minister Counselor Mary T. Curtin for r eason 1.4b/d ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Officials serving in the EU Rule of Law Mission for Iraq, EUJUST LEX, have assured us that they remain committed to expanding the EU's training and mentoring operations in Iraq. EUJUST LEX has developed plans to hold 18 additional training events both in Europe and in locations inside Iraq by June 2010. The training is planned for venues that include Baghdad, Basra and Irbil. The need for multiple security assessments poses a key obstacle to fulfilling these plans. We may be able to assist the EU by conducting these assessments, helping to mitigate any security deficiencies that they identify and by providing logistical and security support to EU trainers on a reimbursable basis. (See para 7 for action request.) END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) USEU poloff and Brussels RSO recently met with officials from EUJUST LEX to determine whether the EU would be able to conduct training for judges, attorneys and court officials at the Iraqi Judicial Education and Development Institute (JEDI) bordering the Green Zone. While the EUJUST LEX jurists are keen to utilize the Iraqi judiciary's own professional development institute and security officials assured us that EU training at the JEDI facility in Baghdad "has not been ruled out," EUJUST LEX's Head of Mission Stephen White was clearly pessimistic about prospects for using the JEDI facility in the near future. ¶3. (SBU) As training at the JEDI facility is not yet authorized, the next training event in Baghdad will be held at Baghdad International Airport. EUJUST LEX plans to conduct the training in Mid-November. EU officials have indicated that the EUJUST LEX personnel would like to use billeting facilities at Victory Base Camp, on a reimbursable basis ¶4. (SBU) EUJUST LEX currently plans to conduct 18 training events in the next eight months, many of which will take place in Iraq. Training courses for jurists, senior police and corrections officials are planned for Basra, Irbil and Baghdad. Due to the good security conditions in Kurdistan, there will initially be more courses in Irbil than elsewhere in Iraq. The EU has already used the Irbil site for one previous training event for corrections officials and plans to hold the next event in Irbil later this month. A security assessment for the Basra training site is now being conducted. ¶5. (C) The EU's rigid and risk-averse security bureaucracy is the key hurdle. Overcoming their concerns about training at the JEDI site seems unlikely in the near future unless we can engage EU security officials and assuage their concerns. All projected training sites receive three levels of scrutiny. Each EU training venue must be approved by security officers from three separate organizations: the UK Embassy Security Officer; EUJUST LEX Security; and the EU Council Secretariat Security Office. After approval by the UK Embassy security officer, EULEX security officers travel from Brussels to the location to make a site survey and assessment. Once the location has been approved within EUJUST LEX, EU Council Central security office officials must make a separate visit to the location. ¶6. (C/NF) BIO NOTE: Head of Mission Stephen White disclosed that he might soon be replaced, probably by a Spanish official. We have since learned from a Spanish EU delegation diplomat that he expects White to be replaced during the Swedish EU Presidency -- and for White's replacement to be a current Eupol official, Spanish jurist Miguel Casan Llopis. Casan Llopis, a senior judge from Valencia, is already a good USEU contact and strong advocate of EU training in at the JEDI site. With Spain set to take over as EU President in January, Judge Casan Llopis can expect continued strong backing from Brussels for his plans to increase the EU's judicial training effort in Iraq. BRUSSELS 00001344 002 OF 002 ¶7. (SBU) ACTION REQUEST: Please provide unclassified contact information for Embassy Baghdad staff with whom EUJUST LEX officials might be able to discuss the possibility of reimbursable administrative, logistical and security support. USEU plans to met with EUJUST LEX officials again next week to discuss these issues. .