Secretary Clinton's July 24, 2009 Conversation

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 079541

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/26/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV EINV EPET SOCI UNSC PREF OVIP
(CLINTON, HILLARY),IZ
SUBJECT: Secretary Clinton's July 24, 2009 Conversation
with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki

Classified by NEA Acting Assistant Secretary Jeffrey D.
Feltman for Reason: 1.4 (d)


1. (U) July 24, 2009; 2:30 PM; Washington, DC.


2. (SBU) Participants:

U.S.
The Secretary
Deputy Secretary Jim Steinberg
Ambassador Chris Hill
Public Affairs Assistant Secretary P.J. Crowley
NEA Acting Assistant Secretary Jeffrey D. Feltman
Executive Assistant Joseph MacManus
NEA Senior Advisor Elissa Slotkin
NSC Senior Director Molly Phee
Rob Pyott (NEA Notetaker)

Iraq
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki
Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari
Ambassador Samir Sumaidaie
Advisor Sadiq Rikabi
Advisor Yasin Majeed


3. (C) SUMMARY. In his meeting July 24 with the
Secretary, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said that
the maritime border with Kuwait was "life or death" and
made the case for a comprehensive solution to all
outstanding issues with Kuwait. The Secretary asked the
PM to formulate a comprehensive proposal as a first
step. After some pressure, the PM agreed to appoint a
coordinator for internally displaced and refugee issues.
END SUMMARY.

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Bilateral Relationship
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4. (C) PM Maliki described for the Secretary the "many
positive outcomes" of his current visit to Washington:
the successful trade and investment event at the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce that morning (July 24); a useful
meeting with the Secretary of Defense on training and
related needs; the planned signing of an agreement on
scholarships to American universities; and the meeting
of the Higher Coordinating Committee to follow the
bilateral meeting (to be reported septel). In the HCC,
the PM wished to discuss ways to activate the Strategic
Framework Agreement (SFA) and broaden relations between
the countries. We have had progress, he said, "but it's
not enough." He hoped the two events at the State
Department would launch "a long, strong relationship."
The Secretary expressed her support for this vision and
noted that the SFA would go into depth on education,
scientific, technical, and economic issues the two
countries have agreed to work together on.

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Chapter VII Resolutions
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5. (C) The Secretary raised Iraq's status under certain
resolutions under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. The
Oil for Food program is ready to be resolved now and
would lead to a rapid payment to Iraq of $590 million.
To pave the way for lifting resolutions related to
weapons of mass destruction, she said that Ambassador
Hill is ready to work with Iraqi experts on the language
of a letter outlining Iraq's commitments to
international norms on nonproliferation that would
reassure members of the UN Security Council.


6. (C) Deputy Secretary Steinberg elaborated on an
approach to resolving border issues with Kuwait. "The
land issue is relatively straightforward; the maritime
border is more crucial to you," he said. UN
Representative Staffan De Mistura has worked on a
package to address the land border by reaffirming UNSC
Resolution 833; reduce the amount of reparations Iraq
pays to the UN Compensation Commission; and develop a
process to address the maritime issue. The Deputy
Secretary asked for the PM's reaction to this approach
so that the U.S. could urge the Kuwaiti Amir, in his
forthcoming visit, to also accept the plan.


STATE 00079541 002 OF 003


7. (C) The PM's advisor, Sadiq Rikabi, laid out the
Iraqi view: We don't want to divide the issues, he said.
"Our intention is to solve all of it and close the
file." He said this approach would require direct
discussions with the Kuwaitis, with the U.S. and perhaps
UN present. It would deal with all outstanding issues,
including reparations, debt, archives, and human
remains. FM Hoshyar Zebari added that Iraq had an
established communication line with Kuwait: "We're not
starting from scratch." Zebari too said an American
presence in talks would be helpful. The PM confirmed
Ambassador Hill's description of Iraq's frustration with
the need to navigate Kuwaiti waters three times to move
from the Iraqi border to the Gulf.


8. (C) PM Maliki described the Iraqi frustration with
Chapter VII resolutions more broadly. He wanted the
Chapter VII issues dealt with comprehensively. "We need
to get out of these in order to thrive," he said. He
pointed out that Iraq no longer has weapons of mass
destruction and does not seek them, and Iraq is no
longer a dictatorial regime - conditions that had led
the Security Council to determine Iraq was a threat to
peace and security in the region. "Iraq will be a
responsible partner in the international community," he
said.


9. (C) As a practical matter, Maliki said Iraqi
"ministries are suffering" under UN resolutions. He
cited the Ministries of Agriculture, Health, and
Education as those facing restrictions in daily
operations, such as obtaining chemicals for fertilizers.


10. (C) Maliki argued for a "head-on" approach toward
solving matters with Kuwait. "Kuwait has suffered; we
have suffered also," he said, and suggested that the
current reparations regime was "punitive" and thus not a
suitable basis for resolution. He claimed Iraq can
quickly resolve the land border, the archives issue,
repatriation of remains, and other issues. The only
issue which requires outside help is the maritime
border, which he characterized as "life or death" for
Iraq; Iraq must have access to the sea. He also
asserted that Iraq had already responded to many
outstanding obligations, and complained that this action
had not been sufficiently acknowledged. The PM offered
his view that it is the Kuwaitis who have been unwilling
to decrease the reparations payments and unresponsive to
an Iraqi request to be flexible on the maritime
question.


11. (C) AA/S Feltman discussed his recent trip to Kuwait
and reported that the Kuwaitis are familiar with the De
Mistura package and not overly concerned about action on
reparations or the maritime border. But Kuwaitis would
like to see Iraq make tangible progress on the land
border, including removing farmers and restoring border
pillars. The PM replied that such intermediary steps
are politically sensitive in Iraq. "Without a
comprehensive solution, there will be chaos" if the
Iraqi government removes farmers. The logic of small
steps on the land border made him uncomfortable. "If we
go through piece by piece, we will have border clashes
and real problems," he said.


12. (C) The Secretary proposed a next step. She asked
the PM to work with Ambassador Hill on a comprehensive
proposal that meets the Iraqis' needs. "Then we will
encourage the Kuwaitis," she said. The PM agreed to do
so.

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Disputed Internal Boundaries
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13. (C) The PM acknowledged that Iraq is committed to
the UN Task Force on disputed internal boundaries.
"We're going along with Staffan De Mistura's proposal.
The process is moving," he said.

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Internally Displaced and Refugees
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14. (C) The PM proved reluctant to name a government
coordinator for policies concerning internally displaced
and refugees. He said the GOI has cabinet officials
dealing with the issue; the Minister of Displacement and
Migration, Abdelsamad Rahman Sultan, is the key figure.
He also named the Minister of State for National
Dialogue as another official with a significant role.
The PM stated that the numbers of refugees cited by

STATE 00079541 003 OF 003

SUBJECT: Secretary Clinton's July 24, 2009 Conversation
with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Mali
Syria and Jordan are greatly exaggerated. The Secretary
and the Deputy Secretary pressed him to name a
coordinator who would have responsibility across
ministries and who could be a point of contact for the
U.S., the UN and others. The Deputy Secretary said the
White House had agreed to name a counterpart on the
issue. With that, the PM said "I will appoint someone
when I get back."


15. (U) After their bilateral meeting, the Secretary and
Prime Minister jointly chaired a meeting of the Higher
Coordinating Committee to discuss implementation of the
Strategic Framework Agreement (septel).
CLINTON