SWEDEN ON INTEGRATING IRAQ INTO REGION

C O N F I D E N T I A L STOCKHOLM 000178

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/13/2019
TAGS: PREL PINR IZ SW
SUBJECT: SWEDEN ON INTEGRATING IRAQ INTO REGION

REF: STATE 21447

Classified By: CDA Robert J. Silverman for reasons 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: Sweden thinks Iraq is integrating well into
the broader Middle East and that the Expanded Neighbors
Process is a good vehicle. Sweden supports the International
Compact with Iraq but worries that it would be hard to
attract ministers to Baghdad this summer because of security
concerns; a senior officials meeting might be a better first
step. Internal integration is suffering as Arab-Kurd
tensions escalate. Sweden hopes to open its embassy by May
and is working on an assistance program that emphasizes Iraqi
ownership and involvement. The MFA is working on a pilot
project to match Swedish companies with Iraqi immigrants who
would be willing to represent them in Baghdad. End Summary.

Regional Integration Good
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2. (C) Sweden thinks Iraq is integrating well into the
broader Middle East, MFA State Secretary Frank Belfrage told
CDA March 13. Swedish diplomats report Iraq is mending
fences with Turkey and is not having "too much trouble" with
Iran right now. Belfrage and FM Carl Bildt both got the
impression from recent trips to the Middle East that the
Saudis are also "warming up." Sweden thinks President
Obama's clear articulation of Iraq policy has been very
important for letting all players have a "sense of the
direction" things are developing, Belfrage concluded.

Expanded Neighbors Yes, but Too Early for ICI Ministerial
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3. (C) On multilateral mechanisms, Middle East experts at the
MFA think the Expanded Neighbors Process may be the most
important -- "not so much for substance, but for the
symbolism of all the parties meeting together," according to
Dag Juhlin-Dannfelt, deputy director of the Middle East and
North Africa Unit. Sweden will continue to support the
International Compact with Iraq bilaterally and within the
EU, but is not optimistic that Iraq will be able to attract
minister-level attendees to Baghdad this summer because of
security concerns, Dannfelt told us in a March 12 meeting.
He suggested that a senior officials meeting might be easier
to achieve, at least as a first step. It would be important
for the UN and Iraq to avoid the "real failure" of inviting
ministers and not having them show up, he added.

Concern over Arab Kurd Tensions
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4. (C) The greater problem involved internal integration and
Kurdish-Arab relations, Belfrage and Dannfelt said. As the
security environment improves and all parties focus more on
political arrangements, the Kurds are starting to ask "where
they belong" in modern Iraq, Belfrage noted. Shia-Sunni
friction has been replaced by Arab-Kurd friction, Dannfelt
said, adding that Sweden was concerned that national
reconciliation was not being reached between North and South.


Swedish Embassy to Open by May
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5. (C) Sweden hopes to move staff into its embassy by the end
of May and to have FM Bildt visit for a ribbon-cutting
ceremony in June, Dannfelt reported. Plans call for six
diplomats posted to Baghdad, plus two officials from the
Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and two more
from the Swedish Trade Council. Other Nordics, including
Norway and Finland, have asked for office space at the
Swedish mission, he added.

Swedish Aid to Be Less "Condescending"?
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6. (C) Dannfelt stated that SIDA has been asked to be a bit
less "condescending" and spend more time listening to the
Iraqis to determine what they need, with a focus on "Iraqi
ownership" of SIDA projects. On trade, the MFA is working on
a business promotion project that would make use of the
expertise in the Iraqi diaspora in Sweden, matching Swedish
companies with those who have the language and cultural
skills needed to be good representatives in Iraq. If there
is sufficient interest in the commercial sector here, then
the project would be handed over to the Trade Council to
manage, Dannfelt said.

SILVERMAN