CWC: MEETING WITH IRAQI AMBASSADOR ON IRAQ'S

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 000079

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STATE FOR ISN/CB, VCI/CCA, L/NPV, IO/MPR
BAGHDAD FOR REID AND HOLCOMBE
SECDEF FOR OSD/GSA/CN,CP>
JOINT STAFF FOR DD PMA-A FOR WTC
COMMERCE FOR BIS (BROWN, DENYER AND CRISTOFARO)
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E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/05/2020
TAGS: PARM PREL OPCW CWC IZ
SUBJECT: CWC: MEETING WITH IRAQI AMBASSADOR ON IRAQ'S
CHEMICAL WEAPONS DESTRUCTION PLAN

REF: A. THE HAGUE 61

B. THE HAGUE 39

C. THE HAGUE 10

Classified By: Janet E. Beik for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D)

This is CWC-9-10


1. (U) This contains an action request: see para 9.


2. (C) SUMMARY: Delreps met with the Iraqi
Ambassador on February 3 to follow up on the
trilateral technical discussions in January on
amending Iraq's initial chemical weapons (CW)
declaration and preparing a destruction plan for
presentation to the Organization for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Banaa was
seized with trying to consolidate the plan before
the current OPCW Director-General (DG) leaves
office (Ref A) and before Iraq's government puts
new people into key offices dealing with the
Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC),including his
own post, following elections in March. He
requested continuing U.S. support for Iraq's CW
destruction. END SUMMARY.


3. (C) Delreps Beik and Granger met with Iraqi
Ambassador Siamand Banaa and Delegate Muhannad Al-
Miahi February 3 to discuss progress on the Iraqi
CW destruction decisions following the trilateral
(Iraq/U.S./OPCW Technical Secretariat) discussions
held in January in The Hague (Ref B). Banaa had
not himself attended those meetings and had last
met with the U.S. Delegation in early January (Ref
C). Banaa insisted that his government would
"review" their initial declaration and not "amend"
it, and that the Technical Secretariat (TS) had
accepted the term "review". (Del Note: We are not
so sure the TS has approved the term. End Note.)


4. (C) Banaa was concerned about the optics in the
Executive Council (EC) of changing their
declaration. Delrep noted that amendments are made
frequently by States Parties to the Convention, and
that the "review" of the declaration in light of
new information from documents recently received
from the United Nations is a reasonable explanation
for amending Iraq's initial declaration. Al-Miahi
confirmed that MFA Director Jwan Khioka is working
on the formal request to the UN for copies of the
UNMOVIC documents (Ref B). Neither Al-Miahi nor
Banaa had further news on the status of GOI
approval of the amended ("reviewed") declaration.


5. (C) Banaa made an explicit plea for speed and an
assistance package, including U.S. assistance, in
putting the plan proposed in the January meetings
into place. He described Iraq's election process
as likely to take months to announce results and
form a new government. He wants to have a CW
destruction plan before the Executive Council, and
Council approval for destruction to start, before
OPCW Director-General Rogelio Pfirter leaves office
in July. Banaa himself will be transferred back to
Baghdad at the end of March and said there will
likely be at least a three-month gap before a new
ambassador arrives. If the destruction plan
lingers until new people are in place in the
Ministries and INMD in Baghdad following the
election in March, it will require beginning from
scratch and could take years to get to the stage
Qscratch and could take years to get to the stage
Iraq has reached now in planning destruction of the
two bunkers. He also pointed to the U.S. deadline
for troop withdrawals from Iraq and said it would
be in the U.S. interest to have this CW plan
settled before then.



6. (C) Banaa sees the U.S., the UK and Germany as
the key donors to provide assistance for Iraq's CW
destruction. Delrep replied that while the U.S.
would look at how we might assist, we would need to
see the plan, as would the other governments;
coordination of international expertise and support
would be critical. Finding appropriate expertise
and/or money would also take time, so the sooner
there is an agreed plan, the sooner we could
determine any U.S. support. Banaa welcomed the
role of Lithuanian Ambassador Verba, Chairman of
the Conference of the States Parties (CSP),in
helping to coordinate donors contributions (Ref A),
but said the U.S./UK/German collaboration was
essential. Delrep asked about Iran's public offers
of assistance; Banaa said he had told the Iranians
not to use Iraq in its "shadow-boxing" with the
U.S. He did not take their offer seriously and
would not include them in any destruction
coordination.


7. (C) Banaa said the Iraqi team coming from
Baghdad to the February Executive Council (EC-59)
should bring details for discussions on the margins
of the Executive Council. "It won't be as detailed
as the U.S. DOD plan we received in Washington in
October," he said, but he thought they would have
"facts and figures" to hammer out a precise plan.
Banaa would like to move forward as far as possible
in February during the EC week. If the plan can be
agreed, the Iraqi presentation to the EC in April
(EC-60) could also be prepared and agreed. The
Technical Secretariat (TS) would like the Iraqi
documents to be distributed in March ahead of EC-60
so that delegations will be prepared to discuss the
changes. Iraq plans to report in February that
they are working on the destruction plan for the
April meeting.


8. (C) Banaa said he wanted the two experts from
Baghdad who had attended the January meeting
(Mohanad Al-Helli and Khalid Al-Janabi) to be
invited to EC-59 in February, in addition to the
Iraqi delegation from Baghdad. He strongly
believed the two experts would give continuity to
the discussion and could address the proposed
destruction plan realistically. He was quite
impressed with their level of expertise when they
came in January. Banaa said a letter from the U.S.
specifically requesting these two individuals would
help prompt their inclusion on the delegation, and
Al-Miahi asked whether funding might be available
for their travel.


9. (SBU) ACTION REQUEST: Del requests a letter
from Dr. Mikulak as U.S. Representative to the OPCW
to Iraqi Ambassador Banaa requesting the attendance
of Mohanad Al-Helli and Khalid Al-Janabi on the
Iraqi delegation to EC-59 to continue discussions
begun in January on the destruction proposal. Del
welcomes any information from Baghdad on whom the
GOI is sending to The Hague for the Council meeting
(February 22-26).


10. (C) DEL COMMENT: While we welcome Banaa's
optimism that the destruction plan will come
together by April, he still appears to be assuming
Qtogether by April, he still appears to be assuming
that other governments, particularly the United
States, will provide most if not all of the funding
for destruction of Iraq's remaining chemical
weapons, as well as for the toxic remnants in
Bunker 41. He has received sympathy from the
Technical Secretariat and other delegations in The
Hague, but no firm promises yet. END COMMENT.


11. (U) Beik sends.

LEVIN