VZCZCXRO1608
OO RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK RUEHMOS
DE RUEHKO #1231 0670457
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 080457Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9486
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1014
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1559
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1425
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 0918
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 7904
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 7202

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 001231 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2021 
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID JA KR IQ
SUBJECT: IRAQI AMBASSADOR VISITS KOREA, URGES ECONOMIC 
ASSISTANCE 
 
 
Classified By: DCM Joe Donovan for Reasons 1.4 b/d 
 
¶1. (C) Summary. Iraqi Ambassador to Japan, Al-Jumaily, 
visited Seoul February 22-25 to express appreciation for and 
encourage further support in reconstruction, discuss future 
Korean military engagement, and notify MOFAT of Iraq's 
intention to reopen its embassy in Seoul.  As he has done in 
Japan, Al-Jumaily stressed the importance of economic 
reconstruction to coincide with security assistance.  End 
Summary. 
 
¶2. (C) Iraqi Ambassador to Japan Ghanim Al-Jumaily visited 
Seoul February 22-24, at the request of Foreign Minister 
Zebari.  According to Ambassador Al-Jumaily, the purpose of 
the visit was to: 1) show appreciation for Korea's support in 
reconstruction; 2) engage in dialogue as Korea considers its 
future military engagement; 3) encourage Korean involvement 
in Iraq's economic reconstruction; and 4) get the ball 
rolling for opening an Iraqi embassy in Seoul.  Al-Jumaily, 
an Amcit and former NASA scientist, told Poloff on March 6 
the visit was "very productive." 
 
¶3. (C) In terms of Korean troops, Al-Jumaily reported that 
First Vice Minister Yu Myung-hwan promised "Korea will remain 
in Iraq as long as Iraq needs Korea."  Despite the Korean 
parliament extending the mission for only one year, Yu told 
Al-Jumaily "Our commitment is going to continue."  Yu also 
told him that South Korea intends to participate in the 
Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) to which the U.S. 
invited it, although Al-Jumaily could not remember the 
proposed location.  Al-Jumaily thanked Yu and said Yu's 
comments were what he was hoping to hear, however he also 
wanted to encourage Seoul to become more actively involved in 
the economic side of the reconstruction process.  (Note: 
Al-Jumaily has been making the same appeal to Japanese 
officials for several months, saying he expresses 
appreciation for the Self-Defense Forces mission, but that 
now he describes the top three things Iraq needs from Japan 
as: "economics, economics and economics."  End Note.)  Yu 
replied that Korea's travel ban to Iraq restricts what Korean 
businesses can do, but added the ban is "under review" and 
that Seoul is now studying ways to get more actively involved 
in economic reconstruction. 
 
¶4. (C) In his meeting with Ministry of Construction & 
Transportation Assistant Minister Seo Jong-dai, Al-Jumaily 
pressed for Korean companies to get involved in 
reconstruction.  One idea Al-Jumaily suggested (as he has 
done in Japan) was for Korean companies to form partnerships, 
either with the public or private sector in Iraq, to tap into 
local expertise.  Al-Jumaily delivered the same plea for 
engagement to the President of the Korean National Oil 
Corporation, he said, and discussed possibilities for how to 
implement a Memorandum of Understanding which had been signed 
between KNOC and Iraq's Oil Ministry.  Ambassador Al-Jumaily 
also met with Ministry of Education and Human Resources 
Director General Lee Byung-hyun, and urged Lee to consider 
providing teacher/administrator training. 
 
¶5. (C) Al-Jumaily informed Yu that Iraq intends to re-open 
its embassy in Seoul, which has been closed since 1994, 
before the end of the year.  He told Poloff that he has been 
pushing Baghdad to open the Seoul embassy as early as is 
possible. 
SCHIEFFER