VZCZCXRO5923
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHKO #6323/01 3050647
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 010647Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7953
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 0164
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 0851
RHMFISS/COMUSJAPAN YOKOTA AB JA PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 006323 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SEOUL FOR DUNCAN PLEASE PASS STEPHENSON 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/31/2016 
TAGS: PREL MOPS ECON ENRG IZ KS JA
SUBJECT: IRAQI AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES JAPANESE AND KOREAN 
ENGAGEMENT IN IRAQ 
 
REF: TOKYO 5514 
 
Classified By: Political Minister Counselor W. Michael Meserve for reas 
ons 1.4(b), (d) 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY:  Iraqi Ambassador to Japan Dr. Ghanim 
al-Jumaily is trying to persuade his Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs to pay more attention to South Korea on both the 
security and economic fronts, Jumaily told Embassy Tokyo 
Political Officer October 30 during a readout on his recent 
visit to Seoul.  He believes that Iraq will announce the 
opening of an Embassy in Seoul by the end of the year.  On 
Japan, Jumaily repeated his earlier refrain (reftel) that 
steps must be taken to keep Japan actively engaged in Iraq 
and that the Iraqi and U.S. governments must speak to Japan 
with a coordinated voice.  He reported that Minister of Oil 
Shahristani had a positive October 22-24 visit to Tokyo, 
meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs Aso and Minister of 
Economy, Trade, and Industry Amari, as well as with oil 
industry notables.  He believes that given Japanese oil 
industry setbacks in Iran (Azadegan) and Russia (Sakhalin 2) 
the time is ripe to get Japan interested in committing to 
major Iraqi oil projects.  END SUMMARY. 
 
----------------------------- 
SOUTH KOREAN SUPPORT FOR IRAQ 
----------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C)  Iraqi Ambassador to Japan Dr. Ghanim al-Jumaily 
briefed Embassy Tokyo Political Officer October 30 on his 
recent visit to Seoul, his most recent impressions of 
Japanese engagement in Iraq, and the October 22-24 visit to 
Tokyo by Iraqi Minister of Oil Husayn al-Shahristani. 
Ambassador Jumaily explained that he visited Seoul October 
14-17 where he met with Vice Foreign Minister Lee Kyu-hyung 
to discuss South Korea's continued engagement in Iraq.  The 
Iraqis do not have an Embassy in Seoul, and Jumaily is not 
accredited there even in a non-resident status, but had been 
authorized to visit by Foreign Minister Zebari late last year 
and again this trip.  Jumaily said he has been trying to 
persuade Zebari for some time that Seoul is a major partner 
for Iraq and that more attention needs to be paid to the 
relationship.  It is not enough, he complained, to engage 
with the Koreans in Baghdad -- there must be continual 
communications in Seoul as well.  Jumaily recounted that the 
ROK has over 3,000 soldiers in Northern Iraq, they command a 
Multi-National Division, and they are interested in leading a 
Provincial Reconstruction Team.  In addition, Korean 
companies in the oil and construction sectors have long 
histories dealing with Iraqis, so the basis for a continued 
commercial and economic relationship also exists.  In 
Jumaily's opinion, there is no wavering in Korea's solid and 
consistent support for Iraq. 
 
¶3. (C)  While lamenting the lack of an Iraqi Embassy in 
Seoul, Jumaily said he thought his lobbying of Zebari to open 
one, or at least to appoint him as a non-resident Ambassador 
who could oversee a small staff has finally paid off.  He has 
heard the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs received 
permission to open a number of new embassies.  He believes 
that Seoul is near the top of the list and is hopeful the 
opening of a new Embassy there will be announced by the end 
of the year. 
 
--------------------- 
KEEPING JAPAN ENGAGED 
--------------------- 
 
¶4. (C)  Highlighting a message he's delivered to Political 
Officer before (reftel), Jumaily repeated his view that we 
must actively work to keep Japan engaged in and thinking 
about Iraq.  Following up on Iraqi National Security Advisor 
Mowaffak al-Rubaie's visit in August, he recently called on 
newly appointed National Security Advisor Yuriko Koike to 
suggest the opening of a regular dialogue on Iraqi security 
issues with the Japanese government.  His idea is to keep the 
Japanese informed of the security situation in Iraq in order 
to better facilitate their decisions about how to disburse 
the financial assistance Tokyo has pledged.  In addition, he 
believes there are ways to keep the Japanese involved in the 
security field even though they have withdrawn their Ground 
 
TOKYO 00006323  002 OF 002 
 
 
Self Defense Forces.  For example, he suggested that the 
Japanese are in a position to provide training, technology, 
and knowledge on security issues that could be of benefit to 
the Iraqi Security Forces.  Jumaily said his meeting with 
Koike had apparently raised some eyebrows at MOFA, as he has 
since received several calls asking him why he's been 
directly speaking to Koike and what, exactly, does he have in 
mind. 
 
¶5. (C) Jumaily emphasized his belief that it is critical for 
the U.S. and Iraqi governments to speak to the Japanese with 
a coordinated, unified voice.  He is looking forward to 
Deputy Iraq Coordinator Barbara Stephenson's upcoming visit 
to Tokyo so he can work with her to formulate the most 
effective means of keeping the Japanese engaged. 
 
--------------------------- 
VISIT OF IRAQI OIL MINISTER 
--------------------------- 
 
¶6. (C) Jumaily characterized the October 22-24 visit to Tokyo 
by Iraqi Minister of Oil Shahristani as very successful. 
While here, Shahristani met with Foreign Minister Aso and 
Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry Amari, as well as 
with approximately 20 presidents and chief executive officers 
of major Japanese oil sector companies.  Jumaily said that 
Japanese oil sector companies are very interested in Iraq and 
that a group of companies proposed an investment package that 
included both upstream and downstream projects.  His view is 
that Iraq should focus on getting the Japanese interested in 
and locked into downstream activities, particularly in 
developing additional refinery capacity.  According to 
Jumaily, everyone investing in the Iraqi oil sector seems to 
be interested in upstream oil field development projects, but 
Iraq lacks the capacity and infrastructure to do anything 
with oil that is pumped.  He blamed this focus on upstream 
activities to some extent on his own government which he says 
has no clear vision on how to take advantage of Japanese, and 
Korean, interest in the oil sector.  In his view, now is the 
time to lock the Japanese into something firm, given Japanese 
concern about recent negative developments in Iran and 
Russia, where their energy ventures in the Azadegan and 
Sakhalin projects have recently suffered setbacks. 
 
 
SCHIEFFER