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DE RUEHEG #0572/01 0640607
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O 050607Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3831
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 000572 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/05/2017 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PREF ARABL EG IZ
SUBJECT: IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER ZEBARI ON REGIONAL 
CONSULTATIONS AND ARAB LEAGUE MEETINGS 
 
REF: CAIRO 559 
 
Classified by Ambassador Francis Ricciardone for reasons 1.4 
(b) and (d). 
 
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Summary 
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¶1.  (C) Iraqi Foreign Minister Zebari told the Ambassador on 
March 3 that he was working with the Egyptian government and 
UNHCR to ease residency requirements for the growing number 
of Iraqis in Egypt.  On Egypt-Iraq relations, Zebari said he 
had selected a candidate for Ambassador to Cairo, but 
confirmation and agrement remained contentious within the 
GOI.  Planning for upcoming meetings of Iraq's neighbors is 
at the top of Zebari's agenda:  Egypt's Foreign Minister was 
"positive" regarding GOE participation at a March 10 Baghdad 
Neighbors meeting.  The Ambassador encouraged Iraqi 
participation in Bright Star, an Egyptian-hosted regional 
military exercise to be held in September.  End summary. 
 
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Refugees 
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¶2.  (C) The Ambassador met briefly on March 3 with Iraqi 
Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, a long-time personal 
acquaintance, who was in Egypt to attend an Arab League 
ministerial meeting in advance of the League's March 28-29 
Riyadh Summit.  Zebari, who had just finished meeting with 
the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, detailed his talks 
with senior GOE officials over the growing number of Iraqis 
in Egypt.  Registration for these people in Egypt, he said, 
was becoming "a problem."  He said he told Egyptian 
Intelligence Chief Omar Soliman that Iraq "wants these people 
to come back," to help rebuild the country when conditions 
permit.  In the meantime, Iraq will "do its part," he 
asserted, but assistance from neighbors is required to 
provide these people and their families with health care, 
education, and other basic services.  Zebari also complained 
of the challenge of issuing new Iraqi passports.  Centralized 
printing in Baghdad of 3,000 passports daily is insufficient 
for the 5 million required.  Zebari also mentioned his 
concern that among the new Iraqi arrivals in Egypt was a 
growing number of former Army and Intelligence officers from 
the Saddam era. 
 
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Iraq-Egypt Relations 
-------------------- 
 
¶3.  (C) Zebari said that Egypt was allowing senior members of 
the former "Iraqi Army and Intelligence" to reside in Cairo. 
He added that, when confronted, Egyptian officials denied the 
charge.  Zebari also noted approvingly that Egypt's 
intelligence service had "increased its presence" in Iraq. 
Asked why Iraq had still not sent an Ambassador to Cairo, 
Zebari admitted "the problem is in Baghdad.  We selected one 
of our best diplomats (my deputy), a secular Shia and career 
diplomat, to serve in Cairo."  The GOE has accepted him, but 
members of the GOI were obstructing his appointment "over 
politics."  Zebari added that he would formally nominate the 
diplomat in May, when he submits a list of nominees to the 
Council of Representatives for confirmation.  The Ambassador 
strongly encouraged Zebari and the GOI to place a senior, 
seasoned diplomat in Cairo as soon as possible, especially 
one comfortable speaking on camera who can challenge the 
widespread disinformation and bias over present circumstances 
in Iraq.  Zebari agreed that the nominee should receive media 
training -- as Zebari himself had done. 
 
¶4.  (C) Regarding a recent failed attempt to arrange a visit 
to Egypt by President Talabani, Zebari blamed the last-minute 
cancellation on the GOI's own Presidential Protocol staff and 
their excessive demands.  Despite his personal appeals to 
Talabani and his assurances that Egypt would manage the visit 
appropriately, Zebari was unable to overule the Protocol 
staff - the result of which was damage to Iraq-Egypt ties. 
"Our government," he complained, "needs to act more 
professionally and more realistically."  As another example, 
Zebari entirely blamed NSA Rubaie for "botching" Saddam's 
execution. 
 
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Neighbors Meetings 
------------------ 
 
¶5.  (C) Zebari said he had two agenda items for his visit to 
Cairo:  to obtain regional buy-in for a meeting of Iraq's 
neighbors in Baghdad on March 10, and to encourage stronger 
Arab commitments to Iraq at the March 28-29 AL Summit in 
 
CAIRO 00000572  002 OF 002 
 
 
Riyadh.  Zebari said Iraq had "worked for months" to arrange 
the Baghdad neighbors meeting.  The Secretary's February 27 
public remarks committing the U.S. to participate in that 
meeting, he added, were "excellent."  While the Iraqis 
understand there will be no direct talks between the USG and 
Iranian/Syrian representatives, the meeting offered a chance 
to "break the ice" -- a "win-win" situation for everyone, he 
said.  It was crucial, he continued, for the neighbors to 
show their support for Iraq's government and the Baghdad 
Security Plan.  "We will hold them (the neighbors) to their 
security commitments," he added. 
 
¶6.  (C) On the issue of a follow on ministerial of Iraq's 
neighbors and others, Zebari said a decision would emerge 
during ongoing regional consultations and at the 
sub-ministerial in Baghdad.  He did not reference possible 
GOE efforts to link their participation at the March 10 
meeting to their hosting of a ministerial (reftel).  Zebari 
said he consulted Egyptian FM Aboul Gheit, and said the 
latter was "positive."  (Note:  Aboul Gheit likewise was 
positive in a subsequent conversation with the Ambassador. 
End note)  Zebari noted intense interest among European and 
other missions in Baghdad to participate in the March 10 
meeting, and said the GOI would transport participants by 
charter flight en masse from Amman.  He assured the 
Ambassador that the meeting - to be held outside the Green 
Zone - would be well-protected. 
 
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Bright Star 
----------- 
 
¶7.  (C) The Ambassador recalled his personal efforts to 
prompt an Egyptian invitation for Iraq to participate in the 
September 2005 Bright Star regional military exercises held 
every two years in Egypt.  The Egyptian Field Marshall 
personally approved the invitation, but the Iraqi officers 
who had accepted the invitation failed to show up.  The 
Ambassador encouraged Iraq to send a representative to the 
September 2007 Bright Star exercise.  Zebari welcomed the 
Ambassador's advice and committed to following up on the 
issue with the Minister of Defense in Baghdad. 
RICCIARDONE