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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 000247 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/2019 
TAGS: PREL EAID IZ JA
SUBJECT: JAPAN AND IRAQ ESTABLISH COMPREHENSIVE PARTNERSHIP 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Jim Zumwalt for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) 
 
¶1. (C) Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited 
Baghdad January 28 as a Special Envoy of Prime Minister Taro 
Aso, where he met with President Talibani, Vice-President 
al-Hashimi, and Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih, and 
signed a "Declaration on Establishing a Comprehensive 
Partnership between the Governments of Japan and the 
Government of the Republic of Iraq."  According to MOFA 
contacts, the purpose of the visit and declaration are to 
clearly signal that Japan remains strongly committed to 
helping Iraq, even following the withdrawal of its Air Self 
Defense Force aircraft and crews last December.  In addition, 
Japan is preparing to announce that the Japan International 
Cooperation Agency (JICA) will open a three-person office in 
Erbil as early as this month.  END SUMMARY. 
 
------------------------- 
FORMER PM ABE VISITS IRAQ 
------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Baghdad 
January 28, arriving on a commercial flight from Dubai and 
departing the same day on another commercial flight to Amman, 
according to MOFA Second Middle East Division Principal 
Deputy Director Yukia Hamamoto.  Abe was dispatched to 
Baghdad as a Special Envoy of Prime Minister Aso, and the 
purpose of his trip was to signal to the Iraqis and others 
that Japan's commitment to Iraq's reconstruction remains 
solid, even following the withdrawal of Japanese Air Self 
Defense Force planes and crews from Kuwait last December. 
Prime Minister Maliki was out of the country during Abe's 
visit, so he met with President Talibani, Vice President 
al-Hashimi, and Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih.  He also 
signed a "Declaration on Establishing a Comprehensive 
Partnership between the Government of Japan and the 
Government of the Republic of Iraq."  See text in paragraph 
4, below. 
 
---------------------------- 
JICA TO OPEN OFFICE IN ERBIL 
---------------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) In another sign of Japan's contiued commitment to 
Iraq, Tokyo is also poised to announce the intention to open 
later this month a JICA office in Erbil, confirmed JICA 
Middle East and Europe Department Middle East Division 2 
Director Hideki Matsunaga.  At least three JICA employees 
will be assigned to the office, with an additional officer 
being assigned to the Embassy in Baghdad to coordinate 
assistance projects.  Currently, JICA officials in Amman 
supervise local workers in Iraq, but Japan would prefer to 
have in-country staff and believes that the security 
situation in Erbil permits such an arrangement.  Matsunaga 
said that the Amman office will remain open, but with a 
smaller staff, to continue to work with UN agencies and small 
private companies based in Jordan.  However, JICA hopes that 
its new Erbil office will take the lead for Iraq projects. 
He also confided that although plans call for the office to 
be up and running by February, he believes March is more 
realistic.  Matsunaga said he is congnizant of the tension 
that exists between the Kurdish Regional Government and the 
central government in Baghdad, and said JICA is trying to 
balance their relations in order not to offend either. 
 
------------------- 
TEXT OF DECLARATION 
------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) BEGIN TEXT of unofficial translation taken from MOFA 
website: 
 
Declaration on Establishing a Comprehensive Partnership 
between the Government of Japan and the Government of the 
Republic of Iraq 
 
The relationship between Japan and Iraq is old and of great 
significance.  In the 1970s and 1980s Japan was the most 
important trading partner with Iraq. 
 
Japan became one of the most important countries that 
supported Iraq in its endeavors to establish a new political 
system following the collapse of the former regime.  For 
instance, Japan provided economic assistance to Iraq in the 
amount of $1.7 billion of grant aid and has provided $2.5 
billion soft loans out of $3.5 billion pledged in 2003.  In 
 
TOKYO 00000247  002 OF 002 
 
 
addition, Japan has played a leading role in reducing the 
Iraqi public debt of the Paris Club, reducing its $7.6 
billion credit by 80 percent.  Japan has also provided 
capacity-building assistance for the Government of Iraq 
offering training programs for about 3,5000 Iraqi officials 
and experts. 
 
Moreover, Japan dispatched Ground Self Defense Forces (GSDF) 
to the province of Al Muthanna to extend assistance in the 
region, participating in the reconstruction assistance 
activities with the support of the Air Self Defense Force 
(ASDF).  While the SDF mission was completed in December 2008 
after 5 years of activities, their good work was greatly 
appreciated and will be remembered by the local people and 
the entire nation of Iraq. 
 
To achieve closer bilateral relations between Japan and Iraq, 
both Governments are moving the relationship into a new phase 
in order to build a comprehensive partnership between the two 
friendly peoples, a partnership based on the mutual interests 
of both countries. 
 
The two Governments recognized the necessity that Iraq is in 
need of investment and technology for reconstructing and 
rebuilding its infrastructure, and in order to enhance the 
partnership between them, they have declared to promote the 
cooperation in the wide-ranging areas including the following: 
 
Building a partnership between Japan and Iraq in the energy 
sector in which specialized Japanese companies will play a 
big role in building the infrastructure of the oil sector, in 
the upstream as well as downstream, while Iraq provides Japan 
with a stable source for its need of oil and gas. 
 
Both sides, Japanese and Iraqi, will cooperate to implement a 
necessary study for the electricity sector.  In addition, the 
Governments will encourage Japanese companies to build power 
stations in Iraq, especially those depending on converting 
the associated gases. 
 
The Iraqi Government welcomed the initiative by the Japanese 
side on the establishment of a financial facility to fund 
these activities as mentioned above. 
 
The Japanese side will provide assistance in promoting the 
capacity building and capabilities of the Iraqi people by 
providing training courses. 
 
Both sides will re-activate and reestablish a joint economic 
committee at the ministerial level of all relevant 
ministries.  The committee will meet annually at either 
capital to monitor progress of this partnership. 
 
January 28, 2009 
 
Shoji Ogawa, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of 
Japan 
 
Shinzo Abe, Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of Japan, 
former Prime Minister of Japan 
 
Mouez Kadhum Al-Khateeb, Ambassador, Head of Asia, Australia 
and Africa Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs on behalf 
of Hoshyar Zebari, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Republic 
of Iraq 
 
Barham Salih, Deputy Prime Minister, on behalf of Nouri 
Al-Maliki, Prime Minister, the Republic of Iraq. 
 
END TEXT. 
ZUMWALT