VZCZCXRO5511
OO RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHGB #3074/01 3270803
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 230803Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5539
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 003074 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL IZ TINT ECON SCUL
SUBJECT: IRAQI MFA WELCOMES COHEN-GOOGLE DELEGATION 
 
REF: BAGHDAD 2827 
 
¶1.  (U)  Summary: On November 22, Minister of Foreign Affairs 
Hoshyar Zebari and MFA Senior Policy Advisor Fareed Yasseen 
met with Google CEO Eric Schmidt, State Department Policy 
Planning Staff member Jared Cohen, Trident Capital CEO Don 
Dixon, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Peter 
Pace, Google consultant Sophie Schmidt, and Embassy Minister 
Counselor for Public Affairs.  The group discussed the 
potential role of technology in furthering GOI goals, as well 
as possible ways in which Iraq can better leverage the 
internet.  Both sides welcomed greater collaboration between 
Iraq and the United States to foster increased innovation and 
technology adoption.  End summary. 
 
MFA EMBRACES GREATER USE OF TECHNOLOGY 
-------------------------------------- 
 
 ¶2.  (U)  After exchanging greetings with the Cohen-Google 
delegation and welcoming the group, FM Zebari stressed the 
value of technology in fostering non-military cooperation 
between the United States and Iraq.  He illustrated Iraq's 
openness to technological expansion by remarking that Iraq 
was the first country in the region to introduce television 
in 1957 and utilize mainframe computers starting in 1964, and 
that the nation boasts the highest rate of cell phone and 
internet adoption in the Middle East.  FM Zebari commended 
Google's imaging project with the Iraqi National Museum, and 
encouraged more partnerships of a similar ilk.  In response 
to a question from Google CEO Eric Schmidt about the GOI's 
technology needs and priorities, FM Zebari stated that Iraq 
is attempting to "catch up" with technology after a "painful" 
period of stringent sanctions beginning in the 1990s.  He 
added that due to restrictions that currently prevent the 
Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Agriculture 
from engaging in particular types of scientific research, the 
GOI is striving to leverage technological solutions to 
enhance training and education for Iraqis as it strives to 
get out from under Chapter VII status. 
 
 ¶3.  (U)  Senior MFA Policy Advisor Fareed Yasseen emphasized 
the role of technology in institution building, highlighting 
its role in strengthening security, e-government tools, and 
the digitalization of documents and archives.  Yasseen 
pointed out that religious and cultural institutions, in 
addition to government entities, can be "transformed" by 
technology.  Both Yasseen and FM Zebari commented that in the 
wake of the August 19 bombing that destroyed much of the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the MFA was able to more quickly 
resume operations because all of its important files, 
archives, and documents had been scanned and saved. 
 
CHARTING A ROAD FORWARD VIA THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
 ¶4.  (U) FM Zebari shared with the Cohen-Google delegation 
his view that the GOI needs to focus more on national 
reconciliation efforts, which will take "time, patience, and 
outreach." He stated that Iraq's upcoming elections will 
answer "whether we can all live together," but stressed that 
the USG still has a role to play in assisting Iraq with this 
critical, transitional period.  "The election is not a magic 
solution, and there is a long time between now and the end of 
2011," he added.  When Google CEO Eric Schmidt asked the MFA 
officials what the most difficult time in their experience in 
Iraq has been, they recalled the "desperate" period in Iraq 
in 1988, when more than 100,000 Iraqis disappeared, as well 
as the period after the first Gulf War.  FM Zebari concluded 
that while conditions are much better now, "serious 
challenges remain". 
Qchallenges remain". 
 
 ¶5.  (U) Google CEO Eric Schmidt intimated to FM Zebari that 
GOI efforts to expand Iraq's broadband network infrastructure 
as widely as possible, particularly in Baghdad and other 
Iraqi cities, would enable greater innovation and 
entrepreneurship among the Iraqi people.  He suggested that 
providing increased internet access to city dwellers could 
facilitate greater levels of discussion among entrepreneurs, 
and provide citizens the tools to learn about current events 
and participate in projects like the imaging efforts at the 
Iraqi National Museum and the creation of the new National 
Museum website.  In response to the FM's comments about 
reconciliation, Schmidt offered that a possible plan to 
further GOI goals in this area would be to initiate a program 
to enable Iraqis who have lost family members in the last 20 
years to draft an on-line testimonial, thus providing every 
Iraqi the chance to make the internet personally meaningful 
and useful.  MFA Senior Policy Advisor Yasseen stated that 
this effort might be in line with similar initiatives that 
the GOI and the Memory Foundation have participated in. 
 
 ¶6.  (SBU)  S/P Cohen shared that in addition to the group's 
meetings in Baghdad, the delegation will also visit Ur to 
 
BAGHDAD 00003074  002 OF 002 
 
 
determine the feasibility of providing imagery of the 
archaeological sites associated with the Google-imaged 
artifacts in the Museum.   When asked by MFA Senior Policy 
Advisor Yasseen if Google is accepting interns from Iraq, S/P 
Cohen elaborated on Secretary Clinton's announcement at the 
Business and Investment Conference that Iraq is the first 
country in which the USG is piloting an internship program 
for international students in collaboration with Google. 
S/P Cohen thanked FM Zebari on behalf of the delegation and 
expressed the hope that the Google delegation's visit would 
pave the way for greater collaboration between the U.S. 
private sector and Iraqi entities. 
 
 
 
HILL