MIXED LOCAL REACTIONS TO AMRE MUSA VISIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 004339 SIPDIS CENTCOM FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/20/2015 TAGS: PREL EG IZ SUBJECT: MIXED LOCAL REACTIONS TO AMRE MUSA VISIT REF: A. CAIRO 8016 ¶B. CAIRO 7963 ¶C. BAGHDAD 4186 Classified By: POL COUNS ROBERT S. FORD REASON 1.4 (D) ¶1. (C) Summary. On October 20, Arab League Secretary General Amre Musa discussed with GOI officials the possibility of hosting a national dialogue conference in Baghdad, prior to the national elections. Jafari staff reaction to the visit, and that of other Shia contacts, has been measured. Sunni Arab and Kurdish contacts' reaction to the visit has been more upbeat so far. End Summary. SHIA REACTION TO MUSA VISIT -------------- ¶3. (C) PM staffer Adnan Ali al-Kadhimi told PolOff October 20 that the visit with Prime Minister Jafari had been quite friendly and seemed sincere. However, General Secretary to the Cabinet Dr. Khudair Abbas asked PolOff "why is Amre Musa really here?" When PolOff approached Ahmed Chalabi for a comment, Chalabi smiled broadly and got into his limousine. Zuhair Humadi, Senior Advisor to VP Abdel Abd' al-Madhi, told PolOff on October 20 that Amre Musa was on his "best behavior." Humadi reported that Musa proposed organizing a national dialogue conference in Baghdad in mid-November. Humadi said he urged Musa to open an Arab League office in Baghdad, but did not get a response. He added that the Arab League's presence would raise pressure on Arab countries to be more forthcoming about the level of diplomatic relations and that more would send Ambassadors to Baghdad. SUNNI AND KURDISH REACTION -------------- ¶4. (C) Ahmed Najati Agha, Private Secretary to Vice President Ghazi al-Yawr, told PolOff that his boss' meeting with Amre Musa had gone well. Agha told PolOff that he was impressed by the size and length of the visit. Agha said that Musa suggested to VP Ghazi al-Yawr that hosting a national dialogue with dignitaries from the Arab world would add balance to the political discourse in Iraq. Agha said that Musa offered to organize such a conference in November and that al-Yawr was very pleased with the idea. National Assembly staffer Saifaldin Abdul-Rahman told PolOff that Musa,s visit with Speaker of the House Hachem al-Hassani had been brief but positive. ¶5. (C) MFA Chief of Staff Hariri told PolOff that Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari greeted Amre Musa upon arrival at the airport. They exchanged a few words and promised to discuss "projects and possibilities" at an October 21 iftar hosted by the MFA. Hariri said MFA interaction with Arab League delegates had been very friendly. MFA SEVERE LACK OF ORGANIZATION -------------- ¶6. (C) Two days prior to the visit, MFA Chief of Protocol Ambassador Abdel Amir Tabikh provided PolOffs with a jam-packed 3-day itinerary. With the exception of perimeter security (see ref b),Tabikh insisted that this visit be completely Iraqi-organized. The first day of the visit was plagued with logistical problems. Scheduled meetings were canceled at the last minute because the MFA neglected to check if politicians were in town. Meeting sites were changed because MFA assumed that GOI officials would be meeting in their offices rather than their homes. On two occasions, the MFA handlers did not know the addresses of Green Zone sites for meetings, so PolOff had to drive the lead car in the convoy. ¶6. (C) The disorganized schedule required several entries in and out of the IZ, causing delays. In general, the delegation was 2 hours behind schedule. Special Assistant to UN Representative Steven Siqueira told PolOff on October 20 that the delegation failed to show for a meeting with UN Special Representative Ashraf Qazi. Five hours after the scheduled meeting, Siqueira said someone called to inform them the delegation might drop by the next day but could not specify a time. -------------- PLANS FOR DAY 2 AND 3 -------------- ¶7. (C) Amre Musa's schedule for October 21 includes additional meetings in Baghdad with political leaders. On October 22, he will travel to Erbil and Najaf via rotary wing transportation arranged by Embassy Baghdad. Satterfield