ALLAWI CHIEF OF STAFF: WE UNITE WITH SUNNI BLOCS

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 005134 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/27/2015 TAGS: PREL PGOV IZ SUBJECT: ALLAWI CHIEF OF STAFF: WE UNITE WITH SUNNI BLOCS AND NO BOYCOTT Classified By: Classified By: Political Counselor for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Ibrahim al-Janabi, Chief of Staff to Dr. Ayad Allawi, told Poloff and PolFSN December 27 that the National Iraqi List and the main Sunni Arab blocs (Tawwafuq, National Dialogue, and Reconciliation and Liberation) had signed an agreement December 25 in Amman to establish a common front; the agreement will be announced December 28. He added that the agreement also makes Ayad Allawi the front's spokesman and responsible for negotiations with other parties. He said they have not discussed specifics (e.g., government positions, possible constitutional amendments),but they would like a balanced Council of Representatives and a National Unity Government. According to al-Janabi, they will not boycott the Council of Representatives (COR),and will work to establish a front in the COR and outside the COR for "voices that were lost in the election." ¶2. (C) Al-Janabi said the National Iraqi List has not had any conversations regarding government formation with the Shia or Kurdish Alliances, except for a brief phone call from Hadi al-Amri, head of the Badr Organization, shortly after the elections asking for support of transparency in the IECI results announcements. ¶3. (C) Al-Janabi said they still want the international community to find out what happened during the pre-election and election period. PolOff stressed the importance of using the established mechanisms to submit and resolve their complaints and not using demonstrations to solve technical election issues. Al-Janabi agreed with the assessment that demonstrations could lead to counter-demonstrations and increase the potential for violence. ¶4. (C) Comment. While the MARAM group still lives and has expanded to 45 entities, the talk has now turned from confrontation and boycott of the COR to political compromise and embracing the concept of a unity government. Al-Janabi mentioned an idea attributed to President Talabani of treating the main political entities as equals in the political negotiations and government formation/ministry distribution, regardless of their success at the ballot box. NOTE: Al-Janabi did not say whether the National Iraqi List would be one of these entities, or whether these would be limited in practice to the Shia Alliance, the Sunni Arab bloc, and the Kurdish Alliance. KHALILZAD