Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BAGHDAD1352
2006-04-25 18:55:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Baghdad
Cable title:
POLITICAL BLOCS MOVING TO NEGOTIATE CABINET
how-toVZCZCXRO4261 OO RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK RUEHMOS DE RUEHGB #1352/01 1151855 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 251855Z APR 06 FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4087 INFO RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001352
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/25/2016
TAGS: PGOV PNAT IZ
SUBJECT: POLITICAL BLOCS MOVING TO NEGOTIATE CABINET
MINISTER SLOTS
Classified By: Political Counselor Robert S. Ford for
reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001352
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/25/2016
TAGS: PGOV PNAT IZ
SUBJECT: POLITICAL BLOCS MOVING TO NEGOTIATE CABINET
MINISTER SLOTS
Classified By: Political Counselor Robert S. Ford for
reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).
1. (C) Summary. Three days after the Parliament
elected its Presidency Council and House Speakers,
the four major political blocs have switched focus
to the next step in the government formation
process, the naming of a cabinet. They are forming
committees to negotiate ministerial names with each
other. Already we are seeing signs of competition:
the Sunni Arab Tawaffuq bloc and the Iraqiyya bloc
of former premier Ayed Allawi likely will clash over
a Deputy Prime Minister slot, for example. We also
anticipate tough talks about the Foreign Ministry,
Oil and the security ministries. The process is
only beginning and we anticipate it will be very
hard to finalize the cabinet by Prime Minister-
designate Nuri Kamel's professed goal of the first
half of May. End Summary.
-------------- --------------
Shia Coalition Vetting Candidates among themselves
-------------- --------------
2. (C) Shia Islamist Coalition SCIRI's Humam al-
Hummudi, Dawa's Adnan Ali Al-Khadimi and Shia
Independent Qassim Daoud told PolOffs on April 25
that the Shia Coalition has yet to form a
ministerial negotiating team. Contrary to these
conversations, Fadhila Party member Ammar Tu'ma Abd
al-Abbas al-Hameidi told PolFSN said that the Shia
Coalition cabinet 7-man negotiating team consists of
Badr Organization's Hadi al-Amiri, Dawa's Faleh
Fiad, Riyadh Abdul Hamza, Dawa Tenzim's Khudair
Khouzai, Sadrist Salam al-Maliki, Independent
Hussein al-Shahristani and SCIRI's Mohammed Taki al-
Mawla.
3. (C) Shia independent Sami al-Askari provided us
slight variations to al-Humeidi's 7-man government
formation team with SCIRI Humam Hammudi and an
unknown Fadhila member in place of Taki al-Mawla and
Hadi al-Amiri. Al-Askari said that the Shia have
yet to discuss sovereign ministries among
themselves, instead focusing on such ministries as
Health and Electricity. Al-Askari said the Shia
would like to control either the Ministry of
Interior or the Ministry of Defense (as would the
Sunni Arabs). The Shia would also like to control
the finance and oil ministries. He speculated that
the Kurds would like to retain the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance. For
his part, al-Askari would like to become Minister of
Electricity.
4. (C) In an April 25 telephone conversation with
PolFSN, Fadhila parliamentarian Mohammad Ismael al-
Khuzai said Nadeem al-Jabiri will be the Fadhila
Party representative when the Shia Coalition
negotiates with the other political blocs. The
Fadhila Party would like to take control of one
sovereign ministry and one service ministry,
specifically the Ministry of Oil and the Ministry of
Tourism and Antiquities. Fadhila's Al-Hameidi also
said that Fadhila will seek to retain control of the
Ministry of Oil. (NOTE: Many Shia contacts have
insisted that Fadhila would lose control of this
ministry based on its corrupt management of the
ministry during the transitional government).
--------------
Iraqiyya's Hopes and Desires
--------------
5. (C) In an April 25 telephone call with PolOff,
Iraqiyya bloc official Medhi Hafedh said that the
bloc's leader, former premier Ayad Allawi, returned
to Baghdad in time for a 16:00 meeting at his home
with Iraqiyya leadership (Medhi Hafedh, Safia
Suhail, Adnan Pachachi and Omar Damluji). Hafedh
reported that the meeting did not name a negotiating
team. Iraqiyya member Safia Suhail echoed Hafedh's
remarks and confirmed that Iraqiyya will hold a
meeting on April 26 with its 25 elected members to
name a team. She explained that Iraqiyya leadership
could not decide whether to participate or not in
cabinet negotiations because Iraqiyya members feel
they have been betrayed by the Tawaffuq bloc over
the Presidency Council and parliament top slots and
do not feel that negotiations will result in
BAGHDAD 00001352 002 OF 002
important cabinet positions being thrown their way.
Earlier in the day, Iraqiyya member (Iraqi Communist
Party) Mufid Muhammad Jawad al-Jaziry told PolFSN
that Iraqiyya expects Ayad Allawi to head the
National Policy Committee, get a Deputy Prime
Minister position and four ministries. Suhail
echoed that Allawi should get to head the National
Policy Committee. She added that an Iraqiyya bloc
woman should be named to the post of Deputy Prime
Minister who manages a strategic and influential
portfolio.
--------------
Sunni side of the Street
--------------
6. (C) Top Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP) official Ayad
al-Samarai told PolOff April 25 that IIP's Ali Baban
and CoR member Dr. Rafe'a al-Isawi comprise
Tawaffuq's ministerial negotiation committee. IIP
member Zafir al-Ani confirmed this on April 25 with
PolOff and added that Tawaffuq had started its
internal deliberations the April 24. Al-Ani
forecasted that al-Isawi would be the Tawaffuq's
nominee for Deputy Prime Minister. He added that
the other key positions Tawaffuq wants are the
Ministries of Defense, Foreign Affairs, Education,
and Health. He predicted Saleh Mutlak, the Sunni
Arab leader of the Iraqi Front for National
Dialogue, would be the nominee for Minister of
Foreign Affairs. Baban implied confirmation of this
to PolOff on April 25.
--------------
Comment
--------------
7. (C) Comment: The discussions about ministerial
posts appear to be at the early stage, based on our
contacts. We have seen little evidence that Prime
Minister-designate Nuri Kamel has advanced very far
himself in his thinking about who should have which
cabinet jobs. In the Spring of 2005, the
discussions to complete the cabinet nominations were
torturous and only involved the Kurds and Shia
Islamists. Bringing in the Sunni Arab Tawaffuq bloc
and the Allawi group, and perhaps even Saleh
Mutlak's Dialogue Front could make this year's talks
even harder. Nuri Kamel told the local Arab media
he hopes to complete the process by the second of
week of May. There likely will be tough talks about
who gets Deputy Prime Minister slots, the Foreign
Ministry, Oil and, of course, the sensitive security
ministries. Thus, we anticipate it will be very
hard for Nuri Kamel to achieve his professed goal of
finishing this in the first half of May. End
Comment.
KHALILZAD
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/25/2016
TAGS: PGOV PNAT IZ
SUBJECT: POLITICAL BLOCS MOVING TO NEGOTIATE CABINET
MINISTER SLOTS
Classified By: Political Counselor Robert S. Ford for
reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).
1. (C) Summary. Three days after the Parliament
elected its Presidency Council and House Speakers,
the four major political blocs have switched focus
to the next step in the government formation
process, the naming of a cabinet. They are forming
committees to negotiate ministerial names with each
other. Already we are seeing signs of competition:
the Sunni Arab Tawaffuq bloc and the Iraqiyya bloc
of former premier Ayed Allawi likely will clash over
a Deputy Prime Minister slot, for example. We also
anticipate tough talks about the Foreign Ministry,
Oil and the security ministries. The process is
only beginning and we anticipate it will be very
hard to finalize the cabinet by Prime Minister-
designate Nuri Kamel's professed goal of the first
half of May. End Summary.
-------------- --------------
Shia Coalition Vetting Candidates among themselves
-------------- --------------
2. (C) Shia Islamist Coalition SCIRI's Humam al-
Hummudi, Dawa's Adnan Ali Al-Khadimi and Shia
Independent Qassim Daoud told PolOffs on April 25
that the Shia Coalition has yet to form a
ministerial negotiating team. Contrary to these
conversations, Fadhila Party member Ammar Tu'ma Abd
al-Abbas al-Hameidi told PolFSN said that the Shia
Coalition cabinet 7-man negotiating team consists of
Badr Organization's Hadi al-Amiri, Dawa's Faleh
Fiad, Riyadh Abdul Hamza, Dawa Tenzim's Khudair
Khouzai, Sadrist Salam al-Maliki, Independent
Hussein al-Shahristani and SCIRI's Mohammed Taki al-
Mawla.
3. (C) Shia independent Sami al-Askari provided us
slight variations to al-Humeidi's 7-man government
formation team with SCIRI Humam Hammudi and an
unknown Fadhila member in place of Taki al-Mawla and
Hadi al-Amiri. Al-Askari said that the Shia have
yet to discuss sovereign ministries among
themselves, instead focusing on such ministries as
Health and Electricity. Al-Askari said the Shia
would like to control either the Ministry of
Interior or the Ministry of Defense (as would the
Sunni Arabs). The Shia would also like to control
the finance and oil ministries. He speculated that
the Kurds would like to retain the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance. For
his part, al-Askari would like to become Minister of
Electricity.
4. (C) In an April 25 telephone conversation with
PolFSN, Fadhila parliamentarian Mohammad Ismael al-
Khuzai said Nadeem al-Jabiri will be the Fadhila
Party representative when the Shia Coalition
negotiates with the other political blocs. The
Fadhila Party would like to take control of one
sovereign ministry and one service ministry,
specifically the Ministry of Oil and the Ministry of
Tourism and Antiquities. Fadhila's Al-Hameidi also
said that Fadhila will seek to retain control of the
Ministry of Oil. (NOTE: Many Shia contacts have
insisted that Fadhila would lose control of this
ministry based on its corrupt management of the
ministry during the transitional government).
--------------
Iraqiyya's Hopes and Desires
--------------
5. (C) In an April 25 telephone call with PolOff,
Iraqiyya bloc official Medhi Hafedh said that the
bloc's leader, former premier Ayad Allawi, returned
to Baghdad in time for a 16:00 meeting at his home
with Iraqiyya leadership (Medhi Hafedh, Safia
Suhail, Adnan Pachachi and Omar Damluji). Hafedh
reported that the meeting did not name a negotiating
team. Iraqiyya member Safia Suhail echoed Hafedh's
remarks and confirmed that Iraqiyya will hold a
meeting on April 26 with its 25 elected members to
name a team. She explained that Iraqiyya leadership
could not decide whether to participate or not in
cabinet negotiations because Iraqiyya members feel
they have been betrayed by the Tawaffuq bloc over
the Presidency Council and parliament top slots and
do not feel that negotiations will result in
BAGHDAD 00001352 002 OF 002
important cabinet positions being thrown their way.
Earlier in the day, Iraqiyya member (Iraqi Communist
Party) Mufid Muhammad Jawad al-Jaziry told PolFSN
that Iraqiyya expects Ayad Allawi to head the
National Policy Committee, get a Deputy Prime
Minister position and four ministries. Suhail
echoed that Allawi should get to head the National
Policy Committee. She added that an Iraqiyya bloc
woman should be named to the post of Deputy Prime
Minister who manages a strategic and influential
portfolio.
--------------
Sunni side of the Street
--------------
6. (C) Top Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP) official Ayad
al-Samarai told PolOff April 25 that IIP's Ali Baban
and CoR member Dr. Rafe'a al-Isawi comprise
Tawaffuq's ministerial negotiation committee. IIP
member Zafir al-Ani confirmed this on April 25 with
PolOff and added that Tawaffuq had started its
internal deliberations the April 24. Al-Ani
forecasted that al-Isawi would be the Tawaffuq's
nominee for Deputy Prime Minister. He added that
the other key positions Tawaffuq wants are the
Ministries of Defense, Foreign Affairs, Education,
and Health. He predicted Saleh Mutlak, the Sunni
Arab leader of the Iraqi Front for National
Dialogue, would be the nominee for Minister of
Foreign Affairs. Baban implied confirmation of this
to PolOff on April 25.
--------------
Comment
--------------
7. (C) Comment: The discussions about ministerial
posts appear to be at the early stage, based on our
contacts. We have seen little evidence that Prime
Minister-designate Nuri Kamel has advanced very far
himself in his thinking about who should have which
cabinet jobs. In the Spring of 2005, the
discussions to complete the cabinet nominations were
torturous and only involved the Kurds and Shia
Islamists. Bringing in the Sunni Arab Tawaffuq bloc
and the Allawi group, and perhaps even Saleh
Mutlak's Dialogue Front could make this year's talks
even harder. Nuri Kamel told the local Arab media
he hopes to complete the process by the second of
week of May. There likely will be tough talks about
who gets Deputy Prime Minister slots, the Foreign
Ministry, Oil and, of course, the sensitive security
ministries. Thus, we anticipate it will be very
hard for Nuri Kamel to achieve his professed goal of
finishing this in the first half of May. End
Comment.
KHALILZAD