SECTARIAN CONCERNS AT IMN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001560 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/10/2016 TAGS: PGOV KDEM KPAS ECPS IZ SUBJECT: SECTARIAN CONCERNS AT IMN Classified By: Political Counselor Robert S. Ford, for Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. In a May 4 meeting, Presidential media advisor Hiwa Osman and former Iraqi Media Network (IMN) Directors General Ahmad al-Rikaby and Jalal al-Mashta told Poloff that media will be just as important to stemming violence in Iraq as the security portfolio. They lamented the growing sectarian bias in IMN reporting and programming, and warned that the current DG, Habib al-Sadr, was lobbying UIC leaders to include his position in government formation political party agreements. They called for the immediate replacement of al-Sadr by a non-sectarian, politically independent, experienced professional. End Summary. -------------- IMN Promotes Shia, not National, Unity -------------- ¶2. (C) Hiwa Osman, media advisor to President Jalal Talabani, told Emboff May 4 that media has a very important role to play in stemming sectarian violence in Iraq. He highlighted the ability of the media to educate, foster dialogue and promote reconciliation. Osman argued that, as the official public service broadcaster for Iraq, IMN should be leading the effort to unite all Iraqis, regardless of sect or ethnicity. He accused IMN DG Habib al-Sadr of using IMN to promote a sectarian agenda, spread propaganda, and curry favor with Iraqi politicians and spiritual leaders. ¶3. (C) Former IMN DGs Ahmad al-Rikaby and Jalal al-Mashta, who were also present at the meeting, agreed. They noted that the war on terror is "not only fighting car bombs and stopping civil war, it is changing the mentality of the people." They said that Iraqiyya, the largest television station in Iraq, routinely cuts away from scheduled programming to air live Shia celebrations in Najaf. However, none of the three media experts could recall ever seeing a single Sunni, Christian or Kurdish program on the station. Osman claimed that the morning prayer, broadcast on Iraqiyya, included the verse, "may God curse the first, second and third," which is a reference to the Sunni caliphs. They complained that al-Sadr had completely removed any public service aspect from Iraqiyya's programming, and was actively using the medium to promote Shia, rather than national, unity. -------------- Al-Sadr Lobbying to Keep his Job? -------------- ¶4. (C) Al-Rikaby and al-Mashta said that they still have contacts in IMN with whom they regularly meet. These contacts reported that al-Sadr had been lobbying outgoing PM Ibrahim Jafari to include the IMN DG position in the government formation negotiations, despite the fact that it is not a ministerial position. They claimed Habib al-Sadr had also lobbied Muqtada al-Sadr and SCIRI leader Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim to support this initiative. (NOTE: Rikaby and Mashta claimed that Habib al-Sadr is Muqtada's cousin and Hakim's brother-in-law.) Although they said Habib al-Sadr had not directly engaged PM-designate Nuri al-Maliki, al-Rikaby and al-Mashta noted that IMN press coverage of the new PM has been overwhelmingly favorable and in some cases, "flattering." ¶5. (C) Al-Rikaby, al-Mashta and Osman all speculated that Habib al-Sadr was confident of his support within the Shia Coalition based on his ingratiating behavior. They claimed that al-Sadr is a political partisan, not a media professional. If his position were officially allocated to a political party, he would be assured of staying on as DG, a position that al-Rikaby said "comes with benefits." Al-Rikaby alleged that those benefits have included paychecks from several prominent politicians. ¶6. (C) Osman asked for US help in creating the conditions for the right people to manage IMN, "an important institution that will sell the vision of the new Iraq to the people." While he admitted that the legal framework did not exist to immediately fix IMN's problems, Osman emphasized that al-Sadr needed to be removed as soon as possible. He suggested that the current Board of Governors, which he charged was illegally appointed by Allawi, be removed and the original board, selected by CPA authorities, restored. The original board, of which Osman was a member, could remove al-Sadr and then vote to dissolve itself. They could appoint a caretaker Board of Governors until the Council of Representatives (CoR) selects a permanent board. -------------- Comment BAGHDAD 00001560 002 OF 002 -------------- ¶7. (C) Reaching nearly 70% of Iraqi households, Iraqiyya has the potential to be a tool of sectarian or cross-sectarian messaging. While the claims made here reflect only one view of the issue, they are consistent with the general disquietude many of our centrist contacts about the management of IMN. Al-Sadr's management has been far from stellar and politicization that began during Allawi's government needs to be checked on all sides. CPA order 66, which established IMN as the public service broadcaster for Iraq, includes explicit provisions regarding the independence of IMN. The examples cited above directly violate the station's mandate to "reflect fairly and equitably the regional, cultural and political diversity of Iraq," and actively promote a Shia agenda at a time when sectarian tensions continue to run high. The Embassy is currently reviewing several steps to help put the public broadcaster back on neutral footing. Among the first steps, we are inviting experts and media contacts to a May 11 forum to critically review the performance of IMN, with al-Sadr attending. -------------- Bionote -------------- ¶8. (C) Hiwa Osman is the son of noted Kurdish independent politician Dr. Mahmud Othman. Osman speaks fluent English and has an extensive background in media, having honed his skills as a reporter for the BBC and a columnist for the Washington Times. He considers himself a technocrat and a political appointee who will leave the Presidency's Media Office with President Talabani. SATTERFIELD