COR RANK AND FILE GRUMBLE OVER GOVERNMENT FORMATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001613

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/15/2026
TAGS: PGOV PNAT KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: COR RANK AND FILE GRUMBLE OVER GOVERNMENT FORMATION

Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR ROBERT S. FORD, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B)
AND (D).


1. (C) Summary. While their party leaders talked in more
restricted settings, in May 14 conversations with PolOffs,
a number of Council of Representatives (CoR) rank and file
members expressed dissatisfaction with the ministerial
positions they understood PM-designate Maliki had offered
to their parties/blocs. The CoR Chaldean Democratic Union
Party leader complained about what he viewed as Kurdish
double-dipping in putting forward Christian Kurd Fawzi
Hariri for a ministerial position. Iraqiyya members
claimed to reject what they understood to be their bloc's
ministerial package. Inside the Shia Coalition, Fadhila
Party members continued to gripe about the oil ministry.
END SUMMARY

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Chaldo-Assyrian: Christian Kurd Doesn't Represent other
Christians
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2. (C) Chaldean Democratic Union Party leader and CoR
member Abalhad Sawa (Kurdish List) told Poloff on May 14
that he opposed the nomination of Fawzi Hariri to any
ministerial post as the "Christian" minister. Sawa said
that if the Christians were allocated a ministerial
position, it should be up to Christian leaders like himself
and Assyrian Democratic Movement leader and CoR member
Yonadam Kanna to make the nomination. Though Sawa won his
seat on the Kurdish list, he opposed the notion that the
Christian ministerial nominee should come from that bloc,
even if the position came from the Kurdish ministerial
quota. He told Poloff that he has not discussed his views
with Kanna, since Kanna has refused to work with him since
Sawa decided to run for the CoR on the Kurdish list.

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Iraqiyya's Dissatisfaction
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3. (C) Iraqiyya List CoR member Safia Suhail told Poloff
on May 14 that Ayad Allawi had asked her to pick which
ministry she wanted from the ones allocated to Iraqiyya but
she had rejected them all. Suhail said she wanted nothing
less than to be a PM Assistant in charge of service and
other non-economic/security ministries. She argued that a
woman must have a seat among the senior political leaders
in the Iraqi government. She also said that Allawi will
nominate Saad al-Janabi for the post of Communications
Minister. (Note: In fact we understand Allawi has
proposed his cousin Muhhamad Allawi. End note.) In a May
14 conversation, negotiating committee member Shaikh
Hussein al-Sha'alan claimed that Iraqiyya had unanimously
refused what the Shia Coalition offered, which he listed as
justice, human rights, communications, science and
technology. (Note: Sha'alan made no mention of the highly
sought-after trade ministry as part of the package. End
Note) Following the May 14 CoR session, Hussam al-Azzawi
told PolFSN that Iraqiyya will continue to push for the
ministry of defense and if they do not get any key
ministries, they will consider withdrawing from the
negotiations.

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A SCIRI Point of View
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4. (C) In a May 14 conversation with PolOff, SCIRI
politburo member and CoR member Ridha Jawad Taki said that
a national unity government was necessary because it was
the Marjaiya's will. He said that efforts to put such a
government together are complicated because the Sunni Arabs
change their position regularly. For example, Taki said,
Tawafuq's leaders originally wanted the Ministries of
Planning and Higher Education, but changed their minds and
are now demanding the Ministries of Finance and Education.
Negotiations will continue, Taki argued, but he said he
feared that nobody will be fully satisfied with the
ministries they get.

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Fadhila Fixated on Oil
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5. (C) SCIRI politburo member Ridha Taki, May 14, told
PolOff that Fadhila Party's withdrawal from cabinet
formation talks is mere grandstanding. He said the Fadhila
Party is simply taking an extreme position to try to secure
the Ministry of Oil. (NOTE: Fadhila policy leader Hassan
al-Shemmeri repeated to PolFSN May 14 that the party would

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return to the negotiating table if offered the oil
ministry.) However, Taki predicted that the ministry of
oil will go to Shia Independent Hussein Shahristani. Taki
said Thamer Ghadban would be a better Minister of Oil, but
said that it would be impossible to get all parties in the
UIC 555 to agree to his nomination. Shahristani, Taki
stressed, is a better candidate than anyone in the Fadhila
Party.


6. (C) Dagher Jasim of Sayed al-Shuhada, which is part of
SCIRI, told PolOff on May 14 that no decision has been made
about who in UIC 555 will control the various ministries.
He said that first, it must be decided which ministries UIC
555 will control, and then the parties in the Shia
Coalition will negotiate which parties will get which
ministries. He predicted, however, that SCIRI will control
the Ministries of Public Works and Finance, Hussein
Shahristani will be Minister of Oil, Dawa Tanzim will get
the Ministry of Education, and Tawafuq will get the
Ministry of Higher Education.

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Dissatisfied Tawafuq Member Wants Government to Fail
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7. (C) In a May 14 conversation with PolFSN, Tawafuq
member Dhafir al-Ani accused the Shia Coalition of keeping
Tawafuq away from revenue-producing ministries. Al-Ani
proposed that each minister have four deputy ministers
representing the four major blocs. He added that Tawafuq
is so fragile that he is considering leaving the bloc to
establish a large Sunni Arab bloc that will hinder
government formation in the hopes that al-Maliki will fail
and a new government can be formed.


8. (C) COMMENT: The Iraqi individuals cited above are not
the lead participants in government formation negotiations.
Their comments, however, reflect the fluidity of the
discussion on many key positions. The comments also
reflect pressures party leaders are under from rank and
file party members with regard to inter and intra-bloc
negotiations over distribution of ministerial positions.
We can expect such partisan pressures to continue
throughout the government formation process and thereafter
as a new government of national unity moves forward to
confront key policy challenges.
KHALILZAD