PM HEADING TO BASRAH TO ADDRESS SECURITY,

S E C R E T BAGHDAD 001845

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/31/2016
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PNAT IZ
SUBJECT: PM HEADING TO BASRAH TO ADDRESS SECURITY,
DETERMINED TO NAME SECURITY MINISTERS BY JUNE 4


Classified By: Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad per 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (S) SUMMARY: Prime Minister Maliki will focus on security
during his May 31 trip to Basrah. Maliki said he will
announce his nominees for Minister of Defense and Interior at
the next session of parliament (either June 1 or June 4. The
leading candidate for MOI now appears to be Farouq Al-Araji.
Mohammad Bara Rubaei and Abdul Qader Jassim Al-Mufraji appear
to be the two top candidates for MOD, with PM Maliki still
mulling three others: Saadoun Dulaimi, former Deputy Prime
Minister Abid Mutlaq Al-Jaburi, and a new possibility, Nabil
Khalil Saeed. END SUMMARY.


2. (S) PM Maliki told Ambassador May 30 that he would visit
Basrah the next day to address the deteriorating security
situation there. Maliki said he intends to meet with a range
of local leaders, including the ulema, governor, advisors,
and political leaders. In addition, Maliki plans to form an
emergency committee for security in Basrah. The current
chief of police in Basrah is weak, Maliki explained, and
needs to be replaced; likewise, the governor should be
changed as he is a "bad man." The Ambassador encouraged the
PM in this effort and noted the need for agreement among the
warring Shia parties and their militias, as well as the need
to strengthen the police that are operating like gangs.
Maliki agreed.


3. (S) Following Maliki's comment on the need for a new
governor in Basrah, the Ambassador asked him whether he
intends to go forward with or delay provincial elections.
The PM said that he intends to fulfill the constitutional
requirement that the parliament must issue instructions for
elections within three months after the new government is
formed.


4. (S) Ambassador then asked about state of play on selection
of new Ministers of Interior and Defense. Maliki answered
that he had told his own coalition that his patience is
exhausted and that he has concluded they will never agree on
a single candidate. They recognize the deadlock, Maliki
said, and told him to announce candidates and they would vote
for them in the parliament session. Maliki said he would
take two names to Parliament in its next session on Sunday,
June 4. The Ambassador said that he thought that parliament
would meet Thursday, June 1; if so, Maliki said, he would do
it then.


5. (S) For MOI, the PM asked the Ambassador's views of Farouq
Al-Araji. Ambassador said that we do not oppose him,
although we know very little about him.


6. (S) For MOD, the PM said he wants Mohammad Bara Al-Rubaei
or Abdul Qader Jassim Al-Mufraji -- but he thinks the Kurds
have a problem with Abdul Qader. The Ambassador advised
Maliki that if he likes both equally, to go with Abdul Qader,
who appears to be stronger, since we have some concerns about
Mohammad Bara. Ambassador undertook to talk to Barzani to
get the Kurds on board. Maliki then asked for the
Ambassador's views of Saadoun Dulaimi, Abid Mutlak Al Jaburi,
or a new candidate, Nabeel Khalil Saeed. Ambassador
expressed no enthusiasm for any of these candidates, but
agreed he would see the new candidate the next day. (BIO
NOTE: LTG Nabeel Khalil Saeed currently serves as MOD
Director General for Veterans Affairs; was a Division
commander prior to the invasion of Kuwait; is a Sunni
resident in Baghdad but his family is from Mosul; his father
was a distinguished general thirty years ago; he is
politically independent and highly respected by other
officers; was educated at Sandhurst and speaks English; and
was Iraq's first military attache in Washington in the 70s.
Source: Sayyid Awad Jamal Al-Deen. END BIO NOTE.)
KHALILZAD