BRITISH CONCERNED ABOUT BASRAH SITUATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 001902 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/05/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM UNSC UK KU IZ SUBJECT: BRITISH CONCERNED ABOUT BASRAH SITUATION REF: A. BASRAH 093 ¶B. BAGHDAD 1869 ¶C. BAGHDAD 1892 Classified By: Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) UK Ambassador William Patey asked Ambassador Khalilzad on June 4 to speak with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to counter accusations that British forces had assassinated people in Basrah (reftel B). Patey lamented that PM Maliki put Basrah Governor Mohammed Wa'hili in charge of security under the recently announced state of emergency there (reftel A). Patey said the Governor is the problem, adding that we need to get the Iraqi Police out from under Wa'hili's control. ¶2. (C) Ambassador Patey also raised the expected GOI letter to the UN Security Council expressing support for Multi-National Force (MNF) and Development Fund for Iraq/International Advisory and Monitoring Board (DFI/IAMB) arrangements prior to review of UNSCR 1637 (reftel C). (NOTE: The UNSC must review the MNF and DFI/IAMB mandate no later than June 15. END NOTE.) In this letter, Patey recommended, Maliki should mention the need for the International Compact. Also, Patey suggested that we press the Kuwaitis to transform the war compensation fund into an Iraqi reconstruction fund. KHALILZAD