BADR ORGANIZATION AND FADHILA MEMBERS COMMENT ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001994

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/12/2016
TAGS: PGOV PINS PNAT PTER KDEM KISL IZ
SUBJECT: BADR ORGANIZATION AND FADHILA MEMBERS COMMENT ON
STATE OF EMERGENCY IN BASRAH

REF: A. A) BASRAH 86

B. B) BASRAH 85

Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR MARGARET SCOBEY FOR
REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (C) Summary: In a June 4 meeting with PolOff, Badr
Organization parliamentarian Sheikh Dhiya al-Din al-Fayyad
said the current violence in Basrah can and should be
contained by the provincial council. In a June 8 meeting
with PolOff, Fadhila parliamentarian Kareem al-Yaqubi,
cousin of Fadhila spiritual leader Sheikh Mohammad al-
Yaqubi, echoed these sentiments. Both al-Fayyad and al-
Yaqubi argued that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki had made
a mistake declaring a state of emergency in Basrah, al-
Fayyad and al-Yaqubi argued, because this undermined the
local authorities. The problems in Basrah, they argued,
have been blown out of proportion by the Arab media. As a
solution, al-Fayyad argued for holding early elections in
Basrah Province. PolOff replied that the problems in
Basrah are very serious. Al-Yaqubi said that early
elections would set a bad precedent, noting that many parties
in
Basrah province are simply looking for a way to take power
from Fadhila. End Summary.

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Fayyad Complains of Sensationalist Media
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2. (C) Badr Organization parliamentarian Sheikh Dhiya al-
Din al-Fayyad told PolOff in a June 4 meeting that the Arab
media was to blame for "blowing the Basrah situation out of
proportion." Al-Fayyad said that some elements of the Arab
media try to portray Coalition Forces (CF) in the worst
light possible, while other elements seek to discredit
Iraqi Shia. Al-Fayyad also argued that the "sensationalist
media" was making the problem worse by exacerbating
sectarian tensions and stirring up the local populace. On
June 8 Fadhila parliamentarian Kareem al-Yaqubi made a
similar argument. What is needed, he contended, was
unbiased media reporting. PolOff agreed reporting should
be unbiased, but said the security situation in Basrah
demands attention. (Comment: According to REO Basrah,
local criticism of media coverage is most likely due to the
dampening effect it is having on foreign investments. See
Ref A. End Comment.)

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State Of Emergency a Mistake
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3. (C) Al-Fayyad and al-Yaqubi said that Prime Minister
(PM) Nuri al-Maliki made a mistake when he declared a
state of emergency in Basrah. "This will only increase
sectarian tension," al-Fayyad said. He added that by
declaring a state of emergency the PM usurped the powers of
the provincial council. The problems in Basrah, al-Fayyad
and al-Yaqubi argued, must be solved by the local
authorities. They both asked rhetorically, "Will the PM
declare a state of emergency in every area of Iraq that has
violence?" (Comment: The declaration of a state of
emergency by the PM was welcomed by the majority of
Basrah's residents, who no longer trust the local
authorities to resolve the city's security crisis. End
Comment.)

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Timing of Elections
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4. (C) Al-Fayyad said the Badr Organization favors holding
early elections to replace the Basrah Provincial
leadership. Presently, two-thirds of the provincial
council must vote to remove the governor, and the
provincial council has not been able to muster the
necessary votes to remove the governor in recent council
meetings (ref B). Al-Fayyad said that fresh elections
should be held as quickly as possible to get rid of the
Basrah Governor, whose poor leadership he said had caused the
current crisis. Al-Fayyad predicted SCIRI will increase
its share of seats on the Basrah provincial council.


5. (C) Al-Yaqubi, dismissed such suggestions, arguing that
political parties such as SCIRI and Badr
simply want to unseat Fadhila from
the Governor's chair. Al-Yaqubi said that other political
parties have an interest in stirring up sectarian tension
in Basrah. He argued that, as unrest worsens, the Fadhila
Party and the Basrah Governor can be accused of not

BAGHDAD 00001994 002 OF 002


protecting the local populace. "Other parties are
capitalizing on the violence," he said.

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Comment
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6. (C) Sheikh al-Fayyad, who is well-known to us,
surprised us with the frankness of his
comments. By arguing for fresh elections, which he
predicted would boost SCIRI's total number of seats on the
provincial council and get rid of the current governor, al-
Fayyad underscored the intensity of the rivalries among the
various factions in Basrah. Hassan al-Rashid of the Badr
Organization is the most likely replacement for the
governor. As more power is devolved to the local Iraqi
authorities, these rivalries will most likely intensify
even more.
KHALILZAD