XXXXXXXXXXXX BLAMES UK FOR SECURITY

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002059

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
REL UK

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/12/2026
TAGS: PGOV PINR PINS PNAT PREL PTER KDEM KISL IZ
SUBJECT: XXXXXXXXXXXX BLAMES UK FOR SECURITY
PROBLEMS

REF: A. A. BASRAH 93


B. B. BASRAH 95

C. C. BAGHDAD 1994

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


1. (S//REL UK) Summary: In a June 12 conversation with
PolOff, XXXXXXXXXXXX told PolOff the UK is largely to blame for the
unrest in Basrah. The UK has not brought militias under
control, and so Basrah is now a violent place, he said.
This, combined with the activities of foreign intelligence
services, corruption, and political rivalries makes Basrah
difficult to govern, he said. The Ministry of Defense
(MOD),however, is a trusted organization, and many in
Basrah would prefer that it handle security, rather than
the Ministry of Interior (MOI),which many see as corrupt.
End Summary.

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UK to Blame for Situation in Basrah
--------------


2. (S//REL UK) On June 12, XXXXXXXXXXXX
told PolOff that the UK was to blame
for the lack of security in Basrah. He said the UK has
allowed Shia militias to largely control Basrah and has
done little to assert control. The UK, he argued, "worked
with the strong, not the qualified," and therefore Basrah
has serious rule of law problems.

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Three Fights in Basrah
--------------


3. (S//REL UK) According to XXXXXXXXXXXX, the violence in Basrah
is the result of three fights that are happening
simultaneously, all of which involve Iran. The first fight
is about corruption. XXXXXXXXXXXX accused Fadhila of using the
money it garners through graft and corruption, sometimes
totaling 650,000 USD in one month, to finance party
activities. For this reason, XXXXXXXXXXXX argued, Fadhila wants
desperately to maintain control of the province. If
another party should gain control of Basrah in the upcoming
provincial elections it would mean the collapse of Fadhila,
XXXXXXXXXXXX predicted. This, in turn, he asserted, would mean
the downfall of Fadhila's spiritual leader, Sheikh Mohammad
al-Yaqubi. Sheikh Yaqubi is therefore willing to resort to
corruption and violence in order to hold on to Basrah, XXXXXXXXXXXX opined.


4. (S//REL UK) The second fight in Basrah involves foreign
intelligence services, XXXXXXXXXXXX stated. He said Kuwait,
Saudi Arabia, and Iran are all actively engaged in covert
operations in Basrah. Iran, according to XXXXXXXXXXXX, is
especially troublesome, funding such terrorist groups as
the Imam Hussein Battalion, which is responsible for the
recent death of a Basrah FSN (ref B).


5. (S//REL UK) The third fight, according to XXXXXXXXXXXX, is
among the various political parties in Basrah. XXXXXXXXXXXX
said that, as the various political parties struggle for
control of Basrah politics, parties in the Basrah
Provincial Council (PC) do not wish to see the central
government insert itself into Basrah affairs. The Basrah
PC therefore viewed Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki's
recent visit to Basrah as a direct challenge to the PC's
authority.


6. (S//REL UK) The Basrah PC, XXXXXXXXXXXX said, has been trying
to pull away from central government authority. "There is
an attitude among the provincial leadership that Basrah's
treasure should be for Basrah only," XXXXXXXXXXXX stated. XXXXXXXXXXXX
said that it would take a good deal of effort to bring
the situation in Basrah back under control. With Iran so
heavily involved in stirring up trouble in Basrah, XXXXXXXXXXXX
said, any conflict between the U.S. and Iran could result
in the complete collapse of the Basrah government.

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MOI Not Trusted
--------------


7. (S//REL UK) XXXXXXXXXXXX said that the people of Basrah trust
the Iraqi Army and MOD, but not the MOI. The MOI, XXXXXXXXXXXX
said, is a divided ministry; each section of the ministry
is like its own country, and people in different sections
rarely communicate. The Iraqi Police, he said, is heavily

BAGHDAD 00002059 002 OF 002


infiltrated by militias. In Basrah, he explained, there
are approximately 15,000 Iraqi Police Officers. The Basrah
Chief of Police has said that half belong to a militia.
The MOD, XXXXXXXXXXXX said, is not infiltrated by militias, and
so many Iraqis would rather see the MOD in charge of
security.

--------------
Comment
--------------


8. (S//REL UK) Our contacts tell us that certain groups,
such as Basrah's rival political parties and the Iranian
intelligence services, appear to have an interest in
promoting unrest in Basrah (ref C). A strong provincial
government that is able to withstand such influences still
appears to be a distant prospect. As the provincial
elections draw near and rivalries for power intensify, we
expect violence to increase unless the central government
proves able to assert control over Basrah.


9. (S//REL UK) Bionote: XXXXXXXXXXXX


10. (S//REL UK) Bionote continued: XXXXXXXXXXXX End Bionote.
SPECKHARD