OCTOBER 15 MCNS MEETING: MORE ON MOI/MOD REFORM

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 003952

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/20/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV MOPS IZ
SUBJECT: OCTOBER 15 MCNS MEETING: MORE ON MOI/MOD REFORM

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


1. (S/NF) SUMMARY: On October 15, the Ministerial Committee
on National Security (MCNS) was briefed on the results of the
first meeting of a ministerial committee to reform the
ministries of Defense and Interior, as well as the Iraqi
National Intelligence Service (INIS). The PM has given the
committee a deadline of November 15 to develop plans to
"balance" representation within the security ministries,
train and rehabilitate security service personnel, and
restructure the ministries, as necessary. As a first step in
the process, the ministers overseeing the MoD, MoI, and INIS
were tasked with drafting reports by October 18 outlining
their views on how to reform their ministries. These reports
will be submitted to the committee for its review and
recommendations, possibly seeking the input of outside
experts. In turn, committee will report to the MCNS, seeking
appropriate decisions. Ambassador Khalilzad argued that
competence and loyalty must ultimately trump the desire for
"balance." The INIS argued in favor of an expanded mandate,
including the ability to post foreign intelligence officers
overseas. After November 15, the committee will turn its
attention to issues relating to the Disarmament,
Demobilization, and Reintegration of the Militias. END
SUMMARY.

Moving Forward with Security Sector Reform and Militia Policy
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2. (S/NF) During the October 15 meeting of the Ministerial
Committee on National Security (MCNS),National Security
Advisor Rubaie announced that a ministerial committee for
reform of the MoD, MoI, and Iraqi National Intelligence
Service (INIS) and for the Disarmament, Demobilization, and
Reintegration (DDR) of the militias had held its first
meeting. The committee decided that over the next month it
would focus on plans to:

-- obtain "balanced" representation within the security
ministries;

-- train and rehabilitate security sector personnel,
including
security/loyalty vetting; and

-- analyze the current structures of the ministries, with a
view to restructuring as necessary.

Rubaie said the committee had decided to create
sub-committees to focus on each of these goals. He also said
that each minister (MOI,MOD, and INIS) would be responsible
for drawing up a report describing the current state of his
ministry, reforms he believes are necessary in the ministry,
and a proposed action plan of how to implement the reforms.
Rubaie said that the Prime Minister had set a deadline of
November 15 for agreeing to plans and beginning
implementation of the reform of the security ministries.
After that time, the committee would turn its attention to
the issue of DDR.


3. (S/NF) Deputy PM al-Zubai stressed the importance in this
process of respecting the views of the ministers, arguing
that they "know what to do" to run their ministries. At the
same time, he stressed that ministers needed to be held
accountable for the performance of their ministries. Deputy
PM Salih warned that ministerial decision making was
constrained by the realities of the current political
situation, adding that as a result it was important that
ministers work closely with PM Maliki and the two deputy PMs.

Ambassador Warns Against Quotas
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4. (S/NF) While acknowledging that it was a laudable goal to
have security ministries in which all Iraqis could see
themselves, the Ambassador cautioned that attempts to impose
"balance" through numerical quotas could make the ministries
dysfunctional. He said that competency and loyalty to the
government should be the overriding concern. The Ambassador
also asked why the Minister of State for National Security
was not being examined in the same way as the MoD, MoI, and
INIS, but no one picked up on this point.

Intelligence Reform
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5. (S/NF) The Deputy Director of the INIS argued that his
service needed to have its mandate expanded, including
through the stationing of intelligence officers at Iraq's
diplomatic missions. FM Zebari agreed that Iraq needed to
develop a foreign intelligence capability, closely
coordinated with the Foreign Ministry. He said it would be
particularly important to focus intelligence assets on
neighboring countries such as Saudi Arabia and Jordan. He
also cited Yemen as a country of concern.

The Way Ahead
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6. (S/NF) Maliki told the relevant ministers that he expected
them to prepare the reports on their ministries by Wednesday,
October 18. He said the ministers should submit the reports
to the ministerial committee on security forces reform where
they will be reviewed and discussed, possibly with the help
of outside experts. Maliki said that the report and any
recommendations from the committee should be brought back to
the MCNS as early as for appropriate decisions. He said that
he expected an update from the committee on the ministerial
reports at the October 22 MCNS meeting.
KHALILZHAD