FADHILA PARTICIPATES IN SHI'A COALITION "IN NAME

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 004132

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/03/2016
TAGS: PGOV IZ
SUBJECT: FADHILA PARTICIPATES IN SHI'A COALITION "IN NAME
ONLY"


Classified By: Political Counselor Margaret Scobey for reasons 1.4 (b)
and (d).


1. (C) Hassan al-Shammari, leading Fadhila member in the
Council of Representatives (CoR),told PolCouns November 2
that Fadhila's participation in the Shi'a coalition was "in
appearance only." Al-Shammari characterized SCIRI as the
major force in the Shi'a coalition because it receives
external (i.e., Iranian) support and has a clear agenda.
While disagreeing with SCIRI and its allies on a variety of
issues, ranging from the regions formation law to Ayatollah
SISTANI's authority within the coalition, Fadhila could not
afford to completely withdraw from the coalition because it
would be open to populist political attacks. Already,
al-Shammari related, some elements of the Shi'a coalition
were attacking Fadhila as the "Baathists" of the coalition.
Fadhila and the Sadrists agreed on certain issues,
al-Shammari continued, but there was rarely strong
coordination between thanks in part to the continuing rivalry
between Muqtada al-Sadr and Ayatollah Mohammed al-Yacoubi for
leadership of Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr's movement. Al-Shammari
described Muqtada as "having only a name" and lacking true
political understanding.


2. (C) Al-Shammari described two legislative proposals he
was working on. The first, which he was currently drafting,
calls for the creation of an independent commission to
oversee the work of government inspectors general. The
Council of Ministers (CoM) would propose an independent
commission head for ratification by the CoR. The purpose of
this proposal would be to make the ministry inspectors
general, who would belong to the commission, more independent
and less beholden to party influence. The second proposal he
plans to develop is an elections law by which voters would
vote for an individual, rather than a party list, to
represent their individual district. The current electoral
system, al-Shammari argued, benefited party leaders but led
to weak representatives and no accountability to specific
geographic constituencies. Al-Shammari said he hoped for
support from groups within Tawafuq and Iraqiyya and expected
opposition from within the Shi'a coalition. He asked for
help from the U.S. Embassy in convincing the Kurds to back
this proposal, noting that a Kurdish-SCIRI alliance was
difficult to overcome. (Note: Shammari's complaints about
the electoral system mirror those contained in a September 21
open letter from Ayatollah al-Yacoubi to the CoR. End note.)


3. (C) Comment: Al-Shammari, a lawyer by background and a
member of the CoR Legal Committee, said that he was drafting
these proposals himself and would absorb the costs of
printing and distributing them as well. He contrasted
Fadhila's capacity to that of SCIRI several times over the
course of the conversation, arguing that SCIRI's external
support allowed it to develop much greater legislative
capabilities. At the national level at least, this contrast
seems like a valid one. End comment.
KHALILZAD