GOI OFFICIALS CONDEMN KIDNAPPINGS; MANY STATEMENTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 004248

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/15/2016
TAGS: PREL PTER PGOV IZ
SUBJECT: GOI OFFICIALS CONDEMN KIDNAPPINGS; MANY STATEMENTS

REFLECT SECTARIAN DIVISIONS

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


1. (SBU) Summary: In the wake of the November 14 kidnapping
of dozens of people from the Ministry of Higher Education and
Scientific Research, GOI officials and Council of
Representatives (CoR) members have issued strong statements
condemning the incident. Many statements reflect sectarian
divisions and various conspiracy theories. Addressing CoR
members approximately two hours after the incident, Dr. Abid
al-Ajayli, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific
Research (Sunni - Tawafuq) threatened to &suspend all
university education8 because he fears further attacks on
Iraq's educational institutions and personnel. End Summary.

--------------
Shi'a Blame "Occupation Forces" or Baathists
--------------


2. (C) Following the Minister's statement, Sadrist CoR bloc
leader Falah Hassen Shenshel stated that the "occupation
forces" are responsible, not the GOI, because the "occupation
forces" have not given Iraq complete control over the
security forces. PM advisor Ahmed Saadawi (Da'wa) claimed to
Pol Counselor that the Baathists were behind the attack and
that it was an attempt to bring down the government. Samira
al-Musawi (Shi'a Coalition/Independent) accused Ministry of
Higher Education's security personnel of being involved.
Muhammad al-Shawaili (Fadhila) told POLOFF that this event,
and the general level of violence, point to the need for a
dictatorship in Iraq (one that does not kill its own people,
he added) in the style of the Gulf states; he stated that
Arab culture is incompatible with democracy.

--------------
Sunnis Feel Targeted by Shi'a Militias
--------------


3. (C) Salim Abdullah al-Jeboori (Tawafuq/IIP) questioned how
the kidnappers were able to get the large number of police
uniforms needed for this operation, suggesting that personnel
from the Shi'a-dominated MOI were responsible. In a late
evening phone call with PolOff, the Minister of Higher
Education characterized the kidnapping as motivated by Shiite
hatred aimed at the Sunni employees of the ministry. He
claimed that some kidnap victims were released after their
IDs were checked and only Sunnis were still being held.
Those who Minister al-Ajayli spoke to believed that the
kidnapping victims are being held in heavily-Shiite Sadr
City. As of late evening November 14 the Minister had not
received ransom requests.

--------------
Kurds Concerned About Overall Security
--------------


4. (C) Mahmud Othman, a CoR member from the Kurdish Alliance,
noted the tendency of these types of attacks to undermine
Iraqi morale and the political process. He noted that
thousands of Iraqis have left the country because of the
worsening security situation. After the meeting, Sami
al-Atroshi (Kurdistan Islamic Union) told POLOFF that if the
GOI is unable to secure government buildings, then MNF-I
needs to do so.


5. (C) Comment: The differing narratives, made without full
knowledge of the facts of the kidnappings, reflect Iraq's
sectarian divide, Sunni/Shia mistrust, and the tendency of
both sides to automatically blame the other. End Comment.
Speckhard