(U) SENIOR DAWA MEMBER ON THE SECURITY SITUATION:

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 000053 SIPDIS REL TO MNF-I E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/08/2015 TAGS: PGOV PHUM IZ SUBJECT: (U) SENIOR DAWA MEMBER ON THE SECURITY SITUATION: IT'S MNF-I'S FAULT REF: BAGHDAD 052 Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR ROBERT S. FORD FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) A ND (D) ¶1. (C/REL TO MNF-I) In a meeting with senior Dawa Party member Ali al-Adeeb on January 3, al-Adeeb blamed the Iraqi government's difficulties with the security situation on the "interference of American advisors." Al-Adeeb complained that the Minister of Interior Bayan Jabr was being restrained from doing his job by the U.S. advisor, and that raids or arrests cannot happen without MNF-I permission. He also claimed that USG had stopped all interaction with the MOI, and thus terrorist attacks have increased (COMMENT: Adeeb's allegations, which we have heard from other Shia Islamist politicians, are very inaccurate. MNF-I does not prevent MOI from conducting legal activities. Moreover, USG officials from a broad interagency group continue to work closely with the MOI on all levels, from the Minister himself down to the local policemen, including on human rights issues. END COMMENT). ¶2. (C/REL TO MNF-I) Al-Adeeb's outburst was in response to PolOffs' emphasis on the Ambassador's key points on government formation: the need for a unity government; no militia involvement in the key security ministries; and a competent Prime Minister who can work cooperatively with the rest of the government. Al-Adeeb replied that Iraq was still a tribal society, making a unity government that could leave past wrongs behind them difficult. Leaders take care of their tribe and sectarian group first, he stated. Thus, he claimed, current Minister of Defense Sa'adun al- Dulaymi is publicly non-partisan but most of the positions (particularly officers) within the Ministry are filled with Sunni Arabs. The Shia, Adeeb said, are worried that not enough groups are represented in this key ministry, especially since Dulaymi's chief of staff is a Kurd who "controls everything." (COMMENT: In fact, the MOD is one of the more diverse ministries. SCIRI-aligned politicos have long complained there are not enough of their people in senior leadership positions. In fact, SCIRI has attempted to replace current MOD officials with members from their party. Such measures have been met with successful resistance. END COMMENT.) ¶3. (C/REL TO MNF-I) As for human rights abuses, al- Adeeb said these are not surprising when considered in the context of the post-Saddam period. He said that terrorists are operating in certain areas and that the same people who terrorized during the Saddam era are now using political cover. He described the Shia as non-violent and asserted that the militias are not used for violent purposes. A--Adeeb noted that in all of his discussions on the need to exclude militia groups from key ministries, the Ambassador had never once addressed the issue of the peshmerga. ¶3. (C//REL TO MNF-I) COMMENT: Adeeb's remarks were frequently manifestly untrue - such as his downplaying Shia militia involvement in violence - but his remarks also are broadly representative of what we hear from other Shia Islamists. During this meeting, al-Adeeb stressed complaints that the MOI was being constrained by the U.S. interference. The Ambassador heard similar charges from Deputy Parliament Speaker Shahristani and two other top parliamentarians who now make up a Shia Islamist Coalition "security group." Adeeb's blaming on "alleged abuse" in the MOI detention facilities on Baathists within the Ministry that the US prevented Jabr from removing is also a charge we frequently hear from Shia Islamists. The fact that US forces witnessed the state of the abuse victims at sites, saw the officials in charge of the sites, and personally removed instruments of brutality from the premises belies this accusation. When pushed, Shia Islamists like Jawad al-Maliki and Hadi al-Amari will acknowledge human rights problems, but they justify excesses in the name of preserving security more broadly. We can expect the rank and file Shia Islamists to be very reluctant to concede ground at the Interior Ministry during the cabinet formation process. KHALILZAD