SHIA CLERIC TELLS AMBASSADOR IRAQ NEEDS COMPETENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 000645 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/27/2016 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KDEM IZ SUBJECT: SHIA CLERIC TELLS AMBASSADOR IRAQ NEEDS COMPETENT GOVERNMENT Classified By: AMBASSADOR ZALMAY KHALILZAD FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Shia cleric and former Iraqi Governing Council member Mohammed Bahar al-Uloom told the Ambassador at a February 21 meeting that he agreed with the Ambassador that Iraq needs a strong governing center. Sectarianism threatens to destroy Iraq, he warned. Bahar al-Uloom also opined that the process to choose a Prime Minister (PM) and President needs to accelerate. He opined that former PM Ayad Allawi would make a good PM but that the UIC 555 would not accept it. Iraq also needs a council of wise men, Bahar al-Uloom concluded, to help all Iraqis work together. END SUMMARY. -------------- Bahar al-Uloom On Sectarianism -------------- ¶2. (C) In a February 21 meeting with the Ambassador, Shia cleric Mohammed Bahar al-Uloom said that his views on government formation are not far from the Ambassador's. He agreed with the Ambassador's views about "governing from the center", adding that competence, rather than partisan loyalty and the sectarianism that accompany it, should determine the composition of the PM's cabinet. Bahar al-Uloom worried that, if the seven Shia Islamist parties plan to divide up the bulk of the ministries among themselves, there will be no room for competent technocrats. Bahar al-Uloom said that former PM Ayad Allawi had faced the same sectarian issues, which had left Iraq very polarized. He added that he had told Allawi that Iraqis would not tolerate Ba'athists in government. ¶3. (C) Bahar al-Uloom told the Ambassador that sectarianism has risen since the fall of Saddam Hussein, although he does not know why. Although it is fine for each sect to demand its rights and keep its identity, all Iraqis must work together, Bahar al-Uloom asserted. -------------- -------------- Bahar al-Uloom on the Pace of Government Formation -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) Bahar al-Uloom lamented that more than two months have passed since the December 15 elections, and Iraq still does not have a government. He emphasized that Iraq needs to choose a PM and President so that difficult issues such as corruption, unemployment, and security can be addressed. He called on the Ambassador to help, but he cautioned that the Ambassador's role must remain discreet. ¶5. (C) In an apparent reference to PM Ibrahim Ja'fari, Bahar al-Uloom claimed that the Marjaiya is "tired of some people." A government is needed to fight terrorism, he argued. Bahar al-Uloom added that Allawi would make a good PM but that UIC 555 would not accept it. ¶6. (C) The sovereign ministries should be run by specialists, Bahar al-Uloom asserted. The Ministry of Interior, he opined, should be run by a Shia, while the Ministry of Defense should be run by a Sunni Arab. He added that, when choosing ministers, sects and personalities must be considered. Governmental institutions must be made to work properly before they fall apart, he said. -------------- The Council of Binding and Loosening -------------- ¶7. (C) Bahar al-Uloom told the Ambassador that he had suggested to Masoud Barzani that Iraq needs a council of wise men -- a group Bahar al-Uloom called the "Council of Binding and Loosening" -- to help guide Iraq. Iraq needs a government to serve all Iraqis, Bahar al-Uloom asserted, and a Council of Binding and Loosening could help resolve sectarian issues. The Council, he said, should be given real power and be the most important governing body in Iraq. ¶8. (C) Bahar al-Uloom then discussed the political reality of Muqtada al-Sadr. Iraq does not need a group without principles in government, he said, adding that Iraq needs order, not chaos. Bahar al-Uloom then pointed out that SCIRI was largely responsible for bringing the Sadrists into the UIC 555 coalition. Neither the long-standing rivalry between the Hakim and Sadr families nor the rivalry between SCIRI and Dawa serves the greater good, he added. KHALILZAD