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.

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Bahar al-Uloom On Sectarianism
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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.

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Bahar al-Uloom on the Pace of Government Formation
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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.

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The Council of Binding and Loosening
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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