Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BAGHDAD777
2006-03-10 18:24:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Baghdad
Cable title:
ABD AL-MAHDI'S ADVISORS CONTEMPLATE CONFERENCE ON
how-toVZCZCXRO5418 PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK RUEHMOS DE RUEHGB #0777 0691824 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 101824Z MAR 06 FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3205 RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0472
C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 000777
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/10/2016
TAGS: PGOV PNAT KCOR KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: ABD AL-MAHDI'S ADVISORS CONTEMPLATE CONFERENCE ON
ANTI-CORRUPTION
Classified By: Political Counselor Robert S. Ford for
reasons 1.4(b) and (d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 000777
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/10/2016
TAGS: PGOV PNAT KCOR KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: ABD AL-MAHDI'S ADVISORS CONTEMPLATE CONFERENCE ON
ANTI-CORRUPTION
Classified By: Political Counselor Robert S. Ford for
reasons 1.4(b) and (d).
1. (C) In a March 7 conversation, Zuhair Humadi, Kadhim
Shubber, and Fareed Yasseen, advisors to Deputy President
(DP) Adel Abd al-Mahdi, told PolOffs they plan to organize
a think tank, to be called Al-Rafidain, which would include
a number of people around DP Abd al-Mahdi on its board.
The three said they were planning a conference for September
2006 on anti-corruption. PolOffs argued that the sooner such
a
conference is held, the better, because the new Council of
Representatives would have to make a number of important
decisions in May and June that would affect the integrity
of the Iraqi government, and it would be better to have
such a conference sooner than September. Abd al-Mahdi's
advisors agreed, and decided to schedule the conference for
May 2006.
2. (C) Humadi, Shubber and Yasseen said that they plan to
invite participation from Transparency International, the
World Bank, and other key players. Funding for the
conference may be an issue, given the think-tank's startup
status, they said, but they thought it was most important
that they include Iraq's anti-corruption institutions: the
Commission on Public Integrity (CPI),the Board of Supreme
Audit (BSA) (which they thought was doing a better job than
the CPI),and the ministry Inspectors General. These local
Iraqis would come for free. Poloffs said that the
conference should not be held up for international
participants to arrange their schedules, and suggested that
more important than the speeches by the international
participants would be a succinct summing up by a prominent
Iraqi of what needed to be done -- and then that it be
done. The Iraqis said that DP Abd al-Mahdi was outraged
over reports of corruption in the Iraqi government.
3. (C) Comment: Local politicians have alleged that CPI's
corruption investigations are politically motivated, citing
the recent Ministry of Defense (MoD) corruption case in
which as much as USD 1.3 billion in defense purchases may
have been overlooked, not delivered, or simply gone
missing. In that case, a number of prominent officials
were charged amid allegations of political bias.
Overlooked by most critics of CPI, however, is the fact
that CPI's investigation was started by a BSA audit of the
MoD. Notwithstanding BSA's role, an analysis of political
appointees who have been indicted by CPI since its
inception reveals that only 14 percent of those indicted
are Islamist Shia - a number far below their actual
representation in the ministries. The remainder of the
indicted individuals are 65 percent secular and 21 percent
politically neutral, non-Islamists.
4. (C) Comment continued: DP Abd al-Mahdi's proposal is a
welcome sign of much-needed, high-level GOI support which
will be critical for any real progress to be made in
combating corruption in Iraq. We will continue to work
with DP Abd al-Mahdi's office in order to assist in the
convening of this conference. End comment.
KHALILZAD
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/10/2016
TAGS: PGOV PNAT KCOR KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: ABD AL-MAHDI'S ADVISORS CONTEMPLATE CONFERENCE ON
ANTI-CORRUPTION
Classified By: Political Counselor Robert S. Ford for
reasons 1.4(b) and (d).
1. (C) In a March 7 conversation, Zuhair Humadi, Kadhim
Shubber, and Fareed Yasseen, advisors to Deputy President
(DP) Adel Abd al-Mahdi, told PolOffs they plan to organize
a think tank, to be called Al-Rafidain, which would include
a number of people around DP Abd al-Mahdi on its board.
The three said they were planning a conference for September
2006 on anti-corruption. PolOffs argued that the sooner such
a
conference is held, the better, because the new Council of
Representatives would have to make a number of important
decisions in May and June that would affect the integrity
of the Iraqi government, and it would be better to have
such a conference sooner than September. Abd al-Mahdi's
advisors agreed, and decided to schedule the conference for
May 2006.
2. (C) Humadi, Shubber and Yasseen said that they plan to
invite participation from Transparency International, the
World Bank, and other key players. Funding for the
conference may be an issue, given the think-tank's startup
status, they said, but they thought it was most important
that they include Iraq's anti-corruption institutions: the
Commission on Public Integrity (CPI),the Board of Supreme
Audit (BSA) (which they thought was doing a better job than
the CPI),and the ministry Inspectors General. These local
Iraqis would come for free. Poloffs said that the
conference should not be held up for international
participants to arrange their schedules, and suggested that
more important than the speeches by the international
participants would be a succinct summing up by a prominent
Iraqi of what needed to be done -- and then that it be
done. The Iraqis said that DP Abd al-Mahdi was outraged
over reports of corruption in the Iraqi government.
3. (C) Comment: Local politicians have alleged that CPI's
corruption investigations are politically motivated, citing
the recent Ministry of Defense (MoD) corruption case in
which as much as USD 1.3 billion in defense purchases may
have been overlooked, not delivered, or simply gone
missing. In that case, a number of prominent officials
were charged amid allegations of political bias.
Overlooked by most critics of CPI, however, is the fact
that CPI's investigation was started by a BSA audit of the
MoD. Notwithstanding BSA's role, an analysis of political
appointees who have been indicted by CPI since its
inception reveals that only 14 percent of those indicted
are Islamist Shia - a number far below their actual
representation in the ministries. The remainder of the
indicted individuals are 65 percent secular and 21 percent
politically neutral, non-Islamists.
4. (C) Comment continued: DP Abd al-Mahdi's proposal is a
welcome sign of much-needed, high-level GOI support which
will be critical for any real progress to be made in
combating corruption in Iraq. We will continue to work
with DP Abd al-Mahdi's office in order to assist in the
convening of this conference. End comment.
KHALILZAD