PRT BAGHDAD: BIOGRAPHIC NOTE ON BAGHDAD

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 000893 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/18/2016 TAGS: PGOV PINR IZ SUBJECT: PRT BAGHDAD: BIOGRAPHIC NOTE ON BAGHDAD PROVINCIAL COUNCIL DEPUTY CHAIRMAN MOHAN HASHEM AL-SAIDI Classified By: Joe Gregoire for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). ¶1. (U) In late December 2005, the Baghdad Provincial Council (PC) elected Mohan Hashem Al-Saidi to replace Mueen Hameed as the Deputy Chairman of the PC. Mueen replaced Mazin Makiya as the council's chairman. ¶2. (C) Mohan is a member of the National Independent Cadre of Elites, a Sadrist, and was elected to the PC during the 30 January 2005 provincial elections. Mohan handles much of the administrative load at the council and previously chaired the Baghdad Essential Services Committee (ESC),a position usually reserved for the third-ranking member of the PC. ¶3. (C) Mohan, a Shiite, resides in the Sadr City district of Baghdad. In early 2006, he attended the Hajj in Saudi Arabia. Mohan is married and has three children (two girls and an infant son). Another son who was killed some time ago. ¶4. (C) Before joining the PC, Mohan worked for the Ministry of Health as an administrator. He still maintains strong ties to that ministry. Mohan has taken much interest in the weekly meetings between members of the PC and the 15 district and qada councils. (A qada is a geographical unit similar to a county in the United States.) ¶5. (C) The relationship between Mohan and Chairman Mueen is friendly and professional. Mohan seems to complement Mueen. He understands that much of the political decision making of the PC is driven by the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq. ¶6. (C) From a party perspective, Mohan is not a member of the PC majority. He is the only member of his party list. Since he is a Sadrist, a movement with political leverage at the national level, he wields influence disproportionate to his party's standing on the council. ¶7. (C) Mohan's brother, Nasser Al-Saidi, was elected to the national Council of Representatives in December 2005. He is a member of the 555 (UIA) list. This will likely add to Mohan's influence on the PC. Mohan believes that Sadrists will likely make a stronger showing in future provincial council elections than in January 2005. ¶8. (C) Mohan has demonstrated a firm understanding of many issues at the PC and, based on his past position as the chairman of the ESC, he is familiar with essential services developments in Baghdad. He actively supports the Provincial Reconstruction Development Committee, a committee that seeks to build governance capacity through the execution of projects in Baghdad Province. Mohan has also been a driving force behind the establishment of a PC Regional Essential Services Committee. It aims to coordinate the development of essential services in the six qadas of the province and to do so under the Governorate's control. ¶9. (C) We have seen no indication that Mohan's elevation to the deputy chairmanship will negatively affect U.S. interests. In fact, he seems willing to cooperate and interact with Coalition Forces and Embassy officials. Though likely intended to influence our view of him, Mohan told PRT representatives that he believes support from the "west" is much more beneficial to Iraq than aid from its "neighbors" (possible reference to Iran and Syria). SATTERFIELD