FADILLAH LEADERS VISIT BASRAH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BASRAH 000115

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 7/9/2016
TAGS: PGOV PNAT PREL PTER KDEM KISL IZ
SUBJECT: FADILLAH LEADERS VISIT BASRAH

REF: BAGHDAD 2373

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CLASSIFIED BY: Ken Gross, Regional Coordinator, REO Basrah,
Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b)


1. (U) Summary: On July 6, a delegation of Fadillah members
from Baghdad visited the Regional Embassy Office (REO) and met
with the Regional Coordinator (RC). The discussion centered on
the broad topics of security in Basrah, particularly on militias
and their infiltration of the Iraqi Police Services (IPS),and
border and detainee concerns. The Fadillah's leaders'
fact-finding mission was just that, and the discussion focused
on their expressions of general concerns without any clear
suggestions on how to pull Basrah out of its security morass.
End summary.


2. (U) On July 6, leaders of the Fadillah party from Baghdad
and Basrah visited the REO to meet with the RC. The Fadillah
delegation included Nadeem al-Jabiri, the head of the Fadillah
Party parliamentary bloc, Hashim al-Hashimi, former Minister of
Oil, Abdul Kareem al-Yacoubi, Uday Nafe'ah, Abdul Razul
Jamua'ah, Ayad Kadum, Aquil Talib, Basrah Provincial Council
member and Dr. Jamal Abud al-Zahra, head of the Fadillah party
in Basrah. Al-Jabiri told the RC that the delegation came to
Basrah to discuss the current security situation and to work on
a solution to Basrah's many problems. He said that he intended
to form a permanent committee to put the spotlight on the issues
in Basrah and to follow up on suggested remedies. Al-Jabiri
noted that he had met recently with Ambassador Khalilzad in
Baghdad and had discussed Basrah's dismal security environment
with him (reftel).

SECURITY IN BASRAH


3. (C) The RC brought up the part that the IPS plays in the
security dilemma and how they must become part of the solution,
and al-Jabiri agreed. He told the RC that the problem was
rooted in how IPS members were first hired. Al-Jabiri
criticized the militia infiltration in the IPS and noted the
conundrum involved in cleansing the IPS since disbanding the
force is not an option. He said that he had heard complaints
from the IPS that they were hindered in performing their duties
because of too much interference from political parties and the
tribes. Al-Jabiri said that the central government, Coalition
Forces and local government all should work together and be
responsible for resolving this issue. He also said Coalition
Forces could assist the IPS by providing it with better training
and more advanced weaponry.


4. (C) Abdul Kareem al-Yacoubi chimed in and said that the best
way to get rid of militias was to offer their members (and
others) better employment opportunities. He cited two facts
that lead to the proliferation of militias: chronic
unemployment and the need to form groups for better
self-protection. Job creation and offering a better way of life
would decrease the number of militia members, jump-start the
economy and result in a decrease in terrorism, he said. He
urged that new initiatives and ideas be developed to combat the
scourge of militias so prevalent in Iraq today.

CONTROL OF BORDERS AND DETAINEES


5. (C) The delegation also raised problems with control of the
borders and detainees. Al-Jabiri believes that one of the major
problems in Basrah is the lack of secure borders with its
neighbors and urged that more pressure be put on the countries
bordering Iraq. He added that smuggling was leading to an
increased number of weapons in Iraq and the movement of
"undesirables" into Iraq. Al-Jabiri said that Coalition Forces
could assist in securing the borders by increasing their
presence along the borders.


6. (C) Turning to the detainee issue, al-Jabiri told the RC
that he has discussed this issue with the Ambassador on numerous
occasions. He said that Coalition Forces have made mistakes
because of cultural differences and believed that the presence
of Coalition Forces in Basrah should be reorganized. (Note: he
did not elaborate on how this should be done. End Note.)
Al-Jabiri insisted that detainees being held without charges or
just cause should be culled from the prison rolls and released
immediately. He referred to recent protests held outside of the
British gate of the Basrah Palace compound and stressed how this
problem affected so many families throughout Iraq.

COMMENT


7. (C) Comment: Though the discussion was general in nature,
al-Jabiri and his colleagues seemed genuinely concerned with the
many problems facing Basrah. However, it did not touch on the
controversy surrounding Basrah's Fadillah governor, Mohammad
al-Wa'eli, the dysfunctional provincial council, or the failure

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of the current security plan for Basrah. Al-Jabiri did not
offer any concrete suggestions to resolve security concerns and
did not offer any hints as to what plans Baghdad may have in the
works. In closing, he said he would recommend that the RC join
a committee to work on improving security in Basrah. End
comment.
GROSS