BADR IN BASRAH: A CHANGE IS IN THE AIR

C O N F I D E N T I A L BASRAH 000052

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 4/11/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: BADR IN BASRAH: A CHANGE IS IN THE AIR

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


1. (C) Summary: The General Secretary of the Badr Organization
in Basrah, Hassan Al Rashid, and three colleagues attended a
luncheon hosted by Regional Embassy Office (REO) Basrah on April

10. During the lunch Al Rashid discussed the inability of the
provincial council to deliver basic services to the citizens of
Basrah and blamed the council for the deteriorating security
situation. Al Rashid indicated that a coalition might be formed
in the council that would have enough votes to oust the current
governor from office. End summary.


2. (U) On April 10, REO Basrah hosted a lunch for members of
the Badr Organization in Basrah. The General Secretary, former
governor and current Basrah Provincial Council (BPC) member
Hassan Al Rashid attended the lunch along with three lower
ranking Badr colleagues. The lunch was held by REO Basrah to
broaden and reinforce our contacts with the Badr Organization.


3. (C) Discussion during the lunch covered various subjects.
The main topics were the political and security situations in
Basrah, and Al Rashid made the following points:

- Dissatisfaction exists among many BPC members with the
current BPC leadership, and members of Badr/SCIRI, the Basrah
Islamiyah list and members of the National Accord may join
forces to "change the council and how it is operating." Public
dissatisfaction with the BPC is high, with people complaining
about the BPC not able to ensure that even basic public services
are available. Comment: A possible alliance solely among
members of the above lists would not be sufficient to comprise
the two-thirds needed to fire the current governor, Muhammad
Moassibh Al Wah'il. It is evident, however, that Al Rashid is
working to reach that end. End comment.

- Al Rashid does not agree with the boycott of the British and
the Danes and believes that the only way forward is through
dialogue. He said that when he was governor, there were open
lines of communication between all the different political and
social groups in Basrah. Without giving specifics, he also
chided the REO for not doing more to help end the stalemate.

- Al Rashid concurred with REO personnel that the security
situation in Basrah has worsened in recent months. He placed
the blame for this squarely on the BPC and its inability to
provide the leadership necessary to bring the situation under
control. To illustrate how much security has deteriorated in
Basrah, Al Rashid said that when he was governor he had only one
bodyguard and no guards at his residence. Governor Muhammad
travels with a complete security package.

- He stressed that Badr Organization is no longer a militia but
a political party fully invested in the political process. He
placed particular emphasis on Badr's efforts to work within the
political system to effect change in the BPC.


4. (C) Comment: Although Al Rashid normally weighs his answers
to questions very carefully and rarely offers candid insights,
it is clear that he would like the BPC to vote Governor Muhammad
out of office. He referred to a split in Fadillah and the need
for establishing a responsible government in Basrah. If the
governor were voted out by the BPC, Al Rashid would be a strong
candidate for the position. (Septel will report on prospects of
Al Rashid becoming governor.) From the REO's viewpoint, this
would be a welcome change. Though Iran still has influence with
Al Rashid, he would be his own man and likely would work to
improve the security situation and the delivery of services by
the local government. End comment.


5. (C) Biographic note on Hassan Al Rashid: Al Rashid was the
previous governor of Basrah Province before Governor Muhammad.
Soft-spoken and thoughtful in his speech, Al Rashid is unlike
other Basrah politicians and does not bluster and talk ill of
other politicians. He was arrested multiple times during the
previous regime and lived in Iran off and on during the 1980s
and 1990s. After fleeing to Iran in 1991, he joined the Badr
Corps. Al Rashid is the contact person for Iran in the Badr
Organization and travels there - and elsewhere in the region --
frequently. He was born in 1967, is married with four children
and holds a master's degree in Military Science. Despite his
time resident in Iran, he speaks little Farsi and claims that he
lived in a community with other Iraqis while he was there. End
bio note.

GROSS