READ-OUT FROM NEW FADILLAH PARTY LEADERSHIP IN BASRAH

C O N F I D E N T I A L BASRAH 000099

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 6/7/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER EAID ENRG EPET IZ
SUBJECT: READ-OUT FROM NEW FADILLAH PARTY LEADERSHIP IN BASRAH

REF: BASRAH 98

CLASSIFIED BY: Mark Marrano, DEPUTY REGIONAL COORDINATOR, REO
BASRAH, DEPARTMENT OF STATE.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. (C) Summary: On June 6, the Deputy Regional Coordinator
(DRC) met with the new head of the Basrah Fadillah Party, Dr.
Jamal Abdul Zahra Mezel, at the Fadillah Party headquarters.
Dr. Jamal stated that the Fadillah Party in Basrah believed that
the media was blowing the security issue out of proportion, and
that what was really needed was an increase in central
government funding for infrastructure projects in the city. He
confirmed that the Iraqi Army was accorded only a minor role in
the emergency security plan, and that Iraqi police were given
primary responsibility for carrying out the plan. End Summary.


2. (C) On June 6, the DRC met with the new head of the Basrah
Fadillah Party, Dr. Jamal Abdul Zahra Mezel, at the Fadillah
Party headquarters. The Fadillah Party changed leadership on
May 22 on the direction of the Fadillah spiritual leader in
Najaf, Sheikh Yacoubi. Dr. Jamal downplayed the change in
leadership, saying that this was the second such change in the
past three years. The DRC stressed the need to maintain open
communications despite changes in party leadership and staff
rotation, and Dr. Jamal wholeheartedly agreed.


3. (C) Dr. Jamal delivered the Fadillah Party's message that
the media was exaggerating the security situation in Basrah, and
that the real needs in Basrah were for central government
financing for electricity, water, and education projects. He
said that the provincial government had received only one
payment of two billion Iraqi dinars so far from the current
government, and nothing from the British. The former local
government, he complained, got much more. He said that the May
26 media stories regarding the Fadillah Party's threats to cut
off oil supplies in retaliation for losing the Ministry of Oil
were lies, and that his party had filed court cases against Fox
News, Al Sharqiya, and Al Diar news for libel. He speculated
that the rumor had been spread by Fadillah's political
competition. (Comment: This could be almost any other political
party in Basrah, as most of them were engaged in trying to get
Governor Mohammed Wa'hili of the Fadillah Party removed from
office over the past two months. End Comment.)


4. (C) Dr. Jamal also downplayed the rocket attack on the
Fadillah Party headquarters that caused structural damage to the
windows but no injuries on May 23, saying that the attack was
not serious, and that he did not know or care who had conducted
the attack. He had no theories about who might have conducted
the marketplace bombing on June 3 or the attack on the Sunni
mosque on June 4. The Prime Minister's visit to Basrah on May
31 was a good thing, he said, because the high-level visit was a
sign of respect. He confirmed information received from
Governor Mohammed Wa'hili (see reftel) on June 5 that the Iraqi
Army did not have a large role in implementing the emergency
security plan, and that the Iraqi Police would be in charge of
carrying out most of the plan. He said he had not yet been
approached by the British Consulate in Basrah.


5. (C) Comment: The meeting at the Fadillah Party headquarters
in Basrah was a surreal experience- the female poloff was
required to wear a head scarf, and everyone was required to take
off their shoes when entering the building. Garlanded portraits
of Sheikh Yacoubi decorated the wall. In contrast to meetings
with the previous Fadillah leader, Dr. Hayder al-Wa'eli, various
unidentified party members, some in camouflage uniform and
suspected to be militia members, also sat in on the June 6
meeting. A man with a video camera taped the entire exchange,
roaming the room to get different camera angles. Nevertheless,
Dr. Jamal was polite, educated, and well spoken, and welcomed
the attention that he received from the visit.


6. (C) Comment continued: Dr. Jamal was close-mouthed about the
reasons for the shake-up of Fadillah party leadership, which was
the talk of the town before the Prime Minister's visit on May

31. Whatever the reasons for the changes, the Fadillah Party
and Governor Mohammed Wa'hili are closely in line with each
other. Both are maintaining an open and welcoming stance with
coalition forces but refraining from any real engagement on the
issue of security in the city. End comment.

MARRANO