MALIKI, SISTANI MEET TO DISCUSS SECURITY, SHABANIYA AND THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L HILLAH 000135 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 9/10/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV PINS IZ SUBJECT: MALIKI, SISTANI MEET TO DISCUSS SECURITY, SHABANIYA AND THE JUSTICE SYSTEM. CLASSIFIED BY: Charles Hunter, Regional Coordinator, REO Al Hillah, Department of State. REASON: 1.4 (b) ¶1. (C) Summary and comment: A day after relating his concerns regarding the security of Iraqis, the shortage of essential services and a "crippled" judicial system to the Prime Minister, who was paying him a call on the eve of a major religious holiday, Shi'a Islam's leading religious figure reportedly announced that he would no longer attempt to be a political leader. Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani may yet return to the political stage, as this is not his first retreat from the limelight. In the meantime, however, his falling silent does nothing to help Prime Minister Maliki deal with anti-Iraqi forces, many of them Shi'a - a threat Al Sistani purports to be extremely worried about. . End summary and comment. ¶2. (C) On the eve of Sha'baniya, a religious holiday that sees millions of pilgrims travel the roads of south-central Iraq to reach Najaf and Karbala, Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki made a call on the Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani in his home in the Old Town section of Kufa in Najaf. A source well known to SET Najaf was in attendance during the September 2 meeting. Maliki made the trip ostensibly to pay respects to the Ayatollah, but Al Sistani soon moved beyond pleasantries to take up substantive issues. His opening topic was the impending holiday: the Ayatollah urged Maliki to provide adequate security for the pilgrims. "This must be done," Al Sistani said, "to prevent massacres of innocents, which all religions prohibit." Maliki promised Al Sistani that no effort would be spared to protect the Sha'baniya pilgrims. ¶3. (C) Al Sistani then supplied the Prime Minister with a further list of concerns, starting with his oft-repeated call for national unity. "Your number one job," Sistani urged, "is to stop ethnic violence and help return people to their homes." Maliki responded that he was working daily to make this request a reality. As part of the effort to create an environment of safety for the populace, Sistani next called for a complete overhaul of the "crippled" judicial system. He also pointed out that the national government has to be responsive to the desires of those who elected them, noting the nationwide shortages of electricity, water and fuel. "These things are necessary to live," said the Ayatollah. ¶4. (C) Maliki in turn briefed Sistani on the military operations underway in Baghdad. The Ayatollah reportedly reacted favorably to the stated purpose of these efforts but also asserted that the security forces had so far failed to protect the Iraqi people. He cited the killing of innocent people in the capital as evidence that not enough is being done to provide effective protection for the populace. ¶5. (U) The following day, the media reported that Sistani had told aides that because of his inability to halt his followers' violence he would no longer be a political leader and would limit himself to religious matters. Press accounts said that the Ayatollah felt snubbed by opportunistic politicians and by the popularity of Moqtada Al Sadr and other more radical leaders. To date Sistani has been a leading voice for moderation and participation in the democratic process. ¶6. (C) Comment: Maliki, probably anticipating that Sistani would answer his warm wishes with a stern upbraiding, in all likelihood made his courtesy call to gauge the mood of the Marja'iya. What the Prime Minister encountered was a somewhat impatient Al Sistani with a list of concerns regarding the ability of the Maliki- led government to secure the safety of the Iraqi people. The Ayatollah has been a man of discretion and remains unlikely, despite his disappointment, to blame Maliki publicly for the security situation in Iraq. His reported decision to withdraw from politics ironically does nothing to tamp down the sectarian violence he has consistently condemned. But Al Sistani has renounced involvement with affairs of state in the past, only to creep coyly back into the arena at the approach of elections. With voting at the provincial level expected sometime in the coming months, and with violence against and among his followers not yet abating, it would not be surprising to see him rethink his stance yet again. End comment. HUNTER