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