Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06HILLAH92
2006-05-24 11:57:00
CONFIDENTIAL
REO Hillah
Cable title:  

ISLAMIC DA'WA PARTY CHIEF IN BABIL CALLING FOR IRAQI

Tags:  PGOV KISL KDEM IZ 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO5776
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHMOS
DE RUEHIHL #0092/01 1441157
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 241157Z MAY 06
FM REO HILLAH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0635
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 0621
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RUEHIHL/REO HILLAH 0686
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HILLAH 000092 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

BAGHDAD FOR NCT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 5/24/2016
TAGS: PGOV KISL KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: ISLAMIC DA'WA PARTY CHIEF IN BABIL CALLING FOR IRAQI
FEDERALISM, U.S. COOPERATION, AND COALITION WITHDRAWAL

HILLAH 00000092 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Alfred Fonteneau, Regional Coordinator, REO
Hillah, Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HILLAH 000092

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

BAGHDAD FOR NCT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 5/24/2016
TAGS: PGOV KISL KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: ISLAMIC DA'WA PARTY CHIEF IN BABIL CALLING FOR IRAQI
FEDERALISM, U.S. COOPERATION, AND COALITION WITHDRAWAL

HILLAH 00000092 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Alfred Fonteneau, Regional Coordinator, REO
Hillah, Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. (U) This is a Babil PRT cable.


2. (C) SUMMARY. During a recent meeting Abu Al-Basri, Islamic
Da'wa Party Chief of Babil Province, offered Provincial
Reconstruction Team (PRT) staff insight into the party's
opinions on reconstruction, the Provincial Council (PC),other
Shi'a Islamist parties and the question of U.S. withdrawal from
Iraq. Al-Basri expressed candidly that the party sees little
direct signs of reconstruction and remains frustrated with the
ineffectiveness of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in
Iraq-dominated (SCIRI) Provincial Council (PC). Despite
criticism of the PC and his attempts to distance Da'wa from
other Shi'a Islamist groups during the meeting, he underscored
that Iraq needs a federal system of government giving Shi'a
complete primacy in southern Iraq. Al-Basri's also stated that
it is time for the United States to be "honest" with the people
of Iraq and called for the expedited withdrawal of Coalition
Forces from the country. END SUMMARY.

--------------
ISLAMIC DA'WA VIEWS ON RECONSTRUCTION
--------------

3. (C) Starting off, Al-Basri focused upon Coalition
reconstruction efforts in the province, and in Iraq as a whole.
The goal of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, he argued, was to remove
Saddam, establish a representative government and then quickly
depart, but the continued presence of American and Coalition
forces contradicts the originally stated mission. He further
maintained that U.S. uses the concept of reconstruction as a
rationalization for an open-ended presence in Iraq, as there are
no indications at all of rebuilding. Citing the inability of
the United States to rebuild the country, Al-Basri further
stated that it is time for Iraqi people and Iraqi companies to
take over the reconstruction efforts, with the backing of U.S.
funds.

-------------- --------------
ISLAMIC DA'WA VIEWS ON THE BABIL PROVINCIAL COUNCIL
-------------- --------------


4. (C) Asked if the SCIRI-dominated PC provides adequate support
to Coalition reconstruction efforts, Al-Basri replied that the
PC is a weak body, unable to conduct the basic functions of the
government, let alone assist with reconstruction efforts. He
further added that "talk on the street" suggests the people
blame the United States for the lack of reconstruction, as
opposed to the PC. Asked if the people view the recent
Iraqi-led, U.S.-supported date palm tree spraying program as
successful, Al-Basri laughed and replied that there are more
bugs threatening the palm trees in South-Central now than before
the initiation of the May campaign. Despite this claim,
Coalition Forces and the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture report
that the campaign was highly successful.


5. (C) Al-Basri further attacked the PC, stating that the
individual members remain unwilling to coordinate their efforts
due to petty infighting. Often, he added, the PC makes such
rash decisions that the Council of Representatives quickly
overturns their hasty legislation. Employing the ongoing
controversy of the PC attempt to fire Babil Police Chief General
Qais Al-Momouri as an example, he argued that the PC failed to
study their position and its eventual implications. Considering
that the government of Iraq was about to be sworn in and a new
Minister of the Interior appointed, the PC, he contended, should
have delayed their decision to fire the General before causing
such a scandal.

--------------
ISLAMIC DA'WA AS A DISTINCT POLITICAL PARTY
--------------

6. (C) Al-Basri then went on to illustrate his vision of the
future of the Islamic Da'wa Party in Babil. The party, he
argued, is popular with the people because its platform calls
for the universal respect of human rights and the protection of
individual freedoms. When asked about the party's prospects,
Al-Basri boasted that Da'wa will win the "lion's share" of PC
seats, if they decide to run on their own ticket in the upcoming
local and provincial elections. He added that the previous
appointment of Ja'afari as Prime Minister (PM) certainly
increased the visibility of the party on a national level and
that such name recognition will be crucial in the province,
despite the former PM's failure to win a second term.


7. (C) Al-Basri then criticized other Shi'a Islamist

HILLAH 00000092 002.2 OF 002


organizations in South-Central, arguing that only Da'wa should
be termed as an actual political party. SCIRI and the Sadrists,
he stated, formed after the fall of Saddam, whereas the Da'wa
party was created in the late 1950s to oppose the old regime.
Moqtada Al-Sadr, he argued, has not created a political party in
the true sense of the term, but on the contrary, exploited his
father's cult of personality to gain followers. SCIRI, he
stated, has not publicized their objectives and does not possess
an enunciated political program. However, there are
commonalities between all Shi'a organizations, he stated, and
the implementation of federalism in Iraq is certainly one of
them.

--------------
ISLAMIC DA'WA VIEWS ON THE U.S. IN IRAQ
--------------

8. (C) The Islamic Da'wa Party Chief concluded that the United
States needs to be truthful with the Iraqi people and carry out
the promises given in 2003, including rebuilding the country and
departing. If the Americans are truthful, he stated, then the
Iraqi people will cooperate with their U.S. counterparts in true
friendship. If the Americans are untruthful, he warned, then
the "Iraqi people will have another talk with them." PRT staff
asked if he could provide examples of when the United States has
lied to the people of Iraq. Unwilling to provide an example,
Al-Basri politely dodged the question by stating that he felt
that it was time for Coalition Forces to depart.


9. (C) COMMENT. The meeting on a whole was friendly, but the
Islamic Da'wa Party Chief of Babil was obviously frustrated with
both the lack of reconstruction in the province and the presence
of Coalition forces in Iraq. While he may have overestimated
the support his party has in the province, the intensifying
efforts of all the Shi'a Islamist parties to consolidate power
in South-Central goes forward unfettered. END COMMENT.
MEURS