ADHAMIYA WALL DIVIDES POLITICIANS FROM REALITY IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001479 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/01/2017 TAGS: PGOV PINS PINR IZ SUBJECT: ADHAMIYA WALL DIVIDES POLITICIANS FROM REALITY IN BAGHDAD Classified By: Classified by Political Counselor Margaret Scobey for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). 1.(U) This is a Baghdad PRT Cable. 2.(C) Summary: The security barrier in Adhamiya is generating a great deal of controversy in the press and provoking widespread condemnation of 'wall-building' in Baghdad. Comments from Baghdad's leaders and residents indicate that this controversy is largely one of political rhetoric, and not genuinely about enforced sectarian division in Baghdad's neighborhoods. While Baghdad's highest-ranking leaders have roundly criticized the Adhamiya wall, local leaders and residents have stated their belief that barriers are indeed helping to secure their neighborhoods. End Summary. -------------- Walls are a good idea before Cairo -------------- ¶3. (C) On April 22, prior to the Prime Minister's remarks in Cairo regarding the Adhamiya wall, PRTOff discussed the Baghdad Security Plan (BSP) with Baghdad Provincial Council Chairman Mueen al-Khademi (SCIRI). During the discussion, Mueen expressed interest in the security barrier being emplaced in Adhamiya and asked for details on its construction and progress. He noted that he had received a request from a local council leader in Adhamiya that the barrier be extended an additional five kilometers along a route that would connect with the Army Canal; this would effectively make large portions of the Tunis and Shamasiya neighborhoods completely bounded by either a barrier or the canal. Mueen was unsure where the resources to build such a barrier would come from, and asked for PRT assistance in coordinating with the military to complete the wall. -------------- - The rhetoric: An American project to divide us -------------- - ¶4. (C) The next day, Monday April 23, Chairman Mueen was quoted in local media (Voice of Iraq) as being extremely critical of efforts to build walls around Adhamiya; he stated that American forces should be finding other ways to fight the terrorists. Building walls around Iraqi neighborhoods will have 'negative psychological effects' and will contribute to more sectarianism. He was quoted as calling for increased intelligence gathering as a more effective way to eliminate Baghdad's armed groups. (Note: Mueen departed for a trip to Jordan and could not be reached to discuss his statements.) ¶5. (C) Baghdad Governor Hussein al-Tahan told PRTOff on April 26 that the construction of the security barrier in Adhamiya was widely believed to be an American project, intended to divide Baghdad's different sectarian communities. Governor al-Tahan saw no reason to disabuse Iraqis of that false impression, and claimed that it looked bad for Iraqis to 'look like other countries that have walls'. Governor al-Tahan has been briefed on the Baghdad Security Plan numerous times over the past weeks and knows full well that security barriers are being emplaced in different parts of the city as part of the Iraqi-led security initiative. -------------- --- Baghdadis see walls differently than politicians -------------- --- ¶6. (C) Statements from other local leaders indicate a clear divide between those who see barriers as enhancing the security of their neighborhoods, and the higher-ranking politicians who claim that such barriers are part of an American project to divide Iraqi society. Candidly, several Baghdad leaders expressed support for barriers, but indicated that politically it would be dangerous for them to voice that opinion openly. ¶7. (C) Attending the weekly Baghdad Provincial Council Security Committee meeting, Adhamiya District Council representative Abd al-Kareem al-Saedi stated that the barriers currently under construction in Adhamiya were both effective and welcomed by residents, and the military should not stop their planned construction. Al-Saedi stated that 'Arab media' had blown the issue out of proportion. Adhamiya District Council member Hassan Khalid said that there were both advantages and disadvantages to the construction of the barrier; it would be more difficult for him to visit relatives on the other side, but it would also prevent militia groups from entering central Adhamiya, in his view. BAGHDAD 00001479 002 OF 002 ¶8. (C) Baghdad Provincial Council member Tariq Bakash (Da'wa) said that even though they might increase traffic jams, some parts of Baghdad needed barriers as a temporary way to increase security in some neighborhoods. Provincial Council administrative staff member Rasoul Rasan said that he personally believed walls were necessary in parts of the city. He also stated that he had heard PC members talking about the Adhamiya wall and one of them said that he supported the construction of the wall, but he couldn't say that on the news because he would be 'wanted in Adhamiya' if he said such a thing. ¶9. (C) Sadr City official Mohammed Chalab went so far as to state that al-Maliki's statement in Cairo was 'a mistake', and that Iraqi politicians were falling in behind him to 'protect' him. Chalab said that it was obvious that barriers were the right way to secure Baghdad, and the most expedient way for Iraqi politicians to get the walls they want and not be compared to Israel is to blame the US for their construction. -------------- Comment: Rhetoric different than reality -------------- ¶10. (C) Comment. Baghdad's provincial leadership has largely followed the lead of national and regional leaders who have condemned the construction of the security barrier in Adhamiya as an American-driven program to widen the sectarian divisions within Baghdad society, while local leaders and residents continue to report that the barriers in their neighborhoods are improving security. This disconnect indicates that a political nerve has been hit, and the most expedient way for provincial leaders to pass the buck is to blame the US. While strident rhetoric about barriers in Adhamiya may circulate in the press, most residents of Baghdad feel that good T-walls make good neighbors. End Comment. SPECKHARD