TALABANI DISCUSSES PRESIDENCY-PM MEETING, PCNS,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 001622

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/17/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL IZ
SUBJECT: TALABANI DISCUSSES PRESIDENCY-PM MEETING, PCNS,
OTHER ISSUES

Classified By: Ambassador Ryan Crocker for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: In a meeting with the Ambassador on May 17,
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said that a May 15 meeting
between the Presidency and the Prime Minister (the so-called
"Council of Four") had gone well and that Vice President
Hashimi had seemed satisfied. He informed the Ambassador
that the Political Council on National Security (PCNS) had
met the previous night and agreed to draw up a "roadmap" for
having regular meetings in the future. He said he had
convinced former Prime Minister Allawi to return May 18 and
participate in the GOI. He agreed to press Kurdistan
Regional Government Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani on the
Hydrocarbons law as well as press the PKK to maintain their
ceasefire and find out who the Iranians planned to present as
an interlocutor for talks with the U.S. He claimed to have
convinced the GOI to move outside the confines of the
International Zone as part of an expansion of the secured
area. He also said that many Diyala residents were ready to
cooperate with the GOI and Coalition and asked for more
weapons for Iraqi security forces. END SUMMARY.

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"Council of Four" Meeting Goes Well
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2. (C) Talabani told the Ambassador that the "council of
four," the Presidency and Prime Minister, had met two days
ago and had a good meeting. The PM agreed that the four must
meet regularly for discussions on all topics and share all
their ideas for Iraq. He said Hashimi was satisfied by the
meeting. Following the meeting of the four they all spoke to
the press together, something they had not done previously.
Afterward he said the PM and Hashimi held a private meeting
he also described as positive. He said the PM invited
Hashimi to attend security meetings that the PM holds
regularly with U.S. and Iraqi generals and other officials.
According to Talabani, Hashimi would not be able to attend
the next meeting because he was traveling to Amman to attend
an event hosted by King Abdullah that Deputy Prime Minister
Barham Saleh was also attending, but the PM extended an open
invitation.


3. (C) The PM asked the Presidency to send a representative
to Council of Ministers (CoM) meetings, and the Presidency
had chosen as the new chair of their "diwan" (essentially the
new Chief of Staff of the Presidency) Nasir al-Ani, to be
their representative. The PM also proposed that before the
CoM approves a law it should send the draft to the Presidency
for comment, and vice versa.

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PCNS Meeting
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4. (C) Talabani said the PCNS met on May 16 and was attended
by "everyone," including a representative of Fadilah and one
from the Sadrists. He expressed optimism at the prospects
for the PCNS as an institution and said that Hashimi, Vice
President Abdel Mehdi and Dr. Rowsh Shaways, who represents
Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani
at PCNS meetings, had been charged with writing up the
program, or "roadmap," of the PCNS, to include establishing
regular meetings. He said they had agreed that meetings
would still be held in Talabani's absence and would be
chaired by the PM. Talabani took a message from British
Prime Minister Blair to the PCNS, conveying that the groups
need to work on cooperation and power sharing. They agreed.


5. (C) The PCNS also discussed securing the Council of
Representatives (CoR) building. Talabani offered the
Presidential (Republican) guard but the PM said that the
Iraqi police were capable of doing it.

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Allawi Returning to Baghdad
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6. (C) Talabani stated that he had met twice with former
Prime Minister Ayad Allawi when he was in the UK from May
10-13 and had convinced Allawi that his place is in Baghdad.
He said Allawi would arrive on May 18. He called for Allawi
to be given a position in the government, but did not yet
have one in mind. Last year he had tried to get Allawi the
position of secretary general of the PCNS, but the UIA had
rejected it. Allawi agreed to return to work with the
government and end his attempts to form a new front.
Talabani claimed that the PM had agreed to meet with Allawi
upon his return.

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Talabani to press for Agreement on Hydrocarbons
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7. (C) Talabani said that KRG PM Nechirvan Barzani would come
on May 18 to discuss the package of hydrocarbons legislation.
He said he had agreed with Nechirvan when they met in Iraqi
Kurdistan recently that they must cooperate and successfully
conclude the negotiations. He promised to talk to him again
during Nechirvan's visit to Baghdad.

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PKK Ceasefire, Cambridge Trip
--------------


8. (C) Talabani agreed that the PKK needs to maintain their
ceasefire. He said he was already working on this and
promised to send an envoy the same day to press for
continuing the ceasefire. Asked if KRG President Barzani
could help, he said yes, and encouraged the Ambassador to
call Barzani.


9. (C) Talabani told the Ambassador about his address to the
Cambridge Students' Union in during his trip to the UK. In
an example of the power of Talabani's personality he said
that he received a letter afterward indicating that many of
the students had reconsidered their opposition to the war
after hearing Talabani's speech.

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U.S.-Iran Dialogue
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10. (C) Talabani told the Ambassador that Iranian Supreme
Leader Khamenei had said Iran will remind the US of its
responsibility to secure Iraq. Talabani took this as "green
light" to the Iranian government to go ahead with U.S. talks.
The Ambassador wondered who their chosen interlocutor would
be. Talabani said he would see the Iranian Ambassador the
next day and would ask.

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GOI to Move Outside IZ
--------------


11. (C) Talabani claimed he had convinced the entire
government to move outside the International Zone (IZ) - the
ministers, Prime Minister, and even the Council of
Representatives. This would be part of an effort to expand
the security sphere of the IZ by moving the Ministries with
all of their security into previously unsecured areas. In
this way they also could connect Baghdad's Karada district to
the IZ. He asserted that Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council head
Abdelaziz Hakim could help with this project. He also said
he was trying to convince the ministers to visit the Mansour
district of Baghdad.

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Diyala Ready for Liberation
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12. (C) Talabani said there are 280 tribal and other leaders
in Diyala ready to cooperate with U.S. forces against
insurgents. He said the example of the tribal shayks in
Anbar is spreading. On May 20 an anti-terror operation will
commence in Diyala. He said representatives from 2000 Sunni
Arabs from Mahmudiyah, south of Baghdad, came to him to
express their readiness to cooperate and protect their area.
Talabani also claimed that U.S. and GOI forces could liberate
the road from Baghdad to Khalis in Diyala and then on to
Kirkuk.


13. (C) The Ambassador expressed reservations about the Shia
leadership in Diyala. Talabani responded that the head of
the Provincial Council is from the Sunni Iraqi Islamic Party
and the vice-chair is from his own Patriotic Union of
Kurdistan Party.

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Talabani Asks for Light Weapons
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14. (C) Talabani told the Ambassador that the Iraqi Minister
of Interior claimed a ratio of one Kalashnikov rifle per five
people in the MOI security forces. Talabani, with the PM's
agreement, asked the Chinese Ambassador for light weapons,
who responded that in principle the Government of China
supported this, but he would have to consult Beijing.
Talabani said when he goes to China later in the summer after
returning from the U.S. he will press them on this request.
The Ambassador agreed to discuss with Generals Petraeus and
Dempsey this request as well.

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15. (C) Talabani said they need to fill out their military
units, they need 30,000 more recruits this year and need U.S.
support to do it. The Ambassador replied that they will
certainly look into it, but the Iraqi security forces are
expanding very rapidly and at a certain point they run the
risk of not being properly trained. Talabani said there are
many former army members requiring little training that could
join, but he admitted that the security forces need balance
and need troops loyal to the government rather than a
political party.
CROCKER