COR MEMBER QASEM DAOUD DISCUSSES TEHRAN, POTUS

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000190 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/13/2017 TAGS: PGOV IR IZ SUBJECT: COR MEMBER QASEM DAOUD DISCUSSES TEHRAN, POTUS SPEECH Classified By: Political Counselor Margaret Scobey per 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Unified Iraqi Alliance (UIA) independent Qasem Daoud discussed with the Political Counselor on January 12 his recent trip to Tehran and the Iranian reaction to the late December detention of Iranian diplomats in Iraq. Daoud was shocked by how much influence he felt the Iranians demonstrated over Iraq,s political scene. He called the U.S. President,s new strategy on Iraq "promising" and thought it was possible the GOI and Coalition forces would be able to regain control of security. Daoud also expressed hope the moderate bloc idea could be revived with a different approach. END SUMMARY. -------------- Daoud Laments Iranian Influence -------------- ¶2. (C) Daoud provided the Political Counselor with a readout of his three-day official visit to Tehran in late December. He said he had been to Iran once or twice in the 1990s but had resisted visiting for the past two years until the Iranian Ambassador to Iraq insisted he come. Daoud said the Iranians had a bitter taste in their mouths from the Coalition,s detention of Iranian diplomats in Iraq two days prior to his arrival in Tehran. While there, Daoud met with IRGC-Quds Force Commander Qassem Suleimani, Secretary for the Iranian Supreme Council for National Security Ali Larijani, Chairman of the Expediency and Discernment Council Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Intelligence. ¶3. (S) Daoud said he was shocked to see the influence Iran has on Iraq,s political process, saying he concluded Tehran controls nearly two-thirds of the Council of Representatives (CoR) seats. Daoud cited Iraqi CoR member Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis as an example of someone under Tehran,s influence and said Suleimani introduced him to Muhandis during the visit. (Note: Muhandis is a former Badr Organization commander with ties to the IRGC who allegedly participated in a plot to bomb the US Embassy in Kuwait in 1983.) Daoud characterized his Iranian interlocutors as well-organized and professional, and noted Laranjani specialized in American affairs while Suleimani specialized in Iraqi affairs. He opined the Iranians feel frustrated with Washington and said they interpreted the detention of Iranian diplomats in December as one institution in Washington,s attempt to work against Iran. Daoud characterized Tehran as desperate to open negotiations with Washington. -------------- And Praises New Iraq Strategy -------------- ¶4. (C) Daoud called the new Iraq strategy announced on January 11 "promising." He praised the pairing of Coalition forces with Iraqi forces because he said it sent a signal to Iraqi citizens that the forces would act in a nonsectarian manner. He said his reservations were on the Iraqi side and characterized the Iraqis as a hard, incompetent partner for the Americans. Daoud opined that Iraq should start building new Iraqi security forces of recent university graduates who are trained abroad and become the core of a new force that eventually would replace the current partisan forces. He said Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani,s son, Muhammad Ridha, was still studying the new strategy and would get back to him with an opinion on it. -------------- Moderate Front Needs a New Approach -------------- ¶5. (C) Daoud supported building a moderate front in the CoR and suggested efforts to create one needed a new approach. When questioned if Sistani had censured a moderate front, Daoud said no. He said Muhammad Ridha had told him Sistani,s office released a statement saying Sistani did not support the front because SCIRI had announced Sistani,s support for the front without consulting Sistani first. Daoud insisted that Sistani did not hold an opinion on the moderate front and did not like every Iraqi politician knocking on his door to find out his opinion on political issues. Daoud said Sistani needed the moderate front idea explained to him and suggested the U.S. President write a letter to Sistani clarifying his initiatives. He added that Sistani respects President Bush. -------------- BAGHDAD 00000190 002 OF 002 Updates on CoR-related Issues -------------- ¶6. (C) Daoud said he is going to submit a proposal to the constitutional review committee that changes de-Ba'athification from a political to a legal issue. He proposes the De-Ba'athification Commission be connected to the Independent Electoral Commission so that a person can be screened before entering politics. Daoud confirmed that the hydrocarbon law is ready and said it would be submitted to the CoR in January or February. Nevertheless, he was not satisfied with the law, saying the CoR should amend the constitution to assuage Sunni fears that regions might take advantage of the constitutional ambiguity about regional control over hydrocarbons. KHALILZAD