MP NAJAFI WARNS- RUSHING THROUGH BENCHMARKS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002320

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/11/2017
TAGS: ECON ENRG IZ PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: MP NAJAFI WARNS- RUSHING THROUGH BENCHMARKS
DETRIMENTAL TO IRAQI SECURITY AND UNITY


Classified By: Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary. In a meeting with other Iraqiyya bloc
Council of Representative (CoR) members July 8 (septel),
Osama al-Najafi warned Ambassador against pushing through key
reconciliation legislation just to meet the September
benchmark deadline. Acknowledging the domestic American
imperative, al-Najafi advised that forcing passage of
benchmark legislation that does not address the concerns of
all Iraqi communities would be detrimental to Iraqi security
and unity and lead to an "explosion in the Iraqi situation"
End Summary.

Rushing Benchmarks Dangerous to Iraqi Interests
-------------- --


2. (C) The Ambassador explained that President Bush is
strongly committed to Iraq's success; in order to maintain
strong American support for Iraq, it is vital that we be able
to point to some signs of political progress. The Ambassador
recognized that as an MP, al-Najafi's first duty is to his
constituents and his country. Nonetheless, the Ambassador
emphasized that the benchmarks have assumed a great
importance in our debate; achievement of several benchmarks
would be hugely helpful for our efforts in Iraq as we
approach September. Oil legislation is the most advanced,
Ambassador pointed out, and it would also be extremely
advantageous to see serious progress on de-Ba'athification
reform efforts.


3. (C) Al-Najafi concurred that as an Iraqi MP, his first
priority is to look after Iraqi interests. GOI efforts to
impose reconciliation legislation unilaterally, he commented,
will lead to increased sectarian conflict. "If we are pushed
to agree on benchmarks now," al-Najafi predicted, "the
situation in Iraq will explode." Rather, al-Najafi advised,
the benchmarks should be drafted and debated in a measured
way that "leads us closer to reconciliation, not away from
it." Al-Najafi, a Sunni Arab secularist, complained that the
benchmarks are being used by sectarian blocs to further their
own political interests rather than as tools for
reconciliation. Without a consensus among the three
communities, he said, pressure to move faster will result in
a "political explosion." The Ambassador acknowledged a
dilemma facing Iraqi politicians, but he stressed that the
U.S. is losing over a hundred men and women a month to
provide security necessary to buy time for the political
process to succeed -- our challenge is to demonstrate to the
American people that it is worth the sacrifice.

Hydrocarbons: Bait and Switch?
--------------


4. (C) Al-Najafi pointed to the hydrocarbons law as an
example of how agreement on benchmarks under pressure would
be detrimental to reconciliation efforts. He accused Prime
Minster Maliki of "tricking the Council of Ministers and the
CoR" by introducing a different document to CoR than the one
which the Council of Ministers approved. Al-Najafi insisted
that the changes were more than semantic, claiming that the
two versions were "radically different" and that compromise
annexes approved by the Council of Ministers were omitted
when the draft law was submitted to the CoR. Such moves by
the GOI raise doubts and suspicion as to the motivations of
the PM and his coalition, he said. (Note: EmbOffs are
currently examining the two drafts for discrepancies. End
Note.)

Resignation from the Oil and Gas Committee
--------------


5. (U) Al-Najafi resigned from the CoR Oil and Gas Committee
July 7 in protest of GOI handling of the Hydrocarbons
legislation approved by the Council of Ministers and
introduced to the CoR. Al-Najafi explained his resignation
in a July 7 press statement saying he intended to "keep my
hands clean of this law... that will destroy the future of
the country." Al-Najafi also cited as a reason for his
resignation "American insistence on issuing this law...
persistent multiple visits by high rank American
authorities... a timeline given to the government and CoR."


6. (C) Comment: Al-Najafi's view that the benchmarks do not
necessarily reflect Iraqi priorities illustrates the tension
that exists between U.S. need to demonstrate tangible
progress to domestic audiences, and the Iraqi national
interest to create laws that address the equities of all the
communities to reach lasting reconciliation. Iraqiyya
opposition to the hydrocarbons law is not new. Iraqiyya bloc
leaders and former PM Ayad Allawi have been critical of the
hydrocarbons laws from the first draft as detrimental to
reconciliation. We have heard similar comments from other

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Iraqi MPs and GOI figures, who express concerns that forcing
benchmarks through regardless of the quality of the
legislation will not resolve Iraq's key problems.


7. (C) Comment (continued): Al-Najafi's criticism of USG
lobbying on behalf of the law points to another problem:
that high-profile USG statements and lobbying on hydrocarbons
legislation strengthen the hand of those, especially
Sadrists, who argue the legislation is designed to sell out
Iraq's natural resources to the U.S. End Comment.

CROCKER