VP HASHIMI DOWN BUT NOT YET OUT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002465 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/24/2017 TAGS: IZ KDEM MOPS PGOV PHUM SUBJECT: VP HASHIMI DOWN BUT NOT YET OUT Classified By: Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: On July 22, Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi discounted the need for a senior leadership meeting to iron out political differences on benchmark legislation, saying the political leaders can resolve all issues within 5-6 days using their advisors. He tasked the Secretary General of the Presidency Council to set up an advisor meeting for the next day. Hashimi said the Shi'a and Kurds are not committed to the benchmark legislation and were using the summit idea as a delaying tactic. Hashimi decried his continued exclusion from real partnership in government, especially on critical security issues and blamed PM Maliki for the meager success of the 3 1 process which he called "discouraging." He called for local policing of neighborhoods in Baghdad and complained about continued sectarian action by Iraqi Security Forces in Sunni neighborhoods. He asked for greater urgency in prison inspections to end human rights abuses in detention facilities. Lack of government guarantees on protecting human rights was instrumental in Hashimi's blocking of legislation to extend the Emergency Powers law which lapsed months ago. The government is acting without authority in exercising emergency powers, he concluded. END SUMMARY. DON'T WASTE TIME ON SUMMITS - JUST DO IT -------------- ¶2. (C) Commenting on plans to convene a meeting of senior political leaders in the coming week, Vice President Hashimi told Ambassador on July 22 that there was no need for another structure to hammer out political differences on the benchmark legislation. The 3 1 group (Presidency Council plus the Prime Minister) can sort this out right away, he said. All the political groups can name consultants to sit down to work out political differences and bring them to the leadership in a few days. He tasked Presidency Council Secretary General Naseer al-Ani to set up the meeting of SIPDIS consultants for July 23. ¶3. (C) The Shi'a and Kurds don't want these laws, charged Hashimi. Rather,they just want to waste time so they can say that everyone was to blame for the delay. The Kurds were stalling the hydrocarbon law that both the Sunnis and Shi'a supported. Tawafuq gave its comments on the revenue sharing and the de-Ba'thification laws and was ready to discuss differences. Once the political bloc consultants come to an agreement on these issues, the leaders should agree and sign and instruct their parliamentary delegations to vote in favor. All the issues can be solved in 5-6 days, said Hashimi. LEADERSHIP PROCESS DISCOURAGING - MALIKI TO BLAME -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) Describing that morning's 3 1 meeting with PM Maliki as discouraging, Hashimi said that Maliki still did not treat him as a partner. Maliki refused to respond to Hashimi's written concerns about human rights violations in the security plan. Maliki was not cooperating, charged Hashimi. Maliki was not open-minded, and this was intolerable, stated Hashimi. Hashimi said he had no part of the security planning process, no part in the operations, and key information was being withheld from him. "As Vice President, I should be aware; I should have access to information", he said. "I want to be treated like Vice President Mahdi and President Talabani, otherwise I will resign," he concluded. The security portfolio was the most important, said Hashimi - "either we are partners in this or we are not." SUNNI NEIGHBORHOODS STILL UNDER SEIGE - NEED LOCAL POLICING -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) VP Hashimi complained bitterly about the actions of Colonel Ali, commander of the Second Battalion, Fifth Brigade, in the al-Yarmouk area (Monsour district) of Baghdad. Col. Ali made two raids on Hashimi's house and detained his guards, said Hashimi. "I am the Vice President and still after three months there was no action to resolve this," he said. On July 21, Col. Ali allegedly terrorized the neighborhood in Yarmouk where the Iraqi Islamic Party has its headquarters. According to Hashimi, Col Ali's unit arrested Sunnis based on their ID cards and tore up housing contracts of residents telling them they have to move out within 48 hours. Calls for Coalition assistance went unheeded. The Iraqi Army cannot continue sectarian actions under the guise of the Baghdad Security Plan, said Hashimi. ¶6. (C) The local population must be involved in policing neighborhoods or the Surge will be wasted, said Hashimi. Local groups should be given the responsibility and should shoulder the burden as long as they don't threaten the security or other areas, he continued. Ambassador Crocker asked Hashimi what mechanism he would have to discuss this. BAGHDAD 00002465 002 OF 002 Don't complicate things, said Hashimi. Hashimi suggested to have the local Shi'a and Sunni leaders work it out neighborhood by neighborhood -- a tailored solution for each. Tawafuq aide Ayad Samarrai suggested using Ahmad Chalabi's Popular Mobilization Committees to work out the specifics. Samarrai opined that leaders at the local level can work this out without outside interference -- they can have a joint agreement on who the local police chief should be. MUST ADDRESS GOI HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES -------------- ¶7. (C) Hashimi decried continued human rights abuses in detention facilities and prisons of the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Defense. Ambassador Crocker said the U.S. was working hard to get the ICRC involved but that much work remains. Saying that prison inspections would help end mistreatment, VP Hashimi suggested that inspection teams include representatives from the Human Rights Ministry, the Council of Representatives, the U.S. and the Prime Minister's Office. EMERGENCY POWERS LAW LAPSED - GOI ACTING WITHOUT AUTHORITY -------------- -------------- ¶8. (C) Hashimi said that, in light of his concerns about human rights abuses, he refused to sign the request for legislation to extend the Emergency Powers Law which lapsed months ago. The government would not give guarantees that it would protect human rights. Now that the law has lapsed, the Government of Iraq is acting without authority in exercising provisions of the Emergency Powers law, he claimed. COMMENT -------------- ¶9. (C) Vice President Hashimi went to great lengths to demonstrate that Tawafuq was not the cause of delay in progress on benchmark legislation, seeking to shift the blame to the Shi'a and Kurds. While Hashimi's confidence that political differences can be resolved quickly was probably overstated, his concern about the devastating impact on Sunni communities in Baghdad of the security surge and the continued sectarian behavior of Iraqi Security forces was not. Hashimi and his Tawafuq party have now resorted to threats of withdrawal from government in their pleas to be included in government policy decisions, especially on security matters. While each subsequent threat reduces its impact on Post and the political blocs, ignoring Hashimi's legitimate concerns may not be the best approach to take. CROCKER