TALABANI DISCUSSES IRAN TALKS, TAWAFUQ WITHDRAWAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002516

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/29/2017
TAGS: IR IZ PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: TALABANI DISCUSSES IRAN TALKS, TAWAFUQ WITHDRAWAL

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


1. (C) SUMMARY: Iraqi President Jalal Talabani told the
Ambassador July 25 that Iran was very positive about the
talks held the previous day with the Ambassador. Talabani
had little to say on the prospect of Tawafuq withdrawing from
the government, but he thought that they should handle their
concerns with the Prime Minister in private. Talabani
planned to go to Kurdistan later that day to sign a charter
of cooperation between the KDP and PUK. He hoped that
Barzani would accompany him back to Baghdad soon after.
Talabani said ISCI leader Abdelaziz Hakim looked very well
when he saw him on July 24. He also met with the CoR Human
Rights Committee and discussed delaying Article 140. END
SUMMARY.

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U.S.-Iran Talks
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2. (C) Talabani claimed that the Iranians had many
"positive things" to say about their talks with the
Ambassador on July 24. The Iranians said it was a frank,
encouraging meeting, and they understood that the U.S. was
serious. They were ready to fight terrorism and cooperate
against Al Qaeda in Iraq. Talabani said he spoke by phone
with IRGC Quds Force commander Qasim Soleimani who also
thought the talks had gone well and had beseeched Talabani to
"help both sides" in this interaction. According to
Talabani, Soleimani stated that he would not interfere in the
internal affairs of friends. Talabani noted that the
Iranians also pledged to support the Maliki government.


3. (C) Talabani said Hashimi was present when the Iranians
visited him. He noted that the Iranians acted positively
toward Hashimi. The Iranians discussed national unity, and
Hashimi gave them ideas for correcting their mistakes,
according to Talabani. The Iranians invited Hashimi to open
an office of the Iraqi Islamic Party in Tehran, Talabani said.

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Tawafuq Withdrawal
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4. (C) The Ambassador raised Tawafuq's announcement of
their intention to withdraw from the GOI. He said once they
take such a step it is difficult to step back. He noted that
the PM had not responded positively to this development.
Talabani wondered if Tawafuq would follow through with their
withdrawal. He stated that he had urged them not to make
harsh and difficult demands and to postpone their withdrawal
for a week. According to Talabani, Tawafuq claimed they
needed to show the PM their seriousness. Talabani thought
that explaining this to the PM in private would be a better
course of action than publicly showing their hand. Meghan
O'Sullivan asked if they had informed the PM of their
intention to withdraw, Talabani responded that he did not
know. O'Sullivan thought the PM might be surprised by this
development.


5. (C) Talabani thought that Tawafuq leader Adnan Dulaymi
had aspirations to replace Speaker of the Council of
Representatives (CoR) Mahmoud Mashadani, and Dulaymi would
not let the withdrawal happen (Note: Tawafuq announced that
it would withdraw from the government but not the parliament.
End note.) Dulaymi also told Talabani that he would not put
himself up as a candidate for Speaker without Talabani's
support. Talabani said that the IIP was satisfied with the
agreements reached with Barzani when they visited him last
week. The IIP agreed to sign a tripartite agreement with the
PUK and the KDP.


6. (C) Talabani said the Sunnis were upset because the PM
had asked the Ministry of Defense to investigate the IIP. He
suggested that the PM give the IIP an indirect apology for
Iraqi Security Forces' (ISF) activities near the IIP's
headquarters. (Note: This is a reference to Tawafuq
complaints that an ISF commander was harassing people near
the IIP HQ. End Note.)


7. (C) Talabani noted that the PM acted very poorly in the
last 3 1 meeting. In response to a question from Hashimi,
the PM said he would never accept anyone interfering in
security affairs. Before he lashed out, the meeting had gone
well, Talabani said. They had agreed on an agenda and on the
designated advisors for the planned leadership meeting
working group.

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PUK-KDP Charter, Barzani's Return to Baghdad
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8. (C) Talabani said that he would go to Kurdistan later

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that day to sign a charter of cooperation with Kurdistan
Regional Government (KRG) President Masood Barzani. Barzani
would return with him or shortly thereafter. Asked if this
was the appropriate time to bring down Barzani, Talabani said
they need him here to speak to Hashimi. He and Barzani would
try to discuss the resignation with Hashimi. He also thought
Barzani confidante Rowsch Shaways would come to Baghdad on
July 25 or 26 to participate in the preparatory meetings for
the leadership meeting.

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Hakim's Health Much Improved
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9. (C) Talabani said he visited ISCI leader Abdelaziz Hakim
on July 24 and asked him to talk to the PM about the Tawafuq
withdrawal. He said Hakim looked very well and that he was
told the cancer had disappeared. They allegedly sent the
x-rays to the clinic in Houston where Hakim initially
received treatment. Doctors there were shocked at the
results, according to Talabani.

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CoR Human Rights Committee
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10. (C) Talabani said he had met yesterday with the CoR
Human Rights Committee. Committee members had told him that
they had been trying to meet with the Minister of Interior
for 3-4 weeks to discuss prisons. The Ambassador suggested
that they summon the Interior Minister to the CoR. Talabani
noted that he was classmates with the judiciary chief, and
Talabani had convinced the chief to boost his cadre of
investigators by 8-25 committees, but they needed good
officers to fill the slots which they were calling on the MOI
to help fill.

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Delaying Article 140
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11. (C) Talabani opined, as his recently resigned chief of
staff Kamran Karadaghi told Poloffs in June, that the Article
140 process will naturally be postponed if they just let it
play out. Normalization will not be finished by December 31
and, as such, the referendum will have to slip past the
deadline. In contrast to what the Ambassador heard from
Article 140 committee members in Kurkuk on July 18, Talabani
said that no one needs the approval of the MOI to sell their
home and move. Talabani also noted that Hashimi was
insisting too much on strengthening the powers given to the
Presidency in the constitution.

CROCKER