AMBASSADOR CROCKER'S AUGUST 7 MEETING WITH HUMAN

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002665

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/09/2017
TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV IZ
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR CROCKER'S AUGUST 7 MEETING WITH HUMAN
RIGHTS MINISTER

REF: BAGHDAD 2608

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


1. (S) SUMMARY: During an August 7 meeting with Ambassador
Crocker, Human Rights Minister Wijdan Salim sought his advice
on how to respond to Iraqiyya bloc leader Ayad Allawi's order
for Iraqiyya ministers to resign from the Maliki government.
Minister Wijdan said that she does not want to resign, but
disobeying Allawi is hard. Commenting on the reactions of
the other Iraqiyya ministers to Allawi's order, she assessed
Communication Minister Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi would obey it,
Science and Technology Minister Raid Jahid Fahmi would
disregard it, and Minister Without Portfolio Mohammed Abass
al-Uraybi was undecided. She stated she will draft a
response to Allawi and share it with the Ambassador.
Minister Wijdan noted that if she resigns, she would need to
leave Iraq; however, if she remains, she would be concerned
for her family's safety. She said other political parties,
especially the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI),are
seeking control over her ministry. Ambassador Crocker told
the Minister the decision is hers, but he hopes she will not
resign. He also offered to have Post staff discuss visa
options for the Minister's family. END SUMMARY.

HUMAN RIGHTS MINISTER UNDECIDED ON WHETHER TO RESIGN


2. (S) Human Right Minister Wijdan Salim informed Ambassador
Crocker during an August 7 meeting that she was uncertain how
to respond to Iraqiyya bloc leader Ayad Allawi's August 5
order to resign from the Maliki government. The Minister
said she does not want to resign and asked the Ambassador for
advice on how to say "no" to Allawi. She stated she will
take time to consider her answer to Allawi, draft a response
letter to him, and share it with Ambassador Crocker on August

11.


3. (S) Minister Wijdan said that thus far, she only informed
Allawi, who communicated his order via email, that she would
refrain from attending the Council of Ministers (CoM) meeting
on August 6. Allawi has since inquired whether she would
attend the next CoM meeting on August 14, she said. Minister
Wijdan confided that because she respects Allawi, it is hard
to disobey him and therefore, she is confused. The
Ambassador told Minister Wijdan that although he hopes she
will not resign, the decision is hers.


4. (S) Minister Wijdan said that Deputy Prime Minister (PM)
Barham Salih and PM Maliki's Chief of Staff Tariq Abdullah
both contacted her after Allawi's order became public. The
Minister reported that Deputy PM Salih told her that he hopes
the problem will be resolved, but did not offer advice, while
CoS Abdullah contacted her to arrange a meeting between them.
She commented that she wished that her ministry were able to
operate free from the politics of the situation. Shelamented
that everyday in her ministry, which is filled with young
employees, someone tells her if she leaves, they will leave.
The Ambassador suggested to the Minister that she could make
clear that she is executing her duties for the sake of her
nation and its people, and not because of the government.

MINISTER WIJDAN DISCUSSES HER OPTIONS


5. (S) Minister Wijdan said that if she resigns, she cannot
stay in Iraq; however, if she remains, she would be concerned
for her family's safety. She said that because her ministry
deals with detention issues, she sometimes has problems with
the Jaysh Al-Mahdi (JAM) militia, which has sent her letters.
She also stated that people supporting the Mujehedin-e-Khalq
(MEK) have called her several times at home and the ministry
to advocate the MEK agenda using a "strong tone" with her.
She expressed concern that she does not have enough security
for her children and noting that the majority of her family
lives in the U.S., asked the Ambassador about U.S. visa
opportunities for her three children. The Ambassador offered
to have Embassy staff discuss the options with the Minister.

ALLAWI AND OTHER IRAQIYYA MINISTERS


6. (S) Minister Wijdan told the Ambassador that although she
respects Allawi, she believes he made a big mistake by not
returning to Baghdad to participate in the government. She
assessed that Communication Minister Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi,
who is Allawi's cousin would obey Allawi's order to resign,
Science and Technology Minister Raid Jahid Fahmi would
disregard it, and Minister Without Portfolio Mohammed Abass
al-Uraybi was still undecided. She said that her attempts to
phone Communication Minister Allawi had been unsuccessful and
that she did not want to join with Science and Technology

BAGHDAD 00002665 002 OF 002


Minister Fahmi in a response to Allawi.

POLITICAL JOCKEYING AND THE MOHR


7. (S) Minister Wijdan commented that while none of the other
parties wanted the Ministry of Human Rights (MoHR) initially
and Iraqiyya tried to give it away, every political party is
now "quarreling" to take it. She said that ISCI was
particularly assertive, with Badr Organization Chief Hadi
Al-Amiri directly involved in placing Hossain al-Zohairi,
whom she did not request, as a deputy minister for MoHR. The
Minister explained that she received two letters from ISCI
leader Abdul Aziz al-Hakim recommending al-Zohairi as an
"advisor" for MoHR. She said that PM Maliki subsequently
sent her a letter stating that Abdulaziz al-Hakim informed
him al-Zohairi would be her "deputy minister" and she saw a
letter with the PM's signature approving his appointment.
Minister Wijdan said that ISCI was able to obtain "acting
deputy minister" status for al-Zohairi, whose appointment has
not been confirmed by the Council of Representatives, as
required by law. She said that she will be getting another
deputy minister from the Tawafuq bloc, and when he arrives,
she will "cancel" al-Zohairi's authority, which he has begun
asserting inappropriately. Minister complained that "one
week they are talking about canceling the ministry, and the
next week they are giving me more staff."


8. (S) Minister Wijdan also said that the MoHR building does
not belong to the ministry, but rather to the ISCI-affiliated
Badr Organization. Without identifying the source, she said
that she was informed she needed to write ISCI to ask for the
MOHR building; however, she then received a letter saying
MOHR cannot have the building. The Minister noted there was
some pressure for her to meet Abdul Aziz al-Hakim and the
Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani to appeal for their support
directly on this issue as well as repealing Law 105 of 1970
prohibiting the Baha'i faith, so that the Baha'is' membership
in the Non-Muslim Endowment -- which the PM rejected as
illegal -- might be considered. She commented, "I do not
want to go to the marjariya."


9. (S) Commenting on Shi'a parties, the Minister said she has
received invitations from Sadrists to go to Basrah and meet
them and has good relations with Fadhila. Turning to the
Sunnis, she complained that anything she does for them "is
not good enough." She said that she provides the same human
rights reports to prominent Sunnis such as Vice President
Tariq Al-Hashimi, Deputy PM Salam Zowbaie (who has resigned),
and Speaker of Parliament Mahmoud al-Mashadani, but they do
not share the information with each other.

PROPOSAL TO INTRODUCE IRANIAN RED CRESCENT


10. (S) Minister Wijdan also added that in her capacity as
the Minister of State for Civil Society, she has received
several letters, including from the PM's Office and Ministry
of Health, seeking her opinion about possibly allowing an
Iranian Red Crescent Office to open in Iraq. Minister Wijdan
said she did not see the need to introduce the Iranian Red
Crescent into Iraq when there is already an Iraqi Red
Crescent. She further lamented that people do not understand
the procedures, because introducing the Iranian Red Crescent
would require a treaty agreement, and such requests need to
be channeled through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs first.
CROCKER