DCM'S AUGUST 28 MEETING WITH HUMAN RIGHTS MINISTER

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002922

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/30/2017
TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV KIRF KJUS IZ
SUBJECT: DCM'S AUGUST 28 MEETING WITH HUMAN RIGHTS MINISTER

REF: A. BAGHDAD 2665

B. BAGHDAD 1434

Classified By: DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION PATRICIA A. BUTENIS FOR REASONS
1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (S/NF) SUMMARY: Human Rights Minister Wijdan Salim told
the DCM on August 28 that she will remain in the Maliki
government as an independent, despite Iraqiyya bloc leader
Ayad Allawi's reported plan to return to Baghdad. The
Minister noted she has not yet received a pre-publication
copy of the United Nations Assistance Mission to Iraq's
(UNAMI) second quarter 2007 human rights report for review,
as agreed. She also discussed with the DCM her efforts to
raise awareness on the security threat against minorities in
Baghdad, her work on detainee issues in support of the late
August Leaders Conference, and her possible plans to relocate
her family to the US for their safety. END SUMMARY.

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HUMAN RIGHTS MINISTER ON ALLAWI AND QUITTING IRAQIYYA
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2. (S) Minister Wijdan confirmed to the DCM on August 28 that
she resigned from Iraqiyya in order to continue working in
the Maliki government (ref A). She said she will remain in
the government as an independent. Minister Wijdan also noted
that Iraqiyya party leader Ayad Allawi will be returning to
Baghdad and will stop in Suleimaniyah en route. Minister
Wijdan told the DCM that she and Allawi have not communicated
directly since her resignation from Iraqiyya, which he has
not yet acknowledged; however, his return to Iraq would not
impact her decision to leave the party -- which was
difficult. Without providing further details, she said that
Allawi reportedly agreed on August 28 to collaborate with
National Dialogue Front leader Saleh Mutlaq. The Minister
expressed her view that while for now Allawi is the best
possible leader for Iraq, he does not stand a chance of being
elected, because the religious parties would not support him.


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UNAMI HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT
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3. (C) Minister Wijdan complained that UNAMI still has not
provided her a copy of the second quarter human rights report
draft. She told the DCM that she understood that there was
an agreement that UNAMI would provide the GOI seven days to
review and comment on the draft before it is published. The
Minister noted that her ministry has continued to cooperate
with UNAMI, although the GOI was displeased that UNAMI did
not consult adequately with the GOI in advance on the first
quarter 2007 report, before making it public (ref B).

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DETAINEE ISSUES AND THE LEADERS CONFERENCE
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4. (S) Commenting on two detainee working group meetings she
attended that were chaired by Deputy Prime Minister (PM)
Barham Saleh during the late August Leaders Conference, the
Minister said the identification of the need to account for
the over 20,000 detainees in GOI custody through centralized
record-keeping at the Interior Ministry was the best
accomplishment of the meetings. She expressed concerns that
some issues were not discussed more extensively, including
detainees' access to an attorney from the first stages of
their investigations. (Note: Deputy PM Saleh convened the
meetings to discuss practical steps to resolve detention
problems, based on principles suggested by the Leaders
Conference participants. In addition to Minister Wijdan, the
detainee working group participants included National
Security Advisor Mowaffak al-Rubaie, Chief Justice Medhat
al-Mahmoud, Minister of State for National Security Sherwan
al-Waili, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Mahmoud
al-Radi, Baghdad Operations Center Commander Lieutenant
General (LTG) Aboud Qanbar, Head Public Prosecutor Judge
Ghdanfer Hmoud Aljasim, and deputy-ministerial-level
representation from the Interior, Justice, and Defense
ministries. End note.)

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THREATS AGAINST MINORITIES
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BAGHDAD 00002922 002 OF 002



5. (S) Minister Wijdan (a Chaldean Christian) stated that
threats against religious and ethnic minorities were a
"security issue" that has been discussed during Baghdad
Security Plan meetings. She reported that she had asked LTG
Aboud to protect Christian areas in the Mansour district;
however, LTG Aboud said he could not do it. (Note: In order
to maintain the appearance of neutrality, MNF-I and Iraqi
Security Forces operations are focused on improving security
in general and do not single out particular religious or
ethnic groups to protect. End note.) She said that the Dora
district of Baghdad, where some of her family members used to
live, had been emptied of Christians. Minister Wijdan also
commented that many Christians in Baghdad have left for
Kurdistan. She noted that DPM Saleh has engaged with
Christian leaders on threats against the Christian community.


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FUTURE OPTIONS FOR THE MINISTER
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6. (S/NF) The Minister told the DCM she is interested in the
Embassy's offer to relocate the Minister and her family to
the US under the Department of Homeland Security's
Significant Public Benefit Parole (SPBP) program. The
Minister said her family is reluctant to leave her alone in
Iraq, and prefers to stay in Iraq if at all possible;
however, they would proceed with SPBP should her family face
an imminent threat. Minister Wijdan said that her
brother-in-law and his family fled from their home in the
Karada district of Baghdad and have been staying with her at
her home in the International Zone after they received
threats. She added that she knows of dangers that her family
does not know.
CROCKER