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. -------------- -------------- HUMAN RIGHTS MINISTER ON ALLAWI AND QUITTING IRAQIYYA -------------- -------------- ¶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. -------------- UNAMI HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT -------------- ¶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). -------------- DETAINEE ISSUES AND THE LEADERS CONFERENCE -------------- ¶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.) -------------- THREATS AGAINST MINORITIES -------------- 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. -------------- FUTURE OPTIONS FOR THE MINISTER -------------- ¶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