CODEL BAUCUS MEETING WITH PRIME MINISTER MALIKI ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 003150

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/17/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINS IZ
SUBJECT: CODEL BAUCUS MEETING WITH PRIME MINISTER MALIKI ON
SEPTEMBER 16


Classified By: Political Counselor Matt Tueller for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).


1. (C) Summary: In a September 16 meeting with Prime Minister
Maliki, the members of Codel Baucus delivered a tough message
to PM Maliki, underscoring the frustration in Congress with
the slow progress on political reconciliation and the need
for Maliki personally to do more. The PM defended his
government's record and emphasized that reconciliation is
also an Iraqi goal. End summary.


2. (C) Senators Max Baucus (D-MT),Ken Salazar (D-CO),Ben
Nelson (D-NE),and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) met on September 16
with Prime Minister Maliki. Underscoring the frustration
felt both in Congress and by their constituents with the slow
pace of political progress in Iraq, Senator Baucus told
Maliki that he needs to do still more to promote
reconciliation. "There's a frustration in Congress that you
haven't done as much as Congress feels you should," said Sen.
Baucus.


3. (C) Maliki thanked the Senator for his frankness and said
that he would be equally candid: He had heard lots of
statements coming out of Congress in recent days; he agreed
with some but not all of them. "Look at U.S. history -- how
long did it take to clean out the gangs of Chicago, or to
finish (post Civil War) reconstruction?" asked Maliki, who
stressed the need for "strategic patience."


4. (C) Senator Baucus agreed that reconciliation takes time,
but noted that in light of the recent reports released in
Washington, the American people wanted to see more concrete
action on reconciliation in Iraq, and to see it quickly.
"There are some who feel that we may have to force that
result by witholding money or withdrawing troops," said the
Senator.


5. (C) Changing tack, Maliki said that national
reconciliation was an Iraqi demand as well. "National
reconciliation is the only path for us, not the use of force.
The Coalition Forces tried that and failed, but we were able
to achieve something when we switched to national
reconciliation," said Maliki, before quickly adding for good
measure that the benchmarks were "all Iraqi demands." Maliki
credited his government with pulling Iraq back from the brink
of civil war, and noted the GOI's progress in absorbing Sunni
tribesmen and former insurgents into the security services.
"There can be no national reconciliation without security,
and we are building our forces so that we will be able to
operate without foreign forces. Whatever decision Congress
takes, the Iraqi Security Forces will have to take
responsibility for Iraq's security because it's our country,"
said Maliki.


6. (C) In response to a proposal from Senator Nelson to free
up U.S. forces in Baghdad for operations elsewhere in Iraq,
Maliki said his government was standing up new units to
confront AQI and that he would discuss possible strategies
with General Petraeus upon his return. However, the PM
continued, national reconciliation will remain the core of
the GOI's strategy. In response to a question from Senator
Snowe about the prospects for passage of benchmark
legislation in the short term, Maliki noted that a new
de-Ba'athification reform bill was on its way to the Council
of Representatives. He also stressed that even in the
absence of enacted legislation, the GOI has pushed forward on
de-Ba'athification reform. "Twenty-five percent of the
employees in our ministries are former Ba'athists," claimed
Maliki. The Prime Minister reacted testily to the suggestion
that Maliki had not taken advantage of the surge to achieve
results on political reconciliation. Feigning astonishment,
Maliki turned to the translator and demanded: "Are you
translating this accurately?" Maliki then recounted how he
had recently received a former Sunni insurgent leader who
confessed to kidnapping 55 Shi'ites, a tribal sheikh who at
one time was linked to AQI, and a former insurgent who had
killed 43 Iraqis. "I welcomed each of them on the condition
that they would henceforth support the government. This is
national reconciliation," said Maliki.


7. (C) Maliki cautioned his guests that there were still some
Sunnis who were intent on restoring the former regime. "We
will never permit the return of the old system," said Maliki.
He expressed little sympathy for those Sunnis who claimed
that the 2005 elections were "illegal," saying that he would
not allow anyone to turn the clock back on democracy.
"National reconciliation does not mean turning Iraq over to
those who want to take it back to dictatorship," said a
somewhat heated Maliki.


8. (C) Maliki responded thoughtfully when asked by Senator
Salazar whether having fewer U.S. troops on the ground would

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help the Iraqis in their quest for national reconciliation.
Calling it a good question, Maliki agreed that in areas such
as Basrah, the departure of foreign troops had contributed to
stability. He predicted that there would be a large
reduction of Coalition Forces in coming days, but stressed
that an immediate departure of U.S. forces would generate a
crisis. He further predicted that Congress would see
significant progress in the readiness of Iraqi forces over
the next six months.


9. (C) In response to a question from Senator Baucus, Maliki
explained at some length the challenges involved in trying to
replicate the Anbar experience in other parts of Iraq. He
pointed with pride to the GOI's plans to establish tribal
councils all over Iraq to turn Iraq's tribes into the eyes
and ears of the Iraqi security forces in the fight against
extremists. With regard to Iran, Maliki stressed that all
Iraqis, regardless of sect, are united in their determination
not to live under Iranian domination. "Our relations must be
based on respect, without Iranian intervention in our
internal affairs," he said. By the same token, Maliki
continued, Iraq needed to clean up some of the problems it
inherited from the Saddam era, including a number of
terrorist groups that sought to launch attacks against Turkey
and Iran from Iraqi soil. Asked what he would tell the U.S.
public if he were addressing them on national television,
Maliki boiled his message down to one word: "Patience."


10. Comment: The Codel's message -- that Congress and the
American public are frustrated and Maliki has to deliver more
-- clearly registered with the Iraqi Prime Minister, who
nevertheless defended his government's record. Maliki's mood
was probably not helped by the fact that the meeting with the
Codel began late, ran later than expected, and was delaying
the breaking of his Ramadan fast.


11. (U) Codel Baucus did not have an opportunity to clear
this cable before leaving Iraq.
BUTENIS