AMBASSADOR AND AMAR AL-HAKIM DISCUSS SECURITY,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 003287

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/30/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL IZ IR
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR AND AMAR AL-HAKIM DISCUSS SECURITY,
SERVICES, AND US-IRAN RELATIONS

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


1. (C) Summary: Amar al-Hakim, heir apparent to the
leadership position of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq
(ISCI),told the Ambassador on September 29 that his recent
visit to Kuwait and discussions with other Gulf state
officials revealed a new and reasonable attitude toward Iraq
from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. After the Ambassador
explained that we will encourage greater Iraqi focus on
improvement in security and the delivery of public services
in the coming months, Amar shot a thinly-veiled jab at ISCI's
main rival, Moqtada al-Sadr and his Jaysh al-Mehdi (JAM),by
stating that the GOI must crack down hard on armed groups
that interfere in the provision of public services. He
alleged that Sadrist meddling in Iraq's Independent High
Electoral Commission threatened to undermine that body's
independence, which could affect the legitimacy of future
elections. He urged resumed USG-Iran talks to reduce a
perceived escalation of tension, and confided that Iranian
officials claimed to be doing their part to lessen conflict
and took at least partial credit for reducing JAM violence.
He complained that last week's non-binding Senate action had
led to an Iraqi public perception of a USG "project" to
partition Iraq, and predicted it would hamper Iraqi efforts
to create a federal system as the notion of federalism was
now linked in the public mind with USG-mandated partition.
End Summary.

Improved Security and Delivery of Services
--------------


2. (C) The Ambassador explained that his recent testimony and
report before Congress had bought additional time for Iraqis
to make real progress, and that in the coming six months we
would be encouraging greater Iraqi focus on improvement in
security and the delivery of public services. Joking that
the Ambassador's Congressional appearance was akin to the Day
of Judgment, Amar pointed out that the Ambassador and Gen.
Petraeus had forgotten to note the important role played by
the Shia Marja'iyyah in helping to maintain social balance
and restraint among the majority Shia community. The 36
year-old cleric intoned that Iraqi leaders must stop their
bickering and move forward with a flexible approach to
achieve their commitments and demonstrate to the Iraqi people
that Iraq's leaders can deliver something more than quarrels
and arguments. He referred positively to Sunni Vice
President Tariq al-Hashemi's "Compact" (septel),stating that
his points were workable. Iraqis now had a good opportunity
to work together and "Iraq's friends" need to encourage all
sides to proceed in this direction so that the Iraqi people
can see progress. Noting that he had just returned from a
productive trip to Kuwait in which he discussed the situation
in Iraq with numerous Kuwaiti officials, Amar said he
detected a new and reasonable attitude toward Iraq among
Kuwaitis, and in Saudi Arabia and the UAE as evidenced by the
Saudi commitment to open an embassy in Baghdad.


3. (C) On the issue of services, he said the energetic
chairman of the Baghdad municipality was a great improvement
over his predecessors. Amar stated that in some areas there
is a link between the presence of armed groups and the
delivery of services. For example, the Minister of Education
had told him that school construction contractors in Sadr
City had been harassed by "an armed group" to the point that
they suspended further work and returned their contract
payments to the Minister, complaining that they could not
continue work under the circumstances (we note that while
Amar did not name this group, he was clearly referring to
Moqtada al-Sadr's Jaysh al-Mehdi). He expressed optimism
that the obstacle to progress posed by armed groups could be
overcome, but the GOI must deal harshly with such groups and
not rely on the groups themselves to issue freeze orders,
since the groups can resume violence at any time. Sporting
rimless eyeglasses, the garb of a tribal sheikh, and the
distinctive black turban that identifies him as a direct
descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, al-Hakim stated that
local communities and tribes must be involved in efforts to
contain armed groups, but claimed that tribes and police
chiefs in the southern provinces are unsure whether they will
receive the same level of support from the GOI and MNF-I as
tribes in western Iraq have received.

Sadrists Infesting the Electoral Commission
--------------


4. (C) Amar expressed concern over the true independence of
the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC),noting a
correlation between IHEC independence from political parties
and the success of future elections. Complaining that
current commission members were tied to political parties, he
alleged that the current head of the IHEC executive office
was close to the Sadrist Movement and had recently packed his

BAGHDAD 00003287 002 OF 002


office and others with fellow Sadrists, a development that
could affect the legitimacy of future elections. He said the
previous IHEC was broadly independent and competent, and he
proposed that the IHEC either revert to its former method of
selecting members and operate under UN auspices, or form a
membership selection committee comprised of representatives
of all political parties, who would act as checks on their
colleagues.

Worried About U.S. - Iran Tension
--------------


5. (C) Raising another issue, Amar said all Iraqis are
concerned about a perceived escalation in tension between the
U.S. and Iran, and stated that Iraq and the region will pay
the price of such conflict. He said his father Abdel Aziz
al-Hakim, who is undergoing cancer treatment in Iran, had
raised this issue with Iranian officials who claimed that
they were doing their part to lower tension and had played a
large role in reducing attacks by the Jaysh al-Mehdi. Amar
opined that previous USG-Iran high-level dialogues has
succeeded in reducing conflict, and suggested that further
such dialogue take place if only on an unofficial basis. The
Ambassador replied that we have seen no indications on the
ground of an Iranian effort to promote stability and improve
the security situation in Iraq. On the contrary, the recent
arrest of an Iranian official in Suleimaniyah and the
continued flow of Iranian weapons into Iraq show that Iran is
not playing a helpful role here. We have seen that previous
dialogues did not change Iran's conduct in Iraq, so it is
hard to justify the need for more such meetings.

Partition Anxiety
--------------


6. (C) Raising the matter of last week's non-binding Senate
resolution that proposed splitting Iraq into decentralized
regions, Amar stated that the vote called for the "partition"
of Iraq and created great embarrassment for Iraq's leaders,
who favor a federal system but not partition. He complained
that the Senate action had led to an Iraqi public perception
of a USG "project" to partition Iraq, and predicted it would
hamper Iraqi efforts to create a federal system as the notion
of federalism was now linked in the public mind with
USG-mandated partition. The Ambassador explained that the
Senate vote was non-binding, and that he had told Congress in
his recent appearance that all Iraqis support a unified Iraq
and are against partition, which would be a catastrophe
resulting in widespread violence.
CROCKER