ANBAR SHEIKHS MEET WITH PM MALIKI

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 003366 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/08/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL IZ SUBJECT: ANBAR SHEIKHS MEET WITH PM MALIKI REF: A) BAGHDAD 03198 B) BAGHDAD 03311 Classified By: Anbar PRT Team Leader Jim Soriano for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) This is a Anbar PRT reporting cable. ¶2. (C) SUMMARY: On October 1 a delegation of Anbari leaders from the anti-insurgency movement Sahawa al-Iraq, or Awakening Council of Iraq (SAI),met with Prime Minister Maliki in Baghdad to discuss security and other Anbar-related issues. During the meeting PM Maliki promised to provide GOI funding for 6,000 additional police for Anbar Province, which would raise the official number of police in the province to 27,000, according to SAI leader Sheikh Ahmad Bezia Ftaykhan al-Rishawi. Ahmad also told us that PM Maliki confirmed a promise made at an Economic Development and Governance forum in Ramadi September 6 - known as Anbar Forum II - that the GOI would separately fund 6,000 government workers for Anbar Province. Sheikh Ahmad's meeting with PM Maliki, as well as his other meetings while in Baghdad with the Minister of Defense, Ambassador Crocker and General Petraeus, were an important first step in his consolidation of SAI leadership. The meetings showcased Ahmad as a tribal leader to be taken seriously in Anbar. END SUMMARY. ¶3. (C) On October 1 a delegation of Anbari leaders from the anti-insurgency movement Sahawa al-Iraq, or Awakening Council of Iraq (SAI),met with Prime Minister Maliki in Baghdad to discuss security and other Anbar-related issues. The group was led by SAI's newly appointed leader, Sheikh Ahmad Bezia Ftaykhan al-Rishawi, who was making his first trip to Baghdad since he assumed leadership of SAI in the wake of his brother's September 13 assassination (ref A). AHMAD: MALIKI PROMISES MORE POLICE -------------- ¶4. (C) The most significant result of the meeting, according Sheikh Ahmad, was a promise by Maliki to provide GOI funding for 6,000 additional police for Anbar Province, which would raise the official number of police in the province to 27,000. (Note: We have not received independent confirmation of Maliki's reported promise of 6,000 additional police. Ahmad's version is at variance with earlier statements from the GOI that they would not approve an increase beyond the 21,000 police. End Note.) Ahmad described Maliki's promise for additional police as part of the GOI's commitment to capitalize on the successful fight against Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) in Anbar, and a victory for SAI. Flush with success at the outcome of the meeting, Ahmad told us that SAI,s credibility as "the leader" of the anti-insurgency movement in Anbar was critical in gaining Maliki,s support for additional police. ¶5. (C) Moreover, Ahmad added that PM Maliki also confirmed a promise made at the September 6 Anbar Forum in Ramadi that the GOI would fund 6,000 government workers for Anbar Province. ¶6. (C) Also attending the meeting for the Anbaris were Ramadi sheikhs Hameed al Heiss and Moad Al Humaish, Fallujah Sheikh Ifan Sadoon Afam, and Tarik Yousif Mohammed, SAI,s security director. GOI officials included Minister of Finance Bayan Jabr and National Security Advisor Muwafaq al Rubaie. Also discussed were plans to refurbish Anbar's highways - another deliverable from Anbar Forum II - and a proposal to rebuild tourism infrastructure at a Saddam-era lakeshore resort near Habbiniyah. In separate meetings, Sheikh Ahmad met with Minister of Defense Abdul Qader Jassim, Ambassador Crocker (ref B),and Commanding General Petraeus. COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (C) Sheikh Ahmad's meeting with PM Maliki, as well as his other meetings while in Baghdad, were an important first step in his consolidation of SAI leadership. The meetings showcased Ahmad as a tribal leader to be taken seriously in Anbar, as was his brother, Sheikh Sattar Abu Risha. If Ahmad's report that he received a commitment from the PM for additional police pans out, it could enhance his credibility as an effective anti-insurgency leader and a major player in Anbar tribal politics. END COMMENT. CROCKER