MALIKI ADVISOR SAYS CHRISTIAN LEADERS ACCEPT PM'S

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 003694 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/07/2017 TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KIRF IZ VT SUBJECT: MALIKI ADVISOR SAYS CHRISTIAN LEADERS ACCEPT PM'S AID, UNAMI HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF SHOULD BE CHANGED REF: A. BAGHDAD 2010 ¶B. BAGHDAD 1434 ¶C. BAGHDAD 1607 BAGHDAD 00003694 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: DEPUTY POLITICAL COUNSELOR ELLEN GERMAIN, FOR REASONS 1. 4 (B,D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: According to PM's advisor George Bakoos, Chaldean Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly on October 27 accepted assistance to the Iraqi Christian community that Maliki had offered when they met three months earlier. Bakoos said the offer consisted of hiring Christian security personnel through the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and providing one million dinar (800 USD) stipends per displaced Christian family, and that Delly finally agreed to provide lists of suitable candidates on October 27. Bakoos reported that Delly previously accepted the PM's donation of 100 million dinars (80,000 USD) in general aid for distribution through the Council of Christian Church Leaders in Baghdad (CCCB). (However, as of November 6, Baghdad Christians, including Non-Muslim Endowment President Abdullah Naufali, could not confirm receiving this aid from the PM.) Bakoos also noted the PM's senior staff plans to press incoming Special Representative to the Secretary General Staffan De Mistura to replace United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq's (UNAMI) Human Rights Chief Hania Mufti, whom they complain is biased. END SUMMARY. -------------- -------------- PM's ADVISOR: CHALDEAN PATRIARCH ACCEPTS PM'S AID -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) PM's Advisor George Bakoos, an Assyrian Christian, told PolOff October 29 that Cardinal Delly agreed to provide the PM lists of Christians to be employed as security personnel by the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and displaced Christian families to receive one million dinars (800 USD) each when they met on October 27. He explained that Christian security personnel would help protect the Christian community. Bakoos noted the PM had actually offered this assistance to Delly three months ago when he met with Delly, Chaldean Vice-Patriarch Shlemoon Wardoni, and the Primate of the Iraqi Armenian Diocese Archbishop Avak Asadourian to discuss the Christian community's security situation and displacement. Bakoos said that Delly had accepted Maliki's offer to donate 100 million dinars (80,000 USD) of general aid to be distributed to Christians through the Council of Christian Church Leaders in Baghdad (CCCB) during this meeting. (Note: Patriarch Delly leads the CCCB with Archbishop Asadourian as his deputy. The CCCB normally meets every six months to discuss Christian concerns across sects and can also convene for emergencies (ref A). End note.) ¶3. (C) Bakoos said that he was uncertain whether the PM's office was still in a position to provide the one million dinars of financial aid for individual displaced families that was offered several months ago. He said that Non-Muslim Endowment Chair Abdullah Naufali (a Chaldean Christian) was compiling the lists of Christian families to receive aid and Christians to be hired by MoI for the PM's office. He expressed frustration that Delly waited three months before agreeing to provide the names. Commenting on Delly's apparent reluctance to provide this information, Bakoos remarked that people needed to realize they are no longer living under Saddam. -------------- --- CHRISTIANS HAVE NOT CONFIRMED RECEIVING PM'S AID -------------- --- ¶4. (C) Abdullah Naufali informed PolOff November 6 that while leaders of various Christian churches had indeed sought financial aid from the PM's office, they are still waiting to see support. He cautioned that "Officially, I have no idea about what you asked." (Comment: Naufali likely wanted to avoid publicly criticizing the PM's responsiveness to date due to concerns that antagonizing the PM's office, to which the religious endowments are officially attached, would jeopardize the prospects of aid. End comment.) Meanwhile, Baghdad Christians have reported receiving some assistance through churches, although they have been unable to confirm the source of the funds. Two locally-engaged Chaldean Christian Embassy employees said that several months ago, Saint George's Church, located on the Rusafa side of Baghdad, distributed stipends of 50,000 dinars (40 USD) to displaced Christian families of all denominations across Baghdad. One reported that the church has functioned as a central registry center for displaced Christians to whom the church has also BAGHDAD 00003694 002.2 OF 002 provided supplies such as food, heaters, and mattresses. -------------- -------------- BAKOOS: PM'S OFFICE TO SEEK NEW UNAMI HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) Turning to UNAMI, Bakoos said the PM's office planned to approach Staffan De Mistura on removing UNAMI Human Rights Chief Hania Mufti -- "that Palestinian woman" -- whom they consider to be biased, when De Mistura takes office as the UNAMI SRSG. Bakoos said that the PM'S Chief of Staff Tariq Abdullah was involved in this plan, and maintained that he personally had nothing against Palestinians. He conceded that UNAMI had provided the GOI with two weeks to review and comment on the draft of its second quarter human rights report before publicly releasing it on October 11. Bakoos acknowledged that this was a change from the approach UNAMI took in late April when it withdrew an initial offer to allow the GOI a week to comment on the draft before publicly releasing the first quarter human rights report (ref B). However, he remained adamant that UNAMI should be neutral, and Mufti had demonstrated she is not. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶6. (C) While the PM's office released a statement pledging to help stop the outflow of Christians in connection with the October 27 Maliki-Delly meeting, Bakoos and Naufali's comments indicate the details of GOI aid to Christians are still sketchy. It is unclear whether any aid from the PM's office has actually reached Christians, although Delly's apparent reluctance to provide identifying information on Christians needing aid would have constrained the PM's ability to move forward with providing assistance. Post will continue seeking information on the forms of government aid that are reaching Christians and other endangered minorities. END COMMENT. CROCKER