MUTED IRAQI REACTION TO SPD

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 003877

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/28/2017
TAGS: PGOV IR IZ
SUBJECT: MUTED IRAQI REACTION TO SPD

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


1. (C) Summary: On November 25th the Iraqi Council of
Representatives (CoR) held a closed session to discuss the
Strategic Partnership Declaration (SPD) between the U.S. and
Iraq. Despite scattered complaints, the overall reaction
among MPs to the SPD has been muted, reflecting CoR members'
preoccupation with other issues and their recognition of
Iraq's continued dependence on the U.S. End Summary.


2. (C) Hassan al-Shemmeri, CoR member and Fadhila head, said
that he personally considered the SPD "beneficial" and a good
first step to relieving Iraq of its political dependency.
However, he said as a political party Fadhilah would oppose
the declaration to protest PM Maliki's government, which
Shemmeri denounced as non-representative. He added that
Tawafuq was considering a similar step, while the Sadrists
would oppose any agreement with the U.S., because "they
consider themselves a religious and not a political party."


3. (C) Tanya Gilly, CoR member, expressed anger that CoR
members were not told in advance of the SPD. She dismissed
the declaration as deliberately vague and said she had no
objection to the SPD itself but resented the secretive nature
of the negotiations and the fact that CoR members never
received a copy of the text. On a more positive note, Deputy
PM Barham Saleh said the SPD "should be celebrated as a major
success. Absolutely."


4. (C) Tawafuq leader Adnan Dulaymi said Tawafuq supported
the principles of the SPD. He noted that VP Hashimi detailed
his bloc's views on the strategic partnership and coming
bilateral negotiations in an exchange of letters with
Ambassador Crocker. He confirmed that VP Hashimi signed on
to the declaration on behalf of the Sunni bloc on November 26
without further conditions. However, he questioned whether
PM Maliki could sign an agreement on behalf of the Iraqi
people. Hiwar leader Salih al-Mutlaq asked the same question
in a November 27 interview on the Baghdad Channel.


5. (C) Comment: Overall the reaction to the SPD was muted.
In recent parliamentary sessions CoR members have been
preoccupied with other issues, including alleged mistreatment
at Coalition checkpoints and resolving the confusion over
multiple drafts of the 2008 federal budget. The absence of a
strong reaction also reflects a recognition among politicians
that the Iraqi government remains dependent on a continued
U.S. presence. End Comment.
BUTENIS