THE DEPUTY SECRETARY'S DECEMBER 1 MEETING WITH

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 003940 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL IZ SUBJECT: THE DEPUTY SECRETARY'S DECEMBER 1 MEETING WITH PRIME MINISTER MALIKI Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Patricia A. Butenis for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (S) Summary: In a Dec. 1 meeting with the Deputy Secretary that focused on the question of UNSCR renewal, Prime Minister (PM) Maliki agreed to not open up the operative paragraphs of the UNSCR to debate. We agreed that GOI concerns over roles and responsibilities in military operations could be spelled out as goals in the GOI letter to the UNSC requesting a rollover of the MNF-I mandate and in upcoming bilateral negotiations, to take place after UNSCR passage. Maliki promised to brief this solution to the GOI's Political Council for National Security (PCNS) on December 2, with an eye toward providing an Iraqi text of the letter to the U.S. team immediately thereafter. Maliki did not specify when he would send the letter to the UNSC. Turning to pending legislation, Maliki noted the need to schedule provincial elections, especially in Anbar province, and said that work continues on a new elections law. End summary. UNSCR Renewal -------------- ¶2. (S) In a December 1 meeting with PM Maliki, the Deputy Secretary introduced the subject of the UNSCR renewal. He SIPDIS explained that the U.S. understanding of the Declaration of Principles was that its issuance would prepare the way for bilateral negotiations on security and other issues with the intent of reaching agreement before the end of 2008 or, preferably, much sooner. In the meantime, the UNSCR (which authorizes the MNF-I presence in Iraq and which expires on December 31, 2007) would be renewed. The Deputy Secretary expressed concern that some in the GOI have put forward the idea that the language of the UNSCR should be modified to reflect some bilateral issues -- a development which, if pursued, would cause serious complications. ¶3. (S) Maliki acknowledged that the UNSCR would be renewed within a matter of days, both because this is what the GOI had committed to in the Declaration and also because he regarded this as the first step toward a more intensive discussion about our bilateral relationship. He made the point, however, that last year in his letter to the Security Council he presented three or four points about how the military campaign should be managed. He had refrained from again raising those points over the past twelve months because it had been a difficult year security-wise. But now that the security situation has changed, he thought there should be changes to reflect the improvements. Specifically, he said there should be changes in who is in control of military activities, the development of Iraqi forces and other security matters. He noted that the Iraqi citizens are seeing improvements in the security environment and will expect commensurate changes in military arrangements. "It is time for you to lay down some of the burden on the shoulders of our forces," he said, adding that since the plan was to start work on a bilateral agreement "this should not be a problem." ¶4. (S) Maliki's National Security Advisor (NSA),Dr. Mowafak Rubai'e, apparently dissatisfied with the appearance that the matter was settled, interjected that the negotiations were important but the issues raised in the letter of last year had direct implications for the UNSCR. With this prompting, the PM returned to his earlier point that over the last year a number of "infractions" had occurred about which he had been deeply unhappy. These included, he alleged, instances of U.S. forces entering ministries without accompanying Iraqi forces in contravention (or so Maliki asserted) of an agreement reached earlier. He had refrained from raising these matters in the media but he felt he had a commitment from the U.S., and such developments had caused him embarrassment in the Council of Representatives (CoR). He added that Iraqis feel sometimes that they have gone back to the situation of an "occupation" as it was in 2003. ¶5. (S) The Deputy Secretary stressed that no one wants to recreate the situation of 2003 and that everyone is aware there have been problems and likewise issues to discuss. He suggested that these issues could not be resolved in the thirty days remaining before the resolution expired. The Prime Minister agreed. The Deputy Secretary proposed that the two sides could work on the exchange of letters and that there could be other discussions as well of the issues the Prime Minister raised. ¶6. (S) Maliki said he would brief the issue to his Political Council on National Security the evening of December 2 and promised to provide the text of the letter to the U.S. team immediately thereafter. He did not foresee a BAGHDAD 00003940 002 OF 002 problem with the extension of the resolution, he said, but the problems which had occurred should not occur again. Elections -------------- ¶7. (S) Turning to pending legislation, Maliki noted that security is improving on a provincial level and that there is a need to set a time for new provincial elections, especially in Anbar province. The Deputy Secretary agreed, adding that those who boycotted the December 2005 elections now regret that decision. The PM expressed concern about the oil law, noting that the KRG's contracts go against its agreement with the central government. All KRG contracts should stop, said Maliki, who added that he had invited Mahmoud Barzani to come to Baghdad on December 5 to discuss the issue. Maliki voiced satisfaction with increased oil production, which he said now averages 1.8 million barrels per day (bdp),up from 1.7 million bpd in the past. On de-Ba'athification reform, Maliki noted that the de-Ba'ath bill had undergone its second reading at the CoR earlier in the day and that the CoR was "working toward a solution" that would allow the draft to be brought to a vote. ¶8. (U) The Deputy Secretary's party has cleared this cable. BUTENIS