SADRISTS TELL CODEL POMEROY "WE ARE BROTHERS"

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 003961

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2017
TAGS: PGOV PTER IZ
SUBJECT: SADRISTS TELL CODEL POMEROY "WE ARE BROTHERS"

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


1. (C) Summary: In a December 3 session with Codel Pomeroy, a
delegation of Sadrists led by Sheikh Shia al-Faraji solicited
U.S. investment in the reconstruction of Sadr City, lambasted
the GOI's dependence on Iran, and suggested that the U.S. use
the good offices of Grand Ayatollah Sistani to launch talks
with Muqtada al-Sadr. End summary.

Sadr City Asks for Help
--------------


2. (C) Codel Pomeroy (Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-ND; Rep. Ron Kind,
D-WI; Rep. Christopher Shays, R-CT; Rep. Earl Perlmutter,
D-CO; and Rep. Brian Baird, D-WA) met December 3 with a
Sadrist delegation led by Sheikh Shia Al-Faraji, a religious
sheikh and prominent representative of the Office of the
Martyr Sadr (OMS) in Sadr City. Al-Faraji was accompanied by
Sheikh Hasim al-Saady, Ra'ed Musawi, Atheer al-Musawi, Sheikh
Shawkat Rubaie (the imam of the al-Zahra mosque) and Deputy
City Councilman Hassan Shamina.


3. (C) After welcoming remarks and introductions, Sheikh
al-Faraji provided an overview of Sadr City, which he
described as a teeming bed of suffering under the former
regime. Since Saddam's downfall, al-Faraji continued, "the
suffering has changed form, but the people are still
suffering." He claimed that the GOI actively discriminated
against Sadr City when it came to providing basic services,
and noted that since the time of the 2005 elections, not a
single GOI minister has ventured into Sadr City to assess its
needs. As for Sadr City's reputation for violence, al-Faraji
claimed that Sadr City's inhabitants were essentially
peaceful, although a few "external forces" had "exploited
some incidents" to tarnish the neighborhood's reputation.


4. (C) Al-Faraji smoothly transitioned into the Sadrist
delegation's key message: in order to take full advantage of
the ceasefire ordered by Muqtada al-Sadr, Congress should
quickly apportion funds for reconstruction projects in Sadr
City. As a secondary request, he expressed interest in
pairing Sadr City's sole university with one or more American
colleges in order to promote educational exchanges.

Anti-Americanism? Water Under the Bridge
--------------


5. (C) Rep. Shays asked the Sadrists why, after the U.S. had
invested some 1 trillion dollars in Iraq without seeking a
drop of Iraqi oil in return, the Sadrists speak so harshly
about the U.S. and claim that the U.S. must depart Iraq
before relations between AMERICA and the Sadrists can
improve. Al-Faraji shook his head reprovingly. "With all
due respect, that's how we felt previously . . . Now, we call
you brothers," he said.


6. (C) Why the putative change in the Sadrist attitude
towards the U.S.? Because, said al-Faraji, the Sadrists have
finally "uncovered the bad intentions of others." "Why do
they want to divide Iraq?" demanded al-Faraji, in an obvious
swipe at ISCI. Answering his own question, he continued:
"Because their families are abroad, because they don't care
what happens to Iraq, and because they just care about their
personal interests." Al-Faraji also lambasted senior GOI
officials for taking a soft line on Iranian agents found
operating in Iraq, hinting that this leniency was a direct
result of ISCI's dependency upon Tehran.

How to Launch Talks With Muqtada al-Sadr
--------------


7. (C) On behalf of Muqtada al-Sadr (MAS),Al-Faraji thanked
the Codel and MNF-I for the reduction in military operations
in Sadr City over the past two months (although he complained
that the drop in Coalition operations has been offset by an
increase in raids into Sadr City by the Iraqi Security Forces
(ISF). He then shared his prescription for launching peace
talks between the Sadrist Trend and the USG. The U.S.
should, he contended, start by sending a delegation to Grand
Ayatollah Sistani and asking him to broker a meeting between
an American representative and Muqtada al-Sadr. Sistani
would agree, extend the invitation to MAS, who would
undoubtedly accept. This would unlock the door to better
relations between the USG and the Sadrists.


8. (C) Rep. Shays elicited approving nods from the Sadrist
delegation when he said that the U.S. did not want to see a
divided Iraq. Rep. Kind cautioned that after all the money
the U.S. has already invested in Iraq (a sum he estimated at
nearly USD 1 trillion),the American public is reluctant to
invest more in Iraq unless there is a dramatic improvement in
the security situation. Sadr City Deputy Councilman Mr.
Hassan Shamina' replied that the residents of Sadr City hoped

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that the U.S. would undertake a new "Marshall Plan" for Sadr
City. He noted that there has been a decline in violence
recently, which he attributed to Iran's realization that it
had erred by siding with AQI. He added: "Al-Qaeda aside, the
Shia parties themselves recognize that they're ripping apart
their own country."


9. (C) Sheikh Shia Faraji expressed his hope that peace will
prevail between Iraq and the U.S., and that "we will become
close friends and even inter-marry." Picking up on Faraji's
statement, Rep. Shays quipped that he had an unmarried
27-year old daughter, at which point one of the Sadrist
clerics, Atheer al-Musawi, visibly brightened. "Please
reserve her for me!" implored the cleric, adding smugly:
"Once she sees me, she'll accept me."


10. (U) Codel Pomeroy did not have a chance to clear this
message before departing Iraq.
BUTENIS