IRAQI PM CHIEF OF STAFF DISCUSSES MINISTERIAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000927

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/13/2017
TAGS: IZ PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: IRAQI PM CHIEF OF STAFF DISCUSSES MINISTERIAL
CONFERENCE, DYNCORP BAN

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Daniel Speckhard per 1.4 (b) and (d)

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Daniel Speckhard per 1.4 (b)
and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: In a March 12 meeting with PM Chief of
Staff Tariq Abdullah, the Charge urged the PM's office to
continue to press for de-Baathification reform and movement
on the hydrocarbons law. He congratulated the PM's office on
the successful Neighbors Conference and stressed the
importance of moving forward with the ministerial level
event. Abdullah told the Charge that the GOI wanted the next
event to be held in Iraq, and insisted that it could not take
place in an Arab or neighboring country. Abdullah confirmed
that the PM's office had requested an extension to the State
of Emergency, and was unsure why it had not been on the CoR
agenda that day. Abdullah also confirmed that the PM had
decided to ban all DynCorp employees from Iraq based on their
alleged involvement in a high profile jailbreak last year.
Abdullah expressed desire for a closer relationship with
Washington, and asked the Charge to help facilitate a US
visit to enhance ties between the PM's office and USG
officials. END SUMMARY.

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Charge Urges Continued Support for Key Legislation
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2. (C) The Charge noted that the Ambassador had met with the
PM, VPs and other political leaders before departing for the
US, and that there had been movement towards agreement on a
Presidency Council compromise de-Baathification draft law.
Abdullah said that although the PM had met with VP Adil Abdel
Mehdi before Mehdi left for the US, he had not yet heard
anything from the PM on the status of the de-Baathification
compromise draft. The Charge stated that the USG would
appreciate the PM's support in pushing the draft forward and
urged Abdullah to follow-up on the issue.


3. (C) The Charge praised GOI efforts to move forward with
hydrocarbons legislation, congratulating the PM's office on
its role in passing a framework through the Council of
Ministers. He cautioned that there was still more to be
done, noting that the PM's active support was still required
to ensure that the bill maintained momentum.

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Neighbors Conference, Looking Ahead to Ministerial
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4. (C) The Charge congratulated the GOI on hosting the
successful Neighbors Conference, noting that the USG was very
pleased with the results. He acknowledged the GOI desire to
have the next conference in Baghdad, but said that
ministerial participation would difficult under those
circumstances. Abdullah replied that if there were security
concerns about holding the conference in Baghdad, it could be
held in another Iraqi city, perhaps Erbil or Sulaymaniyah.
The Charge said that the US had no objection to such an
arrangement, but expressed concern that other participants
had reservations about any ministerial level event in Iraq,
and the issue of location could become an excuse to delay the
meeting indefinitely. Abdullah stated that the GOI believed
that the conference would have little value if not held in
Iraq.


5. (C) The Charge asked that the PM reconsider his position,
highlighting the importance of dialogue and cooperation on
Iraq issues, rather than the actual location of such talks.
Abdullah said that world leaders, including President Bush
and UK PM Blair, had safely visited Iraq without incident and
said that the problem was with the Arab countries, some of
which had offered to host the meeting. Abdullah insisted
that the conference could not take place in any Arab or
neighboring country. The Charge urged the GOI to begin
working on getting agreement for a location amongst the
participants.

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State of Emergency Extension
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6. (C) On the issue of the status of the State of Emergency
extension, which was last extended on January 23 and has
since lapsed, Abdullah said that the PM had sent the
paperwork requesting the extension to Minister of State for
CoR Affairs Safa Al-Safi "some time ago." The Charge noted
that although the CoR had quorum at the March 12 opening
session, the extension was not addressed and urged the PM's
office to follow-up with Al-Safi on their request (Note: the
extension was passed by the CoR on March 13. End Note.).


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DynCorp Accused of Jailbreak, Barred from Iraq
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7. (C) The Charge expressed concern at a recent decision from
the PM's office to deny entry visas to DynCorp employees in
Iraq, which was reportedly based on allegations that DynCorp
had helped former Minister of Electricity Ayham Al-Sammaraie
to escape from jail and flee Iraq. The Charge explained that
neither DynCorp nor Embassy officials had received prior
notice of the decision, which affects almost 1000 employees.
He said that DynCorp had denied any involvement in
Al-Sammaraie's escape, and that the US had not seen any
conclusive evidence of the company's involvement in the
incident. Abdullah replied that an American company had
taken Al-Sammaraie from the jail, and that he fled the
country on an American plane. Abdullah acknowledged that
Al-Sammaraie did not leave on a USG plane.


8. (C) The Charge emphasized the tremendous impact that
barring DynCorp would have on MOJ, MOI, MOD and Higher
Juridical Council training programs, and said it would
greatly hamper mutual efforts to provide security and improve
rule of law in Iraq. He noted that PM Maliki and President
Bush had agreed to accelerate the transfer of security
responsibilities in Iraq, based in part on capacity building
programs run by DynCorp. Denying Dyncorp employee entry
visas would risk a delay in the timetable for security
transfer, as well as a significant loss of momentum in the
fight to reverse outside infiltration of the security and
correction services. The Charge agreed that if the
allegations proved to be true, DynCorp should be reprimanded.
However he urged the PM continue to extend DynCorp employees
entry visas until a full, fair, and rigorous investigation
was complete.


9. (C) Abdullah listened intently, but stated that the PM
would not be convinced until he had seen results of the
investigation showing that DynCorp had not been involved.
The Charge said that the Embassy would prepare a list of the
programs that would be affected by this policy so that the PM
could understand the costs before making a final decision.

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Abdullah and Al-Rikaby Ask for Assistance for US Trip
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10. (C) Abdullah said that PM Maliki and President Bush had
agreed to facilitate more regular contact between their
staffs, in order to exchange views on issues and to cultivate
a close working relationship similar to that between the US
and Saudi Arabia. He lamented that the Iraqi Embassy in
Washington wasn't capable of fostering better ties, noting
that it wasn't a "real Embassy." As such, Abdullah asked on
behalf of the Prime Minister that the Charge to help
facilitate a US visit for himself and the PM Political
Advisor Sadiq Al-Rikaby. He said the Prime Minister would
like this visit to take place as soon as possible and, in
particular, before the PM's visit to Japan on April 7. The
Charge welcomed increased interaction between the PM's office
and USG officials, and said he would relay the request to
Washington.
SPECKHARD