APPEAL OF GOVERNOR'S CASE IMPEDES RECONCILIATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BASRAH 000110

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/19/2017
TAGS: PGOV MOPS IZ IR
SUBJECT: APPEAL OF GOVERNOR'S CASE IMPEDES RECONCILIATION

REF: (A) BASRAH 93 (B) BAGHDAD 3776

BASRAH 00000110 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Louis L. Bono, Director, Basrah Regional Embassy
Office, Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. (U) This is an action request; please see paragraph 8.


2. (C/Rel MNCI) SUMMARY: Basrah's Badr leader, Hasan al-Rashid,
expressed optimism that increased dialogue among local political
parties was improving the political environment. He
characterized the Sadrists' recent engagement with the
Provincial Council (PC) as encouraging and added that despite
Badr complaints that Governor Mohammed Wa'eli (Fadhila Party) is
not sharing power, both parties are meeting to smooth things
over. Wa'eli, however, is skeptical of Badr's intentions, but
said he would seek to make amends with the opposition and Prime
Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who advocated for his removal.
Unfortunately, Wa'eli's opponents in the PC have appealed the
September 30 court decision in Wa'eli's favor, thus complicating
reconciliation efforts. End Summary.

SADRISTS ENGAGING PROVINCIAL COUNCIL & BADR MEETING FADHILA
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3. (C/Rel MNCI) Hasan al-Rashid (Badr),a leader of the Basrah
Islamic List (BIL) in the Provincial Council (PC),began our
November 13 meeting by noting that the political climate in
Basrah is improving due to increased dialogue among the parties.
He said the Sadrists were renouncing violence and moving
towards reconciliation because: (1) they lost ground in
Diwaniyah, Nasiriyah, and Karbala; (2) ISCI leader, Abdel Aziz
al-Hakim, pressured Iran to have Jaysh al-Mahdi (JAM) cease
attacks against Badr; and (3) because of the Badr/ISCI - OMS
committees set-up by al-Hakim and Muqtada al-Sadr. As a result,
and thanks to British encouragement, the Sadrists created a
dialogue committee with the PC. Al-Rashid admitted that dealing
with the Sadrists was difficult but hopes these initiatives keep
them on the political track.


4. (C/Rel MNCI) Al-Rashid also told us that Badr/ISCI and
Fadhila are holding discussions in Baghdad, and these
discussions would determine the framework for relations in
Basrah. So far, Badr noticed increased Fadhila cooperation, and
as a good faith gesture, Badr decided not to appeal the
September 30 court decision in favor of Governor Wa'eli (ref A).
Al-Rashid cautioned, however, that Fadhila should not overplay
its hand or an appeal was still possible. He noted that Fadhila
was "having internal problems" and predicted that in one year,
Fadhila would have less influence over Basrah's government, zero
presence in the central government, and little strength in the
southern provinces.


5. (C/Rel MNCI) Al-Rashid said the rift between BIL and Wa'eli
(and hence Fadhila) was not about money per se, but about the
Governor's power over the administrative institutions that
control Basrah's resources. From Badr's perspective, Wa'eli
could hold onto the governorate, but needed to stop ignoring the
other parties and equitably distribute power. He said Fadhila
was making political errors because it was a "young party," but
it needs to learn from its mistakes.

FADHILA'S WA'ELI DOUBTFUL, BUT SEEKS RECONCILIATION
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6. (C/Rel MNCI) Governor Wa'eli seemed oblivious to any Fadhila
problems on the horizon when we met with him on November 15.
Emboldened by his court victory (and recent liposuction
surgery),Wa'eli bragged, "I've knocked them [BIL] out. Trying
to get rid of me is a lost cause." He expressed doubts that
Badr would reconcile with him given their Iranian tethers.
Despite this, Wa'eli confirmed that Fadhila was negotiating with
Badr, and he was trying to make amends with his opponents. He
noted that BIL members visited him while he was recovering from
his surgery, and for his part, he invited a BIL member to
accompany him to the dedication of a new library. He also plans
to request, through an intermediary, a reconciliation meeting
with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who advocated against him.
Wa'eli was uncertain if the Prime Minister would receive him,
but agreed it was necessary to improve relations with the
central government as Basrah approaches Provincial Iraqi
Control.


7. (C/Rel MNCI) On November 19, Wa'eli informed us that Maliki
directed his Dawa Party colleague, PC Chairman Mohammed
al-Obadi, to file an appeal. Another PC member later confirmed

BASRAH 00000110 002.2 OF 002


that an appeal has been filed. Wa'eli lamented that the High
Tribunal Chief Midhat al-Mahmoud, a close ally of Maliki and
ISCI leader al-Hakim, was already examining the Administrative
Court's September 30 decision. Wa'eli said that "other
procedures" existed for him should another court over-turn the
Administrative Court's ruling. He believes Maliki's actions are
being driven by the United Iraqi Alliance and Iranian interests.


COMMENT
--------------


8. (C/Rel MNCI) Wa'eli and al-Rashid's comments highlight how
bumpy the road to reconciliation will be when both believe that
they are in the driver's seat. The appeal complicates matters
further by putting Wa'eli up against the wall and disrupting
reconciliation with BIL. UK officials agree that an appeal is
unhelpful, increases party tensions, and may derail
reconciliation. Still, there are encouraging signs: the
Sadrists are speaking to the PC; the parties are talking to each
other; and according to UK officials, al-Rashid opposed the
appeal. We continue to press the parties not to make disruptive
moves, to engage in dialogue, and for the Governor to reconcile
with Maliki. We request that Embassy Baghdad likewise continue
to encourage the Prime Minister to reconcile with Wa'eli to
ensure a smooth transition at PIC (ref B). End Comment.
BONO