C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BASRAH 000118

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/16/2017
TAGS: MOPS PGOV PREL PTER PINS IZ
SUBJECT: BASRAH PROVINCE RETURNED TO IRAQI CONTROL

REF: A. BAGHDAD 3776 B. BASRAH 117

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CLASSIFIED BY: Hal Howard, A/Director, Regional Embassy Office -
Basrah, Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (a), (b), (d)




1. (U) Basrah province was officially returned to Provincial
Iraqi Control (PIC) December 16 at a well run ceremony held at
the Basrah Air Station. Basrah is the fourth and final province
in MND(SE), and the ninth of Iraq's eighteen provinces, to
undergo a security transfer. UK Foreign Minister David
Miliband, UK Ambassador to Iraq Christopher Prentice,
PolMilCouns Marcie Ries, members of the Provincial Council,
Iraqi Generals Mohan Fahad (Basrah Operations Commander) and
Police Chief Jalil Shueil, as well as a large local and
international press contingent attended. The event was
broadcast live on Iraqi state television.


2. (U) The highlight of the event were keynote speeches by
MND(SE) commander MG Graham Binns, Iraqi National Security
Advisor Muwafaq al-Rubaie, and Basrah Governor Muhammad
al-Wa'eli followed by the signing of a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) transferring civil authority to the
governor. (Note: LTG Mohan and Governor Wa'eli signed a separate
MOU December 15 acknowledging that Mohan, as the GOI
representative, was responsible for security. See Ref A. End
note.) Following the signing ceremony, a military parade was
held at Basrah Palace for an audience of several hundred,
marking the first public use of the Palace since 2003.


3. (U) Rubaie's comments emphasized the need for continued
security progress:

-- the central government (not the provincial) would be
responsible for security - Iraqi Police would respond to
problems first, backed up by the Iraqi Army, and if necessary
the British forces would intervene upon the approval of Prime
Minister Nuri al-Maliki;
-- the rule of law needed to be upheld;
-- only the government should have weapons; and
-- political parties needed to unite and "crack down on militias
and religious extremists."

Rubaie also asked the Coalition to focus on economic development
calling 2008 a "year of reconstruction. He noted that the
Basrah Development Forum, held two days previously, was a good
start towards Basrah's reconstruction (Ref B).


4. (U) Wa'eli reiterated the need for the rule of law to be
upheld, pledged the provincial government's support to the ISF,
and also urged the central government to support Basrah's
economic development. Binns said that the UK came in 2003 to
"rid Basrah of its enemies and was now returning it back to its
friends." He also noted that the UK role would be "one of
assistance, not interference," and pledge the UK assistance to
continue training ISF. During the press questions, Binns noted
that "the legal right to detain and intern combatants is
enshrined in the UNSC resolution," that periodic reviews of an
internee's status were held, and that MND(SE) has released
nearly 1,500 prisoners. Rubaie added that the GoI is reviewing
a plan to release two-thirds of the GOI's 24,000 detainees and
the Coalition's 26,000 by the end of next year. This would be a
judicial rather than a political matter, he said.


5. (C) According to MND-SE, British forces currently number
4,500, but will drop to 2,500 in the spring of 2008. With the
handover to Iraqi control, the British will move into
"overwatch," which they describe as "training and mentoring the
Iraqi Security Forces; securing supply routes and helping police
the Iran-Iraq border; and maintaining the ability to come to the
assistance of the ISF if they are called upon." The UK POLAD to
MND(SE) told poloff that their version of `overwatch' will
significantly differ from U.S. practice in post-PIC provinces
(i.e., U.S. forces embedding with ISF and continued kinetic
operations), and the UK anticipates conflicts with MNC-I
regarding operational expectations.


6. (C/NF) Comment: We remain guardedly optimistic about
Basrah's post-PIC future. The attendance of nearly all
Provincial Council members is a positive sign of political
reconciliation, most of Jaysh al-Mahdi appears to be adhering to
Muqtada al-Sadr's ceasefire, and IDF attacks against MND(SE)
have dropped over the last six months. In a private meeting

BASRAH 00000118 002.2 OF 002


with the governor, the provincial council and other local
notables, NSA Rubaie underscored his message about the necessity
for eliminating militias and for political reconciliation. The
best way to ensure Basrah does not backslide post-PIC is by
eliminating the militia influences upon the ISF and improving
their capacity to handle security. End Comment.


7. (U) Ambassador Marcie Ries has cleared this cable.
HOWARD