GOVERNOR, POLICE CHIEF REPORTED TO BE SACKED

C O N F I D E N T I A L BASRAH 000044

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 5/24/2017
TAGS: PGOV PNAT PINS IZ
SUBJECT: GOVERNOR, POLICE CHIEF REPORTED TO BE SACKED

REF: (A) BASRAH 38, (B) BASRAH 40

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




1. (C) Rumors abound in Basrah May 24 that Basrah Governor
Mohammed al-Wa'eli and Basrah Chief of Police Mohammed Hammadi
al-Musawi are about to be sacked. According to former Basrah
Governor Hasan al-Rashid and other sources, Prime Minister Nouri
al-Maliki has decided to remove the governor from office but has
not issued a written order. Al-Rashid, one of al-Wa'eli's main
opponents, has been negotiating for the governor's removal,
offering in exchange to consider another member of the
governor's Fadhila party as a replacement. Basrah Council
member Aqeel Talib of the Fadhila party said the rumors of the
governor's imminent removal are just that.


2. (C) The governor returned to his office in Basrah following
meetings with the Prime Minster in Baghdad. For several months,
al-Wa'eli has been facing votes in the Basrah Provincial Council
and street demonstrations to leave office. (See Ref A.) The
governor and his Fadhila party rejected the demands, saying he
is the democratically elected office holder. Twenty-seven of
the 41 members of the Basrah Provincial Council have voted to
remove the governor. The governor's supporters say that figure
falls short of the two-thirds majority -- 28 -- needed to oust
him. His opponents say that only 39 members of the council are
empowered to vote, so 27 is one vote above the needed two-thirds
majority. (Note: The governor and deputy governor are
non-voting members of the Provincial Council. End note.)
Fadhila intends to contest attempts to oust the governor.
Fadhila claims that some Provincial Council members were forced
to vote for the governor's removal under threat of death.
Fadhila is trying to convince three Iraqi National Accord
members to travel to Baghdad to advise the Prime Minister that
their votes were under duress. The house and car of one of the
INA members were reportedly shot up this morning.


3. (C) Reports on the sacking of Basrah Police Chief Mohammed
Hamadi al-Musawi carry more detail. The Deputy Interior
Minister in charge of Police Affairs, Aidan, informed REO Basrah
that an informal decision to remove the police chief was taken
one week ago when three Interior Ministry envoys from Baghdad
were kidnapped in Basrah while investigating security conditions
in the province. (See ref B.) Interior Minister Bolani and
eight members of the Council of Representatives in Baghdad are
reportedly planning to name a successor to the police chief as
early as May 24, according to Aidan. Sources say a leading
candidate for the next Basrah police chief is Iraqi Coast Guard
Brigadier Abdul Hakim. The sources describe Hakim as respected
and independent and say that he has done a good job rebuilding
the Coast Guard. Nevertheless, the vast amounts of oil that are
smuggled through ports near Basrah give rise to suspicions that
he maintains links with militias. Aqeel named other candidates
for the job as Brigadier Yousif and Brigadier Edan. However, he
claims that the Provincial Council, not the Prime Minister, will
have the final say on who gets the job.

BONO