ISCI CHAIR ABDEL AZIZ AL-HAKIM ON ANTI-MILITIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001343

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/29/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL IZ IR
SUBJECT: ISCI CHAIR ABDEL AZIZ AL-HAKIM ON ANTI-MILITIA
CRACKDOWN, RELATIONS WITH NEIGHBORS, AND SFA

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Patricia A. Butenis for reasons 1.4 (b
) and (d).



1. (C) Summary: Flanked by his son and heir-apparent Amar,
Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI) Chairman Abdel Aziz
al-Hakim told the Ambassador and S/I Satterfield on April 29
that the GOI and the vast majority of Iraqi citizens are
tired of crimes perpetrated by armed outlaw gangs (read
Muqtada al-Sadr's Jaysh al-Mehdi militia) and stand with the
Iraqi government in its effort to rid Iraq of such groups.
Coughing and rasping throughout the 40-minute meeting and
looking somewhat weaker than he did during his late-2007
visit to the U.S., Hakim stressed that GOI action against
armed groups must succeed. He divulged that a joint
delegation from the GOI and United Iraqi Alliance would leave
April 30 to discuss "political and technical issues" with
Iranian government officials but would not meet Iran's Senior
Leader Khamenei. The Ambassador and S/I Satterfield briefed
on USG efforts to promote greater engagement of Arab
neighbors in Iraq, and Hakim was pessimistic about a
near-term change in Arab attitudes toward Iraq. He expressed
optimism about ongoing bilateral SOFA/Strategic Framework
discussions. End Summary.

No More Armed Outlaw Gangs
--------------


2. (C) Hakim emphasized several times that the Iraqi people
and their political leaders were in agreement that the
harmful and destabilizing activities of armed outlaw gangs
(read Sadr's JAM, though Hakim never referred to any group by
name). Ordinary Iraqis want order, stability, and the
freedom to go about their lives with dignity, he asserted,
and they have grown tired of armed gangs and their violence.
In reply to the Ambassador's question about the Sadrist
Trend, Hakim stated that while much remains unclear about the
Trend's political positions, the Sadrists have clearly
decided to side with and protect armed criminals. In
contrast, other Iraqi political parties want a secure and
orderly environment in which provincial elections can be
held. He maintained that the majority of Sadr City residents
do not support the Sadrists, and agreed with the Ambassador's
point that the GOI can win these people over through improved
delivery of services and by reaching out to tribal leaders
and other elements in Sadr City who could provide a balance
to Sadrist strongmen.


3. (C) Rumors of Hakim's imminent death are circulating
around Iraq, (for instance, a Wasit PRT contact claimed four
days ago that provincial ISCI officials were hurriedly
summoned to Baghdad after doctors reportedly told Hakim he
had less than 48 hours to live); indeed, Hakim appeared
thinner and less vigorous than during his late-2007 visit to
the U.S., but he hardly resembled a man at death's doorstep
(although a Hakim aide told us that his lung cancer had now
spread to his liver and "the prognosis was poor"). He
remarked that President Bush had just called to inquire after
his health, and he stated later in the exchange that he
conducts many meetings.


4. (C) Coughing and rasping throughout the meeting, Hakim
revealed that a joint delegation from the GOI and United
Iraqi Alliance would travel to Tehran on April 30 to discuss
the GOI anti-militia crackdown and other "political and
technical issues" with Iranian government officials. He said
the delegation would not meet Iran's Senior Leader Ali
Khamenei. He had little to say in reply to the Ambassador's
statement that Iran deals with Iraq as it does with Lebanon,
Gaza and Afghanistan. In a marked departure from past
meetings, however, Hakim did not press for a resumption of
USG-Iranian talks. Although Hakim's son and ISCI
heir-apparent Amar sat at his father's side during the
meeting, he deferred to the ISCI Chairman and said little of
substance. When he did speak, however, the elder Hakim
beamed with fatherly pride.

Neighbors and Strategic Framework Talks
--------------


5. (C) The Ambassador apprised Hakim of the status of
SOFA/Strategic Framework discussions, and Hakim expressed
optimism that such talks would yield an agreement that would
benefit both nations. He was far less optimistic when the
Ambassador and S/I Satterfield briefed on ongoing USG efforts
to promote greater engagement of Saudi Arabia and other Arab
states with their Iraqi neighbors. Hakim lamented that past
efforts had yielded little progress -- though he did cite
some improvement in Egypt's stance toward Iraq -- but stated
that further efforts must be made. The Ambassador urged more
visits by prominent Iraqis to neighboring states, such as a
trip Amar made to Kuwait last year that made a highly

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positive impression on his Kuwaiti hosts.
BUTENIS