MAYSAN GOVERNOR: I AM A SADRIST

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 002329

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/25/2018
TAGS: PGOV IR IZ PTER MOPS PINS
SUBJECT: MAYSAN GOVERNOR: I AM A SADRIST

Classified By: Acting Deputy Political Counselor Michael Ma for reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: "I am a Sadrist," said Maysan Governor Adil
al-Maliki in a July 24 meeting with MND-C DCG-S COL Smith and
poloffs at the governor's office in Amarah. During a
wide-ranging conversation Maliki expressed concerns, which he
said were shared by the Maysani public, over the
"militarization" of the province and the possibility of
skirmishes between Maysanis and U.S. troops. He emphasized
the importance of distinguishing between Special Groups and
Jaysh al-Mahdi (JAM),saying that while the former were used
by Iran against the U.S., the latter were "backed into a
corner" and had been formally dissolved by Sadr in his June
13 statement. Maliki was generally supportive of Iraqi
Security Forces (ISF),although he identified extrajudicial
raids and arrests and Iraqi Police (IP) corruption as
continuing issues. Explaining his decision not to run for
reelection, Maliki said that Iraqis "want new blood" in
political office. He added that "American pressure" was
required to pass the controversial elections law. He
outlined past provincial development initiatives and
expressed reservations over the "political" motives behind
the GOI's allocation of the 100 million USD in development
assistance. At the end of the lengthy meeting, Maliki said
"we should call the Guinness Book of Records because we set a
new record for the number of questions in a meeting," but
added that "this is good - the most important thing is a
dialogue." Zaid Hoshi, Maliki's assistant, also attended the
meeting. End Summary.

Concern over U.S. presence
--------------


2. (C) "Frankly, people are concerned about the U.S.
presence," said Maliki, explaining that because the U.S. was
seen as "more aggressive" than the UK, people are worried
about the possibility of "skirmishes." Maliki added that
"Maysan is tribal and eastern - 100 percent," and expressed
worry that U.S. soldiers would violate tribal customs and
honor by entering homes and looking at tribal women. COL
Smith clarified that the U.S. was in Maysan (a PIC Province)
at the request of PM Maliki, partnering with the ISF and
border forces in support of Iraqi security forces in
Operation Tidings of Peace. COL Smith emphasized that
American soldiers do not act independently of the Iraqi
forces and respect Iraqi culture. He urged the governor to
pass any reported violations to the U.S. officers responsible
for the province.

"I am a Sadrist"
--------------


3. (C) "I am a Sadrist," said Maliki, "I am a follower of
Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr due to his resistance to Saddam. But
I am an Iraqi Arab foremost." He divided the Shia into three
political camps: ISCI, Da'wa, and the Sadrists. "In the
beginning, Sadr was associated with nationalism," said
Maliki, "but later the movement was infiltrated by Iran." He
further dissected the Sadr movement into different groups:
"Some support the political process; some support the
military struggle. Some see the U.S. as an occupier. Some
don't want any Iranian presence; some are very loyal to
Iran." Referring to the threat posed to political Sadrists
by militants within the movement, Maliki said "I myself have
problems with extremists, and I have been targeted for
assassination."

Must distinguish between JAM and SGs
--------------


4. (C) Maliki stressed that JAM and Special Groups exist in
"large numbers" in Maysan and that "the majority of the
people are Sadrists." He dismissed the significance of the
numerous weapons caches discovered by the Iraqi Army (IA),
saying that "weapons exist throughout Iraq" and that the
borders "are completely open." Maliki said that Iran had
tried to use JAM against the U.S. "Therefore," he concluded,
"we have a common interest in distinguishing between JAM and
Special Groups," warning that otherwise, "the two will work
together and Iran will achieve its goal." When asked how to
distinguish between the two, Maliki shrugged and said "that
is an intelligence question; you probably know more than I
do." When pressed, he said that "most" Special Groups were
in Iran, while the ones remaining in Iraq "are poor and don't
even realize they were working for Iranian interests." Asked
if Special Groups were receiving training in Iran, Maliki
said "I see stories on that on the satellite channels, but
believe me, I don't know." Later he said that he assumed
Iran was providing training. Asked if Special Groups were
returning to Maysan, Maliki demurred that the IA was
responsible for security as long as military operations
continued in the province. "The tracks will tell you about

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your prey," he said, adding that details of how operations
were conducted would reveal Special Group involvement.

JAM has been disbanded
--------------


5. (C) Maliki said that Sadr had dissolved JAM due to
widespread disobedience from the Special Groups. Referring
to Sadr's June 13 statement, Maliki said "If you examine it
closely, you will see that Sadr disbanded JAM." He added
that he himself had advocated disbanding JAM since 2005, and
dismissed Sadr's talk of forming a new group targeted at
Coalition Forces as "a symbolic statement" designed to
reassure his followers that he was continuing to lead the
resistance against the "occupation."

ISF improving
--------------


6. (C) Tidings of Peace was a "clear and strong signal" that
the GOI and ISF were capable of establishing control over
Maysan, said Maliki. He attributed the lack of resistance to
a feeling of intimidation among militia members due to
previous government successes in Basrah and Sadr City.
Maliki said that "in general," the ISF was improving, but
added that concerns remained about extrajudicial arrests and
raids. He distinguished between the IA and IP, saying that
the former were "skillful and professional" while the latter
suffered from ties to political parties.

Provincial development efforts
--------------


7. (C) Maliki gave an enthusiastic summary of provincial
development efforts, saying that since 2006 the government
had focused on two priorities: 1) budget management and
execution and 2) transparency and accountability. He said
the government had formed a planning and development
committee and decided to focus on essential services
infrastructure, and that from 2006 to 2008 the government had
spent 250 million USD on sewage. "It is hard to see the
results," Maliki admitted, "because all of the work is
underground." Despite these efforts, Maliki conceded that
"Maysan still can't compare to neighboring countries...what
we need is foreign investment." COL Smith requested Maliki's
support of PRT activities in Maysan, including positioning
the PRT in Maysan Province to enable closer coordination with
the governor and Provincial Council. Maliki seemed receptive
to the idea.

Reservations about 100 million
--------------


8. (C) "Tariq Abdullah is responsible for everything"
concerning the 100 million USD development fund, said Maliki.
He added that he had "reservations" about the way that the
fund was being allocated, but that he understood that Tidings
of Peace "has two pages, one security, one development, and
these allocations are political decisions." Maliki explained
that the foremost priority of the GOI was job creation, and
that it would concentrate on immediate-impact,
labor-intensive projects such as road and sidewalk paving
rather than longer-term development plans. Asked if he had
any grounds to challenge the GOI's prioritization, Maliki
laughed and said "That is really two questions: Do I have any
authority? And will they listen to me anyway? The answer to
both is no."

Iraqis want new blood in office
--------------


9. (C) Maliki said that he will not participate in the
upcoming provincial elections, although he conceded that he
would like to remain in office "not because I like power, but
because I would like to finish the development projects I
began." He said that he had endured many accusations and
criticisms during his time in office, and admitted that "the
people want to see new blood. As a Sadrist, I can say that
the people are beginning to reject Sadrists." (Note:
Maliki's ruling Hussein Ideology Front did not register for
the upcoming provincial elections. However, Zaid Hoshi is
registered as the leader of a new party named Kifa'at Maysan
(Abilities of Maysan). During the drive through the city,
poloff noticed that all pictures of Sadr had been defaced,
although whether by local citizens or the ISF is unknown.
End Note).

Election law needs U.S. pressure
--------------


10. (C) Maliki characterized the controversial July 22
passage of an elections law by the Iraqi parliament as a
"joyous and sad occasion," explaining that while different

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groups came together to make a deal, they did so in a way
that "distorted" the political process. "Don't record this,"
Maliki added, "but the only way the law will pass is if the
U.S. pressures Talabani the way it pressured (VP) Abdel Mehdi
to pass the provincial powers law."

Throw the singer in jail
--------------


11. (C) Near the end of the meeting participants discussed
the possibility of providing PRT support for cultural
activities. Maliki responded that his administration was
undertaking several programs targeted at children designed to
"teach about culture, dialogue, love...change can't come
through coercion, we must educate society. The phrase in
psychology is 'the collective mind.'" Informed that COL
Smith had spoken to a local musician prior to the meeting,
Maliki said "As Sadrists, we support theater, arts,
literature, but not singing. Thanks for telling me - I'm
going to throw him in jail." Moments later he said in
English, "joke, just joke."

Comment
--------------


12. (C) Understanding Maysan's provincial government has
always required confronting a series of contradictions: A
governor with reported militia ties at pains to present
himself as a principled technocrat; official development
plans that envision grand new suburbs, hospitals and
universities while ordinary citizens struggle with a lack of
even basic services. True to form, Maliki was candid about
his political affiliations and concerns over a U.S. military
presence; unsurprisingly, he was much more reluctant to
discuss militia activities in the province.


13. (C) A political survivor, Maliki has managed to hold
onto office despite ongoing ISF operations and widespread
rumors over his imminent detention. However, with the
central government responsible for both security and the
allocation of the development fund, his authorities as
governor have been greatly reduced. While local IA
commanders have expressed their desire to arrest, or at least
replace, Maliki, the fact that the central government has not
authorized his detention is likely an indicator that he will
remain in office for the time being. Ultimately, Maliki
remains the elected leader of the province, and the PRT and
CF will continue to engage with him and his office in the
hopes he will eventually divest any remaining militia in
favor of the political process. End Comment.
CROCKER