ELECTION SECURITY, AIRPORT SECURITY, AND AMNESTY

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002347 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/22/2018 TAGS: IZ MARR MASS MOPS PGOV PREL PTER SUBJECT: ELECTION SECURITY, AIRPORT SECURITY, AND AMNESTY LAW DOMINATE WEEKLY NSC REF: BAGHDAD 2271 Classified By: Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (S) Summary. Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh chaired the weekly National Security Council (NSC) meeting on Jul 20, deferring planned discussions about Diyala security operations because this had been the topic of an earlier meeting of the Crisis Action Committee held by Prime Minister Maliki. Concerning provincial election security, the Deputy IntMin reported no serious security problems at voter registration sites around the country since opening on Jul ¶15. The Deputy Transportation Minister asked the NSC to approve a proposal for outsourcing security at Basrah airport to an internationally-recognized security company. He insisted this was necessary for gaining International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) certification. DPM Saleh concurred with the proposal over the objections of IntMin Bolani. The meeting concluded with a vigorous discussion on problematic issues for security forces with the newly-introduced Amnesty Law and protection of judges. DPM Saleh agreed to a separate and smaller cabinet meeting later in the week to address specific issues. End Summary. Diyala Discussion Dismissed -------------- ¶2. (S) Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh chaired a straightforward weekly Iraqi NSC on Jul 20 lasting just over an hour, even though it began contentiously. Within minutes of the meeting's start, both MinDef Qadr and IntMin Bolani challenged National Security Advisor (NSA) Rubaie's addition of Diyala security operations to the agenda. The MinDef was emphatic that the Prime Minister had already approved the operation at a special meeting of the Crisis Action Committee on July 15 and further discussion was redundant; IntMin Bolani concurred. Even though Rubaie stipulated the discussion would be strictly informative, DPM Saleh overruled him and moved to the next agenda item. (Comment: Although this was not the first time that Qadr and Bolani used their ministerial positions to block Rubaie's control of the agenda, they have rarely done it so quickly and with such precision. End Comment.) Securing Elections -------------- ¶3. (S) Moving to provincial election security, Deputy IntMin Ayden judged that there had been no major protection problems at voter registration sites since their opening on Jul 15, even in so-called "hot spots" in Diyala and Anbar. (Comment: This is a subjective judgment. In Ninewa Province, a sniper killed a guard at one site and criminals beat up the staff at another, per Reftel. Despite those incidents, all 565 Voter Registration Centers remained open. End Comment.) He stated that the overall registration process was moving slowly. Ayden estimated that if the CoR passed the Provincial Elections before its recess, then elections could not take place before December 10, and he added that, due to the hajj, he was planning for elections to begin on December 22. ¶4. (S) Ayden also estimated that during Provincial Elections there would be over 10,000 polling sites in Iraq, excluding the provinces in the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) area. He reported that the High Electoral Commission had approved over $16 million for the additional protection of 3000 locations. He also asked the NSC to immediately approve an additional $1 million to subsidize food rations for police units currently guarding voter registration sites in the KRG. NSA Rubaie and FinMin Jabr objected, stating that Provincial Elections were not slated for the KRG. The Deputy IntMin pushed back by noting voter registration was required throughout Iraq to support the needs of internally displaced persons, whether elections were held in the KRG or not. Concluding the discussion, DPM Saleh called the $1 million expenditure insignificant and approved its dispersal. Privatizing Basrah Airport Security -------------- ¶5. (S) Regarding airport security, the Deputy Minister of Transportation (MOT) asked the NSC to approve a proposal to engage an internationally-recognized, private company to manage security operations at Basrah airport. He identified significant problems with the current patchwork of Iraqi government agencies there which threatened Iraq's International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) certification. In order to make room for this private BAGHDAD 00002347 002 OF 002 company, he also proposed that the Ministries of Defense, Interior, and various intelligence/customs services vacate their current administrative staff offices at the airport. IntMin Bolani, who has waged a personal battle against private security companies at the Baghdad International Airport (BIAP),strongly objected to the proposal and retorted that these Interior Ministry personnel at Basrah Airport were there in direct support of an MOT request. ¶6. (S) Multi-National Forces in Iraq (MNF-I) Commanding General Petraeus warned the NSC that security was the single most critical issue at the Basrah Airport and inability to gain ICAO certification would be economically devastating for Basrah, as well as for Iraq. He observed that there were good reasons why Baghdad International Airport (BIAP) and Najaf are under private security contracts. He noted how important it was to ensure the militia are not able to undermine, infiltrate, or highjack Basrah as they had the Sky Marshalls at BIAP. General Petraeus also added that at least 70 percent of the people working at BIAP for the Global Security company were Iraqis. He stated to the group that he understood the Prime Minister had made the decision to place security of airports under the MOT. General Petraeus urged the NSC to immediately support the MOT request for a similar private security operation at Basrah. ¶7. (S) DPM Saleh acknowledged that the Prime Minister had designated the Transportation Ministry--not Interior--as lead ministry in charge of airport security. As such, he expected them to maintain security in accordance with ICAO procedures and standards. He concurred with the proposal to outsource Basrah Airport security to a private company. Military Leaders Say Amnesty Law Inhibits Security Forces -------------- -------------- ¶8. (S) The Iraqi Attorney General/Chief Prosecutor led a vigorous discussion on implementation problems with the Amnesty Law. He reported that over 13,000 individuals have been released under its provisions. He groused that this included over 7000 releases for lack of evidence because undercover agents refused to testify in court due--in large part--to fears about their personal safety. Both MinDef Abdel Qadr and Commander of Iraqi Joint Forces Babakir cited this as a significant problem in their current counterinsurgency operations. NSA Rubaie noted the law passed by the Council of Representatives (CoR) differed significantly from the original proposal passed by the Council of Ministers (CoM). ¶9. (S) IntMin Bolani requested that DPM Barham Saleh convene a ministerial committee to review current processes and discuss legislative options available to them for enacting changes in the law. The Deputy Prime Minister agreed, said the meeting would occur in the next few days, and invited the Attorney General and Chief Justice to attend. (Comment: We believe the total number of releases cited by the Attorney General to be excessive and is probably closer to 5000. The final version of the bill granted amnesty to more categories of detainees, such as detainees charged with terrorism crimes. Of note, the CoM has already passed amendments to the law on May 6, but they have not reached the CoR and we assess they will not pass. Since there is already a standing ministerial committee discussing these issues and chaired by DPM Saleh, it is likely the same committee cited here. End comment.) The Failure to Protect Judges -------------- ¶10. (S) Continuing the discussion raised at the NSC on Jul 13, the Attorney General reminded the IntMin of his pledge to immediately increase the protection of judges. Deputy IntMin Ayden responded that the Interior Ministry unfortunately lacked the personnel and equipment to do so. He suggested security might have to be outsourced to a private firm. (Comment: this an interesting alternative considering IntMin Bolani's opposition to private security firms at airports. End Comment.) Deputy PM Saleh credited the efforts of the Coalition Forces and thanked General Petraeus for the relatively low number of successful attacks against judges. Saleh directed the IntMin and the Attorney General discuss the issue with him at the previously announced meeting concerning the Amnesty Law. CROCKER