Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08BAGHDAD2860
2008-09-05 15:32:00
SECRET
Embassy Baghdad
Cable title:  

IRAQI NSC AUGUST 31 DISCUSSES COUNTERING

Tags:  MOPS MASS MARR ENGR ECON IZ 
pdf how-to read a cable
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DE RUEHGB #2860/01 2491532
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 051532Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9242
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002860 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/05/2018
TAGS: MOPS MASS MARR ENGR ECON IZ
SUBJECT: IRAQI NSC AUGUST 31 DISCUSSES COUNTERING
ASSASINATIONS AND PROTECTING PETROLEUM INFRASTRUCTURE

REF: BAGHDAD 02784

Classified By: CDA Patricia A. Butenis for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002860

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/05/2018
TAGS: MOPS MASS MARR ENGR ECON IZ
SUBJECT: IRAQI NSC AUGUST 31 DISCUSSES COUNTERING
ASSASINATIONS AND PROTECTING PETROLEUM INFRASTRUCTURE

REF: BAGHDAD 02784

Classified By: CDA Patricia A. Butenis for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (S/REL MCFI) Summary: Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki
chaired the August 31 meeting of the Iraqi National Security
Council (I-NSC) that followed up on the previous week's
(reftel) discussion of preventing assassinations, detainee
releases, and operations in Diyala. The Council also spent
considerable time debating which ministry was responsible for
the costs associated with the integration of the Ministry of
Oil (MOO) Oil Protection Service into the Ministry of
Interior (MOI) as the Oil Police. This debate prompted
General David Petraeus to intervene and remind the Council
that it was arguing over less than two day's revenue from
Iraq's northern oil pipeline. End Summary.

Assassinations Follow-up
--------------


2. (S/REL MCFI) The PM solicited an update from MOI Bulani on
steps being taken to thwart the assassinations on the rise in
Baghdad. Bulani replied that a ministerial working group had
met to formulate a response, adding this group was already
aware of the radio communications difficulties between MOI
and MOD personnel at checkpoints, due to each group using
different systems.


3. (S/REL MCFI) Baghdad Operations commander (BOC) General
Abud insisted that confronting assassination cells would
require the same planning, coordination, and operational
security as Counter-Terrorism operations. Abud said they
were looking for Iraqi intelligence agencies to provide more
actionable information. The Counter-Terrorism Board (CTB)
Director and the Deputy Director of the Iraqi National
Intelligence Service (INIS) agreed that there are six key
locations being used by assassination cells during their
attacks. MOD planned to chair a meeting of relevant agencies
the next day at the Baghdad Operations Command to chart out
next steps.

Target Lists and Detainees Release
--------------


4. (S/REL MCFI) Shifting topics, the Deputy Minister of State
for National Security noted that some individuals his agents

had targeted for arrest were not being detained. He also
complained of the need to present witnesses to obtain an
arrest warrant, exposing valuable sources to intimidation and
murder. He also admitted that some people were afraid to
cooperate with his agency because they suspected it had been
infiltrated, suggesting that the infiltrators were criminal
or insurgent elements. Chief of Staff of Iraqi Ground Forces
General Babakir Shawkt echoed this point, noting that his
greatest fear for the Iraqi Security Forces was infiltration
by enemies of Iraq.


5. (S/REL MCFI) The D/INIS segued the conversation into
concerns that targeted individuals were being released
precipitously, drawing the observation from the PM that some
of those given amnesty were now committing crimes. The PM
reluctantly admitted that the problem was difficult to clear
up because the Amnesty Law allowed many guilty of criminal
activities to be released.


6. (S/REL MCFI) General Abud and others then discussed the
need for better sharing of intelligence and cooperation
between the police, military, and intelligence services. As
the discussion began to devolve into finger-pointing, the PM
switched topics.

Diyala Operations
--------------


7. (S/REL MCFI) COS General Babakir Shawkt reported that the
overall security situation in Diyala was 70 to 80 percent
better than it had been. Shawkt, however, complained that
people were returning to Diyala only to find that their homes
had been destroyed or they did not have drinking water.
Shawkt noted the lack of satisfactory infrastructure in
Diyala, calling for redevelopment of the drinking water and
irrigation systems and construction of housing to revitalize
Diyala's economy and to accommodate returning internally
displaced persons (IDPs). He also noted 3500 recently hired
police officers had not been paid and asserted that they
needed procedures for hiring more police. MOD offered to
have funds from MOD's budget transferred to pay these MOI
personnel to retain them in the Iraqi Security Forces. The
PM asked what was being done with 100 million dollars of
reconstruction funding for Diyala and wondered why wells were

BAGHDAD 00002860 002 OF 002


not being dug with the money. The PM and Deputy PM Barham
Salih had a short sotto voce sidebar at which they discussed
resolving the funding issue with the Minister of Finance by
10 September.

Who Pays for Ministry of Oil Police?
--------------


8. (S/REL MCFI) Minister of Oil (MOO) Shahristani briefed the
council on the success in the rehabilitation of the oil
pipeline to Baghdad from the Bayji oil refinery complex,
which he said was 80% complete and should be ready for
operations September 16. Following up on this, he noted the
difficulties he and the MOI had encountered in funding the
Oil Police who protect oil and natural gas infrastructure
following the transfer of those police to the MOI from MOO.
Both he and the MOI blamed the Minister of Finance (MOF) for
the problem.


9. (S/REL MCFI) Over the next thirty minutes, the Council
witnessed the three ministers seeking to justify their
actions to date and fix blame for any failures on the others.
(Note: Halfway through the back-and-forth accusations, the PM
was passed a note, left the room and did not return. End
Note.) For example, while MOI admitted it should pay its
personnel, calling for a supplemental from the MOF, it
complained that it should not have to pay for housing and
police infrastructure to be built on MOO properties. D/PM
Salih attempted to move the discussion forward in a
productive way, pointing out the MOF's obligation to provide
funds to the Oil Police now in the MOI with supplemental
funding. The MOF countered that the national budget should
not pay for Oil Police who protected the assets of two
companies. (Note: Iraq's oil resources are produced and
distributed by two state-owned enterprises, one for northern
oil fields and one for southern oil fields. End Note.)


10. (S/REL MCFI) Commanding General of MNF-I General David
Petraeus intervened, characterizing the council,s discussion
as "nonsense". He stated that the members of the council
were wasting time arguing over whose budget would fund 80
million dollars annually to protect the national petroleum
infrastructure, a vital artery for Iraq whose northern
exports alone yielded over 80 million dollars in as little as
two days. General Petraeus added that in contrast to the
argument over 80 million dollars, the United States already
had funded 170 million dollars for the pipeline exclusion
zone alone. He argued that the GOI had given the task to the
MOI and, therefore, it must give the MOI the resources to
accomplish the task.


11. (S/REL MCFI) Deputy PM Rafi Isawi took the point,
suggesting that the MOF arrange money for the MOI, that the
MOO be responsible for funding infrastructures for the oil
police, and that the oil police law endorsing the transfer of
responsibility to the MOI be approved and sent to the Council
of Representatives. He then wrapped up the meeting before
further discussion could begin, also pushing all other agenda
items to the next I-NSC meeting.
BUTENIS