ICRC ON MEK, PLANS TO EXPAND ACTIVITIES IN IRAQ,

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 003320

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/14/2018
TAGS: PHUM PREL PREF PTER IR IZ
SUBJECT: ICRC ON MEK, PLANS TO EXPAND ACTIVITIES IN IRAQ,
AND IRAQ-IRAN AGREEMENT ON POW/MIA RETURNS

REF: A. BAGHDAD 2946

B. BAGHDAD 2658

Classified By: Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (S) Summary: In an October 8 meeting with the
Ambassador, ICRC Iraq head of delegation Juan Pedro Schaerer
said that ICRC will increase its detention monitoring,
hospital training, staffing, and other projects in Iraq in

2009. ICRC has stepped up its inspections of GOI detention
facilities and recently visited two facilities in Basrah.
Schaerer said ICRC will visit Camp Ashraf in late October to
monitor the Mujahedin e-Khalq (MEK) transfer, and noted that
Iran has not replied to recent ICRC requests to repatriate a
handful of former MEK who obtained refugee status from UNHCR.
Schaerer expected that Iraq and Iran would sign a bilateral
agreement in Geneva the week of October 13 establishing
mechanisms to account for and return remains of POWs and MIAs
from the Iran-Iraq war. Regarding the confusion with the
Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS) leadership, Schaerer said
that ICRC would likely issue a statement of support for the
PM's appointed transitional committee. ICRC President Jacob
Kellenberger is planning to visit Baghdad January 18-20, his
first visit since 2004. End Summary.

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Increasing ICRC Presence in 2009
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2. (SBU) ICRC Iraq Head of Delegation Juan Pedro Schaerer
told the Ambassador during an October 8 meeting that although
the ICRC will slightly decrease its overall Iraq budget for
2009 due to the phase-out of IDP food distribution, ICRC will
significantly increase staffing, in-country training, and
projects. He said there will be a markedly larger ICRC staff
presence in Iraq in 2009, and it will have more resources to
expand its scope of work. He expected to have five to six
international staff in Baghdad at any one time. Plans are
proceeding to assign a ten person team to Najaf to train
hospital personnel.


3. (C) Schaerer said that ICRC President Jacob Kellenberger
is planning to visit Iraq January 18-20. He will meet with
leaders in Baghdad, Erbil, and Najaf. In Najaf, he will
likely meet with Grand Ayatollah Sistani, visit an Iraqi IDP
camp, and visit ICRC projects. He will also visit a GOI
detention facility. Schaerer said he hopes this visit will
illustrate how the large security gains in the last few years
should lead to an enhanced and less restrictive ICRC presence
in Iraq. Kellenberger previously visited Iraq in 2004.


4. (C) Schaerer said the ICRC has expanded its GOI
detention facility inspections, including visiting two
facilities in Basrah, al-Maqel prison and an Iraqi Army 14th
Division facility. He said Minister of Justice Safa al-Safi
has been very open and cooperative with ICRC and has taken
ICRC recommendations on Ministry of Justice detention
facilities constructively. Schaerer anticipates some
problems with working with Ministries of Defense (MoD) and
Interior (MoI) officials on detention facilities, but he said
the ICRC has experience working with security forces
facilities, including 17 years experience inspecting the KRG
Asayish facilities.


5. (S) Schaerer said that ICRC was coordinating with Task
Force 134 on a two-week inspection visit of Camp Bucca in
November. He added that ICRC would continue to visit
divisional boarding sites for new coalition detainees and had
agreed with the Pentagon that ICRC can inform family members
of the whereabouts of such detainees. The Ambassador
responded that the more ICRC visits, the better, especially
in the transition to Iraqi authority. Noting ICRC's presence
over the past five years, Schaerer commented on the huge
improvement in detention conditions since 2005.

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MEK
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6. (S) Schaerer said an ICRC team will visit Camp Ashraf
again in late October to monitor the impending transfer of
security responsibility for the Mujahedin e-Khalq (MEK)
members there from the USG to the GOI (ref A). The team will
also deliver messages from family members. Although MEK
leaders are opposed to family contact, Schaerer said "they
don't have a choice" in allowing family contact. Schaerer
thinks family contact could help break the control of the
leaders over MEK members and convince some to leave the
organization. However, he noted that during his last visit,
the members all repeated the "same mantra" in private

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conversations with the ICRC. He encouraged continued Embassy
visits to Ashraf, which he said were helpful as they brought
outside information to members, who are denied access to the
media by the leaders. He believes the MEK leadership finally
understands that the transfer will take place. He expressed
concern about what instructions would come from the MEK
leadership in France after the security transfer occurred.


7. (S) Since the GOI September 1 statement on assuring
humane treatment of the MEK, the situation has been less
tense in Ashraf, according to Schaerer. He was concerned
that the GOI still had no comprehensive plan for
post-transfer contingencies and how to control Ashraf. The
Ambassador added that the MoI eviction order had been a
"mistake" according to GOI officials, and noted that the
Embassy had worked the GOI to walk this back. The GOI now
needed to convene its MEK committee to establish plans.
Schaerer remarked that the GOI had thought the MEK issue
would be solved quickly but is now realizing it has much work
to do. Schaerer reported that his subsequent meeting with
the Minister of Interior had been positive and that the
Minister was committed to the humane treatment assurances and
focused on organizing the inter-ministerial committee.


8. (S) Regarding repatriating former MEK and current
refugees to Iran, Schaerer noted that the Iranians had not
replied to recent ICRC requests to repatriate about eight
former MEK with refugee status, including one who was being
treated for mental illness. Schaerer said it would be a
problem if the Iranians went back on their commitment to
repatriate former MEK. The Ambassador added that this could
become a very serious problem since Iran is the only country
that will take back the MEK once they leave the organization.
Schaerer said he would discuss this problem with Iranian
officials in Geneva the week of October 13.

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Iraqi-Iranian POW Agreement
--------------


9. (C) Schaerer informed the Ambassador that Iraqi and
Iranian officials, represented by Minister of Human Rights
Wijdan Salim and a deputy Minister, respectively, will sign a
bilateral agreement in Geneva next week. The agreement
relates to outstanding issues on Prisoners of War (POW) and
Missing in Action (MIA) from the Iran-Iraq war. Schaerer
said that in a previous meeting in February the two sides had
failed to reach an agreement because the GOI believed Iran
still held some Iraqi POWs, which Iran disputed, and because
Iran wanted remains of Iranian MIAs returned before it would
agree to resolve cases of Iraqi POWs. Schaerer noted that
there are only 115-120 Iraqis whose status cannot be
clarified (i.e., who could possibly be POWs),and that Iran
last provided information on POWs in 2003. Schaerer said
that this process had been complicated because some people
did not want to share information about their family members
and others did not want to be notified.


10. (C) The two sides have agreed to create two
subcommittees to deal with these issues. One will work to
resolve all remaining questions regarding the POW cases. The
other will work to resume exhumation and repatriation of
remains of MIAs. ICRC will assist both countries in this
process. Schaerer also noted that the GOI will meet with the
Kuwaitis in November to discuss similar issues, and the ICRC
may exhume some Kuwaiti MIA in Ramadi for return to Kuwait.

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Future of IRCS
--------------


11. (C) Schaerer said that since the former leaders of the
Iraq Red Crescent Society (IRCS) have either fled or been
arrested for corruption and other crimes, there has been
confusion over control of the IRCS. On July 31, the Prime
Minister appointed a transitional President and board to
oversee the organization until it can convene a national
assembly to elect a new board. The Prime Minister's office
has officially notified ICRC of these appointments and ICRC
is advising the interim committee on restoring order to IRCS.
Schaerer noted the interim leaders now have control over
IRCS financial accounts.


12. (C) In late September, a number of IRCS provincial
branch presidents and other members, along with ousted former
IRCS President Sa'ed Hakki, met in Sulaymaniyah and elected
former Communications Minister Jowan Masum as interim head of
the organization. Schaerer worried that the election of
Masum (whose father heads a Kurdish faction in the Council of
Representatives),which was backed by some Talabani advisors,

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could lead to a schism in the organization and possibly
prompt the secession of the KRG branches from the IRCS.
Schaerer said that ICRC would consult with the influential
Erbil branch president, who had not participated in the
election of Masum, in an effort to head off separation from
the national group.


13. (C) Schaerer said that ICRC would meet with the
International Federation of the Red Cross in Amman on October
12 to agree on a position regarding IRCS leadership. While
ICRC does not normally favor government involvement in
determining the leadership of national societies, it had
earlier this year advised the GOI to put an end to the
corruption and chaos of the IRCS. Schaerer said the ICRC
would likely issue a statement of support at the end of
October for the Prime Minister's appointees. Schaerer said
he would inform the Embassy prior to any statement. Up to
now, the ICRC had been careful to avoid taking an official
position that might anger branch leaders who supported Masum
and potentially impact the security environment in which ICRC
operates. The Ambassador advised ICRC to build consensus for
its approach by reaching out to the Kurdish leadership.
Schaerer said he would do so.
CROCKER