MITHAL ALUSI REMAINS DEFIANT DESPITE THREATS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 003586

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/10/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PHUM IZ
SUBJECT: MITHAL ALUSI REMAINS DEFIANT DESPITE THREATS

Classified By: A/DCM Robert Ford for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: As of November 9, 2008, Iraqi
Parliamentarian Mithal Alusi remained vigilant in the face
of threats against him and his party, and said ISCI
operatives have approached his personal security detail.
Alusi retains approximately 70 security guards, and
reported threats and intimidation against his party in
Maysan, Qadisiya, and Fallujah. A civil case against Alusi
is pending before the Supreme Court, and Alusi reported
that the Prime Minister's Office is pushing the criminal
case. Finally, Alusi noted that he would be traveling
imminently to Irbil, Amman, London and Washington, and is
seeking meetings with Vice President-elect Joseph Biden,
Representative Christopher Shays, and other "American
friends." Alusi continues to make controversial comments to
the media as part of a strategy to keep himself in the
public eye. END SUMMARY.

Security:
--------------


2. (SBU) Poloff met Alusi November 9, the latest in a
series of weekly meetings. Three armed men were guarding
his front gate, in addition to two other men with no
visible weapons. Alusi confirmed that he still has the full
complement (30 persons) of his parliament-funded personal
security detail (PSD). He confirmed that 33-34 persons from
his Ministry of Defense (MOD) PSD remain, whom Alusi pays
from personal funds. In total, approximately 70 guards
protect Alusi's home and party offices in Baghdad, with
10-14 men guarding his house in the International Zone.


3. (C) Poloff noted that the Embassy's Rule of Law office
(ROL),since September, has pressed the MOI to provide
additional security in the form of an Iraqi Police detail.
Alusi expressed doubt that these efforts would succeed,
stating that the Minister of Interior, Jawad al Bulani was
under pressure from PM Maliki not to assist Alusi.

Threats/Intimidation
--------------


4. (C) As in previous meetings, Alusi said that his party
members in Maysan, Fallujah and Qadisiya continue to
receive threats and intimidation, and provided documents to
that effect. As a result of this intimidation, Alusi said
he may not be able to conduct his political campaign in the
South. (NOTE: The Embassy has been following up on the
information Alusi provided, but has been unable to confirm
the reports as of the most recent meeting. End Note.)


5. (SBU) Alusi claimed that the Islamic Supreme Council of
Iraq (ISCI) was behind recent threats. Alusi said an
ISCI-member approached one of his key bodyguards, Nabil
Imad al Dulayme, and offered him a position with the MOI.
Dulayme rebuffed this approach, but Alusi said he believes
that ISCI may be talking to other bodyguards. (NOTE:
MNF-I's J-2 is expediting badges for key members of Alusi's
security detail and staff to ensure their unencumbered
movement around the Green Zone. J-2 is also investigating
the alleged threat activities. END NOTE.)

Legal Cases
--------------


6. (C) Alusi remains apprehensive about his civil case
challenging the Parliament's vote to lift his immunity. He
has expressed concern both about Chief Justice Medhat's
ability to resist pressure from Maliki, and the timeline
for issuing the decision. In this meeting, he seemed more
confident of Medhat's independence, but was concerned over
the case's timeline. Alusi worried that the court would
drag out the process too long and inhibit his campaign
options. On the other hand, Alusi mused that a decision
either way could be used to promote his political message,
although he would prefer a decision in his favor. Poloff
noted that the Rule of Law office has been meeting
regularly with Medhat to press Alusi's case, and that
Medhat had confirmed to ROL that the Court would issue a
decision by Nov 30.


7. (C) The criminal case against Alusi, based on his travel
to Israel, awaits a decision on the civil case regarding
immunity. Alusi provided Poloff with documents that he said
he had obtained from a source in the criminal investigative
court indicating that the Prime Minister's office was
pressing to move the criminal case forward. Alusi also
provided documents indicating that Parliament was seeking
to "freeze" the civil case so that the criminal case could
proceed. (Note: ROL will raise this issue and investigate
the claims with appropriate members of the Iraqi courts.
End Note.)

BAGHDAD 00003586 002 OF 002



Travel
--------------


8. (C) Alusi noted that he was traveling the same day to
Irbil, Amman, London, and Washington. He said he was
seeking meetings with Vice President-elect Joseph Biden,
Rep. Christopher Shays, and "other American friends" (NFI).
He said would take at least one security guard with him.

Publicity
--------------


9. (C) In recent weeks, Alusi has made a number of
controversial comments in the Iraqi media, claiming that
some Iraqi leaders have accepted bribes from Iran and are
working for Iran, and specifically naming ISCI leader Abdel
Aziz al-Hakim in one instance. He said he was pleased with
the response, which apparently led a private Iraqi citizen
in Sadr City to file a criminal charge against Mithal for
travel to Israel. Despite the danger that such comments
might invite, Alusi said that the Iraqi people need to know
the facts about their leaders, and added that it was
important to have his name in the public eye, commenting:
"When you have lots of time, you talk to the media."

Comment:
--------------


10. (C) Alusi is essentially house-bound, even in the
Green Zone, which makes it difficult for him to conduct his
political campaign. For this reason, the media has become
an important means by which he can get his name and message
out. Alusi is growing impatient, and is afraid he is
losing his visibility. Some of his party's gains have
resulted from media attention on him, with several people
telling him privately that they agreed with his right to
travel to Israel. Alusi believes that he can channel some
of this private sentiment into political support. His
campaign strategy has been based on appealing to secular
nationalist feelings among many Iraqis. His inflammatory
comments about Iran and its influence in Iraq also tap into
many Iraqis' sense of nationalism. While concerned about
his physical safety and his supporters, it is unlikely that
Alusi will back off these comments to lower his threat
profile.

CROCKER