MAYSAN DEPUTY PC CHAIR LAUDS CONTINUED USG PRESENCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 003634 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/16/2018 TAGS: PGOV IR PINR EINV IZ SUBJECT: MAYSAN DEPUTY PC CHAIR LAUDS CONTINUED USG PRESENCE Classified By: PRT Team leader Dan Foote for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) This is a Maysan PRT reporting cable. ¶2. (C/REL MCFI) Summary: Da,wa provincial party head and Deputy Provincial Council Chair Latif Abud Kaseem told PRT members that Maysan has benefited from the increased USG presence in the province, and emphasized the need for continuing USG training assistance for the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF),voter education and reconstruction. He said the four major political parties in Maysan -- ISCI, Sadrist Trend, Fadhilah, and Da'wa -- are actively preparing for the upcoming provincial elections, and predicted there will be a high level of political rhetoric and incidents of political violence. He added that Maysanis are in desperate need of voter education training. He strongly believes that foreign investment is the key to Maysan,s reconstruction efforts. While he supports the SOFA, he claimed that most Iraqis' hesitancy was a result of a misunderstanding of the terms. He recommended the GOI and U.S. widely broadcast an explanation of the terms to make the agreement appear "normal," given the U.S. has concluded many similar agreements with other countries, including some of Iraq,s Arab neighbors. End Summary. USG Assistance Making a Difference in Maysan -------------- ¶3. (C/REL MCFI) In a November 6 meeting at Camp Garry Owen, Da'wa provincial party leader and Deputy Provincial Council (PC) Chair Latif Abud Kaseem told PRT PolOff and Governance Advisor that Maysan has benefited from the USG presence in Maysan. Contrasting U.S. with British reconstruction efforts, Latif said, "At this moment, the situation is totally different. The U.S. is working well with the Provincial Council and the provincial government." He added that the security situation continues to improve, although the long border with Iran continues to be a destabilizing factor. He encouraged the U.S. to continue to act on its intelligence within the province, which he deemed "correct." Training for ISF is Still Critical -------------- ¶4. (C/REL MCFI) Latif emphasized the importance of continuing U.S. assistance to train the ISF, commenting that although security progress continues, IED attacks remain a regular occurrence. He said training provided by Coalition Forces (CF) has helped professionalize the ISF, and optimistically predicted that if the process is applied properly, the ISF will achieve stability in five years. Anticipation of Violence in the Provincial Elections -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C/REL MCFI) Latif said there would be volatile rhetoric in the run up to the provincial elections in January, and even predicted many candidates will face the possibility of political assassination. He said the main political parties in the province -- ISCI, groups linked with the Sadrist Trend, Da'wa, and Fadhilah -- were actively preparing for the elections. He said there were close to 1,000 candidates vying for 27 PC seats, but he did not offer any predictions which party would gain an advantage. He boasted that his Da'wa party advocated a different view of peace and dialogue from the other parties. Great Need for Voter Education -------------- ¶6. (C/REL MCFI) Latif said there was a pressing need for voter education in Maysan and expressed support for any assistance to train local government officials and civil society groups. He said it was important to learn from the U.S. experience. He added that there were many effective organizations in the province that could benefit from training and building a closer relationship with the U.S. He stated emphatically, "Let,s start training the NGOs now because time is short." Investment is the Key to Reconstruction -------------- ¶7. (C/REL MCFI) Latif spoke at length about the need for foreign investment in Maysan, claiming that it was the key to reconstruction efforts. He said, "If we wait on the GOI, we will not get to where we need to go. We need investors to build the province." He stressed the need for revamping the oil sector, stating that it was necessary to get it up and running quickly. He requested investment development training assistance for provincial officials. He also suggested organizing an investment conference in Maysan, BAGHDAD 00003634 002 OF 002 which would offer potential investors opportunities to meet with Maysani officials to explore different development options. SOFA Agreement: A Simple Misunderstanding -------------- ¶8. (C/REL MCFI) Latif said that Iraqis remained hesitant about the SOFA agreement because they do not understand what it entails. He said that in discussions with GOI officials, most have been reluctant to discuss the details of the agreement. Personally, he felt that the agreement is necessary to organize the U.S. presence. He suggested that both the GOI and the U.S. need to publicize widely a broad explanation of the agreement, explaining that it is no different than a number of agreements the U.S. has reached with other countries, including some of Iraq's Arab neighbors. Comment -------------- ¶9. (C/REF MCFI) PRT engagement with PC members continues to improve slowly as more members are receptive to engagements. Latif, like most of the other political party representatives the PRT has met, remains noncommittal about his party's chances in the upcoming provincial elections, but is obviously bolstered by ongoing security operations targeting Sadrist trend leaders. End Comment. CROCKER