VICE PRESIDENT HASHIMI ON NATIONAL GOVERNANCE,

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000536

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV IZ
SUBJECT: VICE PRESIDENT HASHIMI ON NATIONAL GOVERNANCE,
LEGISLATION, AND MOSUL

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

--------------
Summary
--------------


1. (S) During a February 21 meeting, the Ambassador and Vice
President Tareq al-Hashimi reviewed the status of Provincial
Powers legislation, the Executive Council, Mosul, and Kurdish
issues. Responding to the Ambassador's request to help
pressure Vice President Adel Abdel Mehdi to avoid vetoing a
draft provincial powers law, Hashimi doubted his influence
over Mehdi on this issue. On the most recent Executive
Council meeting, Hashimi complained that PM Maliki was
"playing games" with nominations for senior GOI positions,
with the Tawafuq Front's return to government, and with
power-sharing generally. The PM, he said, had made an
ultimatum to Tawafuq: either join the cabinet, or Tawafuq's
seats will be filled with technocrats of the PM's choosing.
Hashimi said he would soon visit Mosul in Ninewa Province and
review the situation there ahead of an expected military
operation against Al Qaida. Hashimi also hoped to talk with
KRG President Barzani to review Article 140 issues and to
help defuse growing tensions with Turkey. End summary.


2. (SBU) The Vice President was joined for the 60-minute
meeting at his IZ residence by his Chief of Staff and his
Political Advisor Dr. Khalil Azzawi. The Ambassador was
accompanied by Special Assistant and POLOFF (note-taker).

--------------
Status of Legislation
--------------


3. (S) Vice President Hashimi told the Ambassador during a
February 21 meeting that he believed provincial elections
would help correct sectarian "imbalances" existent in
provinces like Anbar and Ninewa. With local elections held
by October 1, as mandated in a law passed February 13 by
Parliament, the quality of local governance would surely
improve. Vice President Adel Abdel Mehdi, however, was
threatening to veto the law and accused PM Maliki's allies of
adding unacceptable language to the bill at the last minute.
The Ambassador said he had urged Abdel Mehdi in their last
meeting to sign the bill, or allow it to pass by taking no
action (as Hashimi had done with the Accountability and
Justice Law). The law, the Ambassador told him, appeared to
strike a reasonable balance between central and provincial
powers, including on the issue of firing a provincial
governor -- an issue of particular concern to Abdel Mehdi and
the Supreme Council. Asked to apply pressure on Abdel Mehdi
to pass the law, Hashimi agreed with the Ambassador's views
on the benefits of the legislation, but said he had "few
cards to play" in terms of his ability to persuade Abdel
Mehdi on the issue.


4. (S) Remaining on the topic of provincial elections,
Hashimi said the GOI and UN must agree on plans to address
voting by refugees and internally-displaced persons (IDPs) --
particularly in "imbalanced" Baghdad. Perhaps, he added, the
GOI needed to press Iraqi families to return to their homes,
regardless of any misgivings by the UN. Asked if the GOI had
formed a group or committee to review such issues in light of
expected provincial elections, Hashimi replied "the UN is
looking at it."

--------------
Executive Council Meeting
--------------


5. (S) After confirming Hashimi's participation in the
Executive Council (Ex-Co) meeting of February 20, the
Ambassador asked about efforts by the Council to agree on
nominations for senior GOI positions. Hashimi said Maliki
had promised to share with him a list of Ambassadorial
nominations, but that the PM failed to follow through with
the names. Similarly frustrating, he continued, the PM's
office circulated a name list to fill 37 deputy minister
positions in the GOI, "only 3 of which" were apportioned to
the Tawafuq Front. Of four Iraqi Army deputy chief of staff
slots, he said, none were Sunni ("3 Shia, 1 Kurd"). A paper
from Hashimi detailing ideas for assuring Ex-Co progress on
its by-laws and a "road-map" went unanswered by the PM, he
said. Maliki reportedly refused to sign any paper from
Hashimi, telling him that he would only sign once "results"
were achieved. Asked his views on Maliki's approach, the
Ambassador told Hashimi that "results" were indeed important
and that Hashimi should return to government to contribute to
efforts to improve service delivery and governance.

--------------
Tawafuq Return, New Cabinet

BAGHDAD 00000536 002 OF 002


--------------


6. (S) Asked whether the Tawafuq Coalition of Sunni parties
would return to government, Hashimi again complained about
Maliki's refusal to share responsibility for decision-making
with the three Presidency Council members. The Prime
Minister, he said, provided an ultimatum at the last
Executive Council meeting: either return Tawafuq's six
ministers to the Cabinet or a new, technocratic government
will be formed without Tawafuq's participation. Hashimi said
he met with Maliki the day before the Ex-Co meeting for four
hours, but did not reach a final agreement. The PM, he said,
agreed to talk but refused to put anything in writing.
Hashimi said the PM told him that if Tawafuq did not provide
its list of cabinet minister nominees, he would select from
names provided by Parliament when the body reconvenes on
March 18. Hashimi concluded the discussion by posing
hypothetical questions on whether Tawafuq's return would
change the sectarian agenda of the Maliki government. He
recounted how a group of faculty from the University of
Baghdad's Faculty of Dentistry had been kidnapped and
interrogated a day earlier by order of the Prime Minister's
Office. The PM's Chief of Staff, he said, denied any
knowledge of the incident, and Chief Judge Medhat and the
Judiciary were "powerless" to confront the executive branch
on such issues.

--------------
Mosul Visit, Kurdish Issues
--------------


7. (S) Hashimi said he would travel to Mosul on February
23-24, during which time he intended to meet with local
leaders, Iraqi Islamic Party members, and tour the site of
two late-January bombings in the western part of the city
that killed the Provincial Police Chief and many others.
Hashimi said he would also talk with local Kurdish officials
during the visit about the IIP's December agreement with the
two major Kurdish political parties (KDP and PUK). In
particular, he said, a dialogue between the GOI in Baghdad
and Massoud Barzani was required. The Ambassador noted an
upcoming visit to Baghdad of Nechirvan Barzani, who was
prepared to discuss a wide range of issues with Hashimi and
others. Pointing to Article 140-related territorial
disputes, Hashimi said it would be very beneficial to have
the UN talk with Iraqi political leaders to "mitigate
tensions" and to offer technical assistance. Hashimi noted
his concern over increasing strains along the Iraq-Turkey
border, and believed the GOT was coming under severe pressure
from the Turkish military to act more aggressively to
confront the PKK. Hashimi hoped to meet with senior Turkish
officials during an Organization of the Islamic Conference
meeting on March 16 in Dakar, Senegal.
CROCKER