MALIKI REASSESSES ONGOING CABINET NEGOTIATIONS,

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000571

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/21/2018
TAGS: MARR MOPS MCAP PGOV PTER PINS PNAT IZ
SUBJECT: MALIKI REASSESSES ONGOING CABINET NEGOTIATIONS,
ELECTRICITY CONCERNS, NEW AMNESTY LAW, AND IRAQI REFUGEES

REF: A. BAGHDAD 514

B. BAGHDAD 536

C. BAGHDAD 474

D. BAGHDAD 513


1. (S) SUMMARY: During his weekly security meeting with the
Ambassador and General Petraeus on February 21, Prime
Minister Maliki said he was discouraged by lack of progress
in negotiations with the Tawafaq and Iraqiyya parties on
rejoining the government, blaming their senior leadership for
ever-increasing demands. The Prime Minister also reiterated
his desire for a large American energy company to develop and
implement solutions for the supply and distribution of
electricity in Iraq. Additionally, the meeting covered a
problematic clause in the new Amnesty Law concerning MNF-I
detainees, the Iraqi government response to its refugee and
displaced person problem in conjunction with the UNHCR, and
the importance of properly conducting the upcoming trial of
two ex-government health ministry officials. END SUMMARY.

Maliki Discouraged about Cabinet Reshuffle
--------------


2. (S) During his weekly security meeting with the Ambassador
and General Petraeus, Prime Minister Maliki expressed
discouragement in the ongoing negotiations with the Tawafaq
and Iraqiyya political parties aimed at bringing them back
into the government. He related that during the last
Executive Council meeting, he offered two separate options
for continuation of the government:

-- Tawafaq and Iraqiyya parties end their boycott of the
Government and immediately fill their currently vacant
ministry seats with professionally-qualified personnel, or

-- If the boycott continues, Maliki would fill the vacant
seats himself with technocratic professionals, without regard
to party affiliation or quota.

(note: Per reftel A, President Talabani had a different take
on the same meeting, telling the Ambassador that there was a
"consensus that the Council must concentrate all of its
efforts on reforming the Government" as well as consensus on
reducing the number of ministries by a third. Vice-president
Hashimi's recollection was closer to Prime Minister Maliki's,
except the Vice-president characterized Maliki's proposal as
an ultimatum (Reftel B). End note.)


3. (S) Maliki then asked his senior advisor, Dr. Tariq
Abdullah, to describe the recent government reconciliation
discussions. Dr. Tariq, who led the negotiations, said they
started off roughly but eventually succeeded with a
comprehensive agreement after six meetings. He lamented that
all this work was scuttled when senior Tawafaq and Iraqiyya
leadership disregarded the agreement and demanded entirely
new concessions from the Prime Minister. Maliki responded
that these tactics disappointed him but he remained hopeful
that both parties could somehow remain a part of the
political process.

Maliki Wants Long-term Fix for Electricity
--------------


4. (S) Turning to the problems in the supply of electricity,
Maliki reiterated his desire for a large American energy
company to develop and implement a long-term solution for the
Iraqi electricity and production grid (Reftel C). General
Petraeus frankly assessed that many large American companies
were reluctant to enter the Iraqi market because of the poor
GOI record for on-time reimbursement. He suggested this might
be overcome with a letter of credit from a major banking
institution and backed by a large cash deposit. The
Ambassador also suggested the GOI engage the World Bank in
this process, noting it had an extensive energy advisory
program. As he had done previously, General Petraeus urged
Maliki to adopt a series of quick fixes which would have an
enormous, near-term effect and gain Maliki time to develop
his long-term plan. Among them were purchase of proper fuel
for the gas turbine generators, enforcement of load shedding
to prevent shutdowns in the national grid, and timely
reimbursement by the Ministry of Electricity for purchases of
fuel. General Petraeus also suggested the GOI begin research
into capping the flared gas at major oil fields, noting this
practice had been very successful in producing large amounts
of electricity elsewhere. Maliki seemed particularly
impressed with the flared gas idea and tasked his advisors to
study it further.


BAGHDAD 00000571 002 OF 002


Amnesty Law and MNF-I Detainees
--------------


5. (S) Discussing the recently passed Amnesty Law, Maliki
observed that a sentence added at the last minute by the
Council of Representatives committed the GOI to a transfer of
detainees from Coalition Forces (CF) for eventual release by
the Government. Maliki wondered if there was a mechanism in
place to make such transfers. General Petraeus responded
that for convicted criminals, the CF was ready to transfer
custody of 600 prisoners once the GOI had sufficient prison
space. On detainees, General Petraeus noted MNF-I detention
authority originated from an UNSCR and added that they were
already releasing about 1,000 detainees per month. When the
Prime Minister asked if there was a legal way to transfer
detainees to the GOI, General Petraeus responded that he
would be willing to work that issue with GOI lawmakers.

Refugees and Displaced Persons
--------------


6. (S) Regarding refugees and internally displaced persons
(IDP),the Ambassador expressed satisfaction with the recent
visit to Baghdad by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees,
Antonio Guterres. The Ambassador was especially pleased, he
said, by his decision to assign five permanent UNHCR
representatives to Iraq (Reftel D). Maliki agreed and added
that during his own meeting with Guterres, he had emphasized
the necessity for properly dispersing scarce funds to the
neediest refugees, stressing that Iraq was prepared to do its
part. In meeting this challenge, Maliki related that the
Minister of Displacement and Migration (MoDM) now chaired an
inter-ministerial committee to focus additional government
agencies on this complex issue. When queried by the
Ambassador whether the MoDM had authority to task other
ministries, Maliki responded affirmatively but added that he
intended to draft a new authorization policy that would add
additional emphasis for expanding GOI cooperation with the
UNHCR.

Trial of Ex-Government Health Officials
--------------


7. (S) Concerning the upcoming trial of two ex-government
officials from the Ministry of Health, General Petraeus
praised the courage of the Iraqi senior judge who pressed
forward with the case despite serious threats of
intimidation. He emphasized that world opinion about the
Iraqi judicial system rested on its ability to fairly
prosecute difficult political cases like these. Maliki
acknowledged there were many skeptics about his government's
fairness, but he adamantly contended that his government
would not compromise justice for a political agenda,
especially in a case like this. Maliki noted that one of the
threatened witnesses, who failed to show up to testify on the
originally scheduled trial date, had subsequently contacted
him for advice. The Prime Minister said he urged the witness
to testify, saying he personally promised them protection.


8. (S) The meeting concluded abruptly when Prime Minister
Maliki was asked to take a phone call from the Turkish Prime
Minister concerning the northern border crisis.
CROCKER