(C) PARLIAMENT SPEAKER ON PROVINCIAL POWERS LEGISLATION, IRANIAN VISIT

S E C R E T BAGHDAD 000621



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E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/03/2023

TAGS: PREL, PGOV, IZ, IR

SUBJECT: (C) PARLIAMENT SPEAKER ON PROVINCIAL POWERS

LEGISLATION, IRANIAN VISIT



CLASSIFIED BY: POLITICAL COUNSELOR MATT TUELLER FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND

(D).



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SUMMARY

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1. (S) SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL OF REPRESENTATIVES (COR),

MAHMOUD MASHADANI, DISCUSSED WITH POLCOUNS DURING A MARCH 1

MEETING NEXT STEPS ON PROVINCIAL POWERS LEGISLATION (PPL),

AND DETAILS OF VISITS TO IRAQ BY IRANIAN PRESIDENT

AHMEDINEJAD AND AN ARAB LEAGUE DELEGATION. MASHADANI WAS

OPTIMISTIC THAT VP ABDEL MEHDI WOULD ABIDE BY THE FINDINGS OF

A COR AD HOC LEGAL COMMITEE CURRENTLY REVIEWING LEGAL ASPECTS

OF THE VP'S VETO. THE LAW MUST RETURN TO LEGISLATORS WHEN

THEY RECONVENE IN LATE-MARCH, BUT POLITICAL DIFFERENCES WOULD

BE OVERCOME, HE PREDICTED. AN ELECTIONS LAW WOULD ALSO BE

QUICKLY FINISHED ONCE A DECISION WAS REACHED ON THE KEY ISSUE

OF OPEN, VERSUS CLOSED, ELECTION LISTS. MASHADANI WELCOMED

USG ASSISTANCE IN BOTH THE LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE ASPECTS

OF FUTURE PROVINCIAL ELECTIONS. ON THE AHMEDINEJAD TRIP,

MASHADANI BLAMED PRESIDENT TALABANI FOR THE "EMBARRASSING"

VISIT, BUT OPINED THAT THE MOVE MIGHT PROMPT ARAB GOVERNMENTS

TO WAKE UP. THE ARAB LEAGUE, HE CONFIRMED WISHED TO HOST A

RECONCILIATION EVENT FOR IRAQ IN THE COMING MONTHS, BUT HAD

LIMITED INFLUENCE. SUCCESSFUL PROVINCIAL ELECTIONS, HE

BELIEVED, WOULD HAVE A VERY POSITIVE IMPACT ON NATIONAL

RECONCILIATION. END SUMMARY.



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PROVINCIAL POWERS LAW, ELECTIONS

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2. (S) DISCUSSING THE VETO OF PROVINCIAL POWERS LEGISLATION

BY VICE PRESIDENT ADEL ABDEL MEHDI, MASHADANI SAID HE HAD

PASSED MEHDI'S WRITTEN JUSTIFICATION TO A GROUP OF COR LEGAL

ADVISORS FOR REVIEW (MY OWN "SHOURA COUNCIL"). THIS AD HOC

COMMITTEE, HE SAID (SEPARATE FROM THE COR'S LEGAL AFFAIRS AND

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEES),WOULD REVIEW MEHDI'S

THREE OBJECTIONS AND DETERMINE THEIR LEGAL VALIDITY. IF THE

ADVISORS DETERMINED THE OBJECTIONS TO BE "INACCURATE,"

MASHADANI CONTINUED, THE VP WAS PREPARED TO WITHDRAW HIS

VETO. THE SPEAKER ASSERTED THAT HE HAD USED HIS GOOD TIES

WITH SADRIST COR MEMBERS TO SECURE THEIR AGREEMENT NOT TO

"POLITICIZE THE ISSUE" ONCE THE LAW WAS RETURNED TO THE COR

IN MID/LATE-MARCH WHEN THE GROUP RECONVENES. "I DON'T THINK

THERE WILL BE PROBLEMS" OVERCOMING THE POLITICAL ISSUES WITH

THIS LAW, HE CONCLUDED OPTIMISTICALLY.



3. (S) ELECTIONS WILL BE HELD BY OCTOBER 1, MASHADANI STATED

WITH CONFIDENCE, DESPITE THE ABDEL MEHDI VETO OF THE PPL. AN

ELECTIONS LAW CAN BE COMPLETED IN 90 DAYS. THE ONE KEY

ISSUE, HE SAID, WAS DECIDING WHETHER TO HAVE AN OPEN, OR

CLOSED-LIST ELECTION. THE SOLUTION, HE PREDICTED, MIGHT BE

AN ELECTION LIST THAT IS "80 PERCENT OPEN, 20 PERCENT

CLOSED." ONCE A DECISION ON THIS ISSUE IS MADE, HE ADDED,

FINALIZING LEGISLATION CAN BE CONCLUDED RAPIDLY. POLCOUNS

NOTED THAT THE EMBASSY WAS PREPARED TO OFFER TECHNICAL

ASSISTANCE TO THE GOI AND THE COR TO HELP STRUCTURE AN

ELECTIONS LAW AND ELECTION PLANNING. MASHADANI SUGGESTED

THAT THE COR'S LEGAL COMMITTEE WAS THE RIGHT OFFICE WITH

WHICH TO WORK.



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VISIT OF IRANIAN PRESIDENT

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4. (S) THE VISIT OF IRANIAN PRESIDENT AHMEDINEJAD TO IRAQ

(SCHEDULED TO BEGIN THE NEXT DAY) MASHADANI SAID, WAS AN

"EMBARRASSMENT" CAUSED BY IRAQI PRESIDENT TALABANI ("HE'S

ALWAYS CAUSING US PROBLEMS") WHO DID NOT CONSULT WITH THE COR

OR OTHER PARTS OF THE GOI. THE VISIT, HE BELIEVED, WOULD

DEEPLY ANGER THE ARABS, BUT MIGHT AT LEAST HAVE ONE BENEFIT;

TO PROVE IRAQ IS "NOT UNDER OCCUPATION." PERHAPS, HE MUSED,

THIS VISIT WILL PROMPT ARAB GOVERNMENTS TO VISIT IRAQ AND

ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC PRESENCES. POLCOUNS ENCOURAGED THE

SPEAKER TO PASS THE IRANIAN LEADER A CLEAR MESSAGE THAT

IRAN'S EFFORTS TO DESTABILIZE IRAQ WERE PROVOKING STRONG

RESENTMENT FROM THE IRAQI PEOPLE AND WOULD WORK AGAINST THE

INTERESTS OF IRAN AND THE REGION. A STRONG IRAQI SECURITY

FORCE, MASHADANI RESPONDED, WOULD HELP "CUT THE ROOTS" OF

IRAN'S PRESENCE IN IRAQ.



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ARAB LEAGUE ENGAGEMENT

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5. (S) ASKED IF HE MET WITH THE ARAB LEAGUE DELEGATION WHICH

VISITED BAGHDAD IN LATE FEBRUARY, LED BY ASSISTANT

SECRETARIES GENERAL AHMED BEN HELLI AND ALI JARROUSH,



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MASHADANI SAID HE MET THEM IN AMMAN ON HIS WAY BACK TO IRAQ.

THE LEAGUE, HE SAID, WAS LOOKING TO CONTRIBUTE TO



RECONCILIATION EFFORTS, AND HAD PROPOSED AN INTERNATIONAL

CONFERENCE TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE, EITHER IN IRAQ, MECCA, OR

POSSIBLY CAIRO. THE LEAGUE, HE SAID, HAD LITTLE INFLUENCE ON

THE SITUATION IN IRAQ, BUT ITS LARGE MEMBER STATES COULD HELP

INFLUENCE MEMBERS OF ARMED RESISTANCE GROUPS. THE LEAGUE

MIGHT ALSO HELP ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF IDP/REFUGEE RETURNS TO

IRAQ. A SUCCESSFUL ELECTIONS LAW AND PROVINCIAL ELECTIONS,

HE SAID, WOULD TAKE CARE OF 70 PERCENT OF THE RECONCILATION

EFFORT. THE ARAB LEAGUE AND ITS MEMBERS COULD HELP ADDRESS

THE REMAINING 30 PERCENT, HE SAID. THE BAATHISTS ARE READY

TO RECONCILE, AS ARE MANY RESISTANCE GROUPS, HE SAID, BUT THE

SADRISTS REMAIN A CHALLENGE. THE ARAB LEAGUE HAS LITTLE

INFLUENCE WITH THEM, HE STATED.

CROCKER