COR SPEAKER MASHADANI DISCUSSES PROVINCIAL POWERS

S E C R E T BAGHDAD 000785 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/15/2018 TAGS: PREF PGOV IZ SUBJECT: COR SPEAKER MASHADANI DISCUSSES PROVINCIAL POWERS LAW VETO WITH THE AMBASSADOR REF: BAGHDAD 621 Classified By: Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (S/NF) Council of Representatives (CoR) Speaker Mahmoud Mashadani told the Ambassador on March 15 he hopes VP Adil Abdul Mehdi will withdraw his veto of the provincial powers law. As Mashadani told the Ambassador in their previous meeting (reftel),his own "Shura Council" is reviewing the legal validity of Mehdi's objections. He added he plans to return to the CoR building tomorrow (March 16) to check on the status of this legal review, which was delayed by the recent Arab Parliamentarians' conference in Erbil. ¶2. (S/NF) Mashadani confided in the Ambassador that he is truly troubled by Mehdi's veto. "If we promise to amend the law shortly after is's passed, hopefully he will withdraw his veto," Mashadani said. The Ambassador shared that Mehdi told him in a recent meeting that he hopes an understanding regarding his objections to the law can be reached. The Ambassador then reminded Mashadani he will be testifying to Congress in April (2008). Mashadani encouraged President Bush to call VP Mehdi to press the issue and appeal to Mehdi's vanity and ego. CROCKER