AMB. HILL'S INTRODUCTORY CALL ON IRAQI VP ABDEL

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 001181

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/04/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: AMB. HILL'S INTRODUCTORY CALL ON IRAQI VP ABDEL
MAHDI

Classified By: Ambassador Christopher R. Hill for reasons 1.4 (b) and (
d).


1. (C) Summary: During a friendly introductory meeting, Vice
President Adel Abdel Mahdi welcomed the Ambassador's emphasis
on successful parliamentary elections and progress on
hydrocarbons legislation as top items on Iraq's national
agenda. The Vice President encouraged the Ambassador to use
TV and other media to reach out directly to the Iraqi public,
observing that he would need to strike a careful balance in
meeting with leaders of Iraq's different ethnic and religious
communities. Hearing that the Ambassador would soon be
visiting the UN Secretariat in New York, the Vice President
asked for U.S. help in getting Iraq out of Chapter VII
status. End summary.

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Elections and Democratic Institutions
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2. (C) In a cordial 45-minute introductory call on Iraqi Vice
President Adel Abdel Mahdi (a Shi'a affiliated with the
Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq),the Ambassador said he saw
the upcoming parliamentary elections (expected in late 2009
or early 2010) as the next major landmark in Iraq's
democratic development, and stressed the USG would work hard
to support their success. The Ambassador observed that
elections were nonetheless part of a broader process. After
all, it is possible to have elections without real democracy,
but impossible to have real democracy without elections, the
Ambassador noted. Vice President Abdel Mahdi agreed:
"Elections are meaningless in the absence of strong
democratic institutions," he said. Institution building was
a major need for Iraq, the Vice President continued, in a
country that had endured more than 40 years of dictatorship.

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Hydrocarbons
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3. (C) The Ambassador also cited hydrocarbons legislation as
an area in which the USG hoped to see progress in the coming
year. The Vice President welcomed U.S. engagement on the
issue, encouraging the Ambassador to meet soon with Thamir
Ghadban, "the father of hydrocarbons legislation" - a former
oil minister and now a consultant to both Prime Minister
Maliki and the Iraqi Presidency Council.

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Public Diplomacy
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4. (C) The Ambassador sought the Vice President's advice on
the best ways he could reach out directly to the Iraqi
people. Abdel Mahdi observed that communicating with the
Iraqi public was "an art, not a science," and cautioned that
no one had yet perfected this art in Iraq. Nonetheless, he
encouraged the Ambassador to make himself available to the
media and not hesitate to go on TV for "spontaneous"
conversations. Adding a note of caution, the Vice President
advised the Ambassador to draw on his experience in the
Balkans and seek a judicious balance of interactions with
members and leaders of each of Iraq's various ethnic and
sectarian communities: "If you see a Kurd, you should also
see an Arab and a Turkoman... If you see a Shi'a, you should
also see a Sunni..."

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Iraq's UN Agenda
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5. (C) The Ambassador told the Vice President he would soon
return to the U.S. for consultations. He planned to stop in
New York and lunch with UNSYG Ban Ki-Moon. Fareed Yaseen, a
senior advisor to the Vice President, noted that Iraq was
trying to get a number of qualified Iraqis appointed to
various positions in the UN Secretariat and asked the
Ambassador to "put in a good word for Iraq" with the UNSYG.
The Vice President also asked for U.S. support in helping
Iraq resolve its Chapter VII status at the UN. The
QAmbassador confirmed U.S. support for a settlement favorable
to Iraq.
HILL