U/S BURNS, AND U/S FLOURNOY,S MEETING VP HASHEMI

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001320

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/12/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV IZ IR
SUBJECT: U/S BURNS, AND U/S FLOURNOY,S MEETING VP HASHEMI
AND THE IIP

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Classified By: Acting Political Minister Counselor John G. Fox for reas
ons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY. On May 12, Under Secretary of State for
Political Affairs Bill Burns and Under Secretary of
Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy met with Vice President
Tariq al-Hashemi and members of his Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP)
to discuss a myriad of NATIONAL issues. IIP expressed
confidence that NATIONAL elections would take place on
January 31, 2010. IIP members questioned the validity of
UNAMI's Disputed Internal Boundaries (DIBs) reports, accusing
the United Nations of including undisputed territories for
the purpose of negotiations. Hashemi raised concerns about
pervasive Iranian influence in both the SECURITY and
political arenas. He said he hoped that the USG was not
sacrificing its interest in Iraq for its growing interest in
Iran. Hashemi credited the U.S. military surge for
reinstating stability, recognized the need for the U.S. to
abide by the U.S. - Iraq SECURITY Agreement (SA),but
questioned what will fill the vacuum after the military draws
down. U/S Flournoy stated that Iraq has achieved great
progress and expressed the USG's commitment to the SA and
Iraq's future success. She assured the group that President
Obama's new Iraq policy focuses on "responsible" troop
withdrawal and will assist the GOI in developing a stable,
self-reliant and democratic Iraq. END SUMMARY.

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NATIONAL ELECTIONS ARE A GO
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2. (C) In response to U/S Flournoy's inquiries about
national elections, IIP member of Parliament Abdul Karim
al-Sammarraie explained that the Iraqi constitution requires
elections to take place 45 days before the first seating of
the COUNCIL of Representatives (CoR) (March 16, 2006).
Sammarraie was confident that the CoR and Iraq High Electoral
Commission (IHEC) would perform all the necessary
preparations so that elections can take place on January 31,

2010. He said that the IIP favors open candidate list
elections but noted that many political blocs prefer closed
lists.

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NATIONAL RECONCILIATION NOT WORKING
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3. (C) Regarding NATIONAL reconciliation, Sammarraie
asserted that some groups are not genuinely interested in
reconciliation. He described a recent reconciliation
conference as unsuccessful. Specifically, promises of
integration for the Sons of Iraq (SOI) have been broken. He
said that the SOI remain jobless and its leadership targeted
by the GOI. He warned to expect more problems. Sammarraie
said that over fifty percent (50%) of internally displaced
persons (IDPs) have returned to their original areas but that
eighty percent (80%) of refugees who fled Iraq during civil
strife have not returned. He was concerned that Baghdad
neighborhoods are still segregated by sect. He expressed
dismay about the lack of government involvement in these
issues and urged both the USG and international community to
pressure the GOI to address them.

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NO ARAB-KURD ISSUES
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4. (C) In answer to U/S Flournoy's inquiries about Arab-Kurd
issues, Sammarraie discounted Arab-Kurd tensions per se,
indicating that tensions in the north were political and
constitutional in nature, rather than ethnic. Sammarraie
noted that the Kurdish parties capitalized on a time of
Qinstability, codified their gains in the Constitution, and
are not willing to compromise those gains now. He asserted
that there is a resulting need for Constitutional review.
Sammarraie accused Special Representative of the (UN)
Secretary General Steffan De Mistura of including areas that
are not under dispute in UNAMI's Disputed Internal Boundaries
(DIBs) reports. He alleged that this was done to give the
Kurds "wiggle room" for negotiations. He stated that
Peshmerga controlled areas (below the Green Line) do not mean
that these areas automatically will become part of Kurdistan.
Sammarraie said Kirkuk was the most important disputed area.
He insisted that the CoR Article 23 Committee be given
adequate time to produce its report on Kirkuk. He also
insisted that the UNAMI reports not be used to circumvent the
Article 23 Committee process. He stated that the GOI never
mandated the UNAMI reports and that they create a false
facts-on-the-ground starting point for negotiations. He

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added that the Article 140 3-step process (reports,
referendum, census) will take a long time to implement and
that everyone must exercise patience.

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OBAMA's NEW IRAQ POLICY
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5. (C) IIP Parliamentarian Amer Habib Al-Azawi stated that
the IIP was pleased with official statements by President
Obama, Vice President Biden and Secretary Clinton. In
particular, Azawi noted Biden's promise that the USG will
help build institutions and not individuals. He called
attention to Clinton's promise to ensure Iraq will have
non-sectarian and professional SECURITY forces. Azawi
stated that it is time to shift USG policy away from
security and more toward economic development. Speaking
from personal experience, Azawi asked the USG to grant more
educational exchange programs. Hashemi credited the
military surge with providing Iraqi stability since 2006
but warned of an impending financial crisis if oil prices
remain low. U/S Burns reaffirmed the importance of the
Strategic Framework Agreement (SFA) and agreed with
Hashemi's view that the USG and GOI must translate that
agreement into tangible cooperation including on
economic issues.

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PERVASIVE IRANIAN INFLUENCE
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6. (C) VP Hashemi's Chief of STAFF Saif Abd al-Rahman
referenced U/S Flournoy's previous Congressional testimony
stating that the USG will ensure Iraq is no longer a safe
haven for foreign fighters, that there will be no
humanitarian crisis and no military crisis. Al-Rahman said
Iraq is not yet a state but a "collection of competing
interests in a state-like environment." Left alone, this
situation may develop into a strong-man state. He argued
that Iran understands this and is in Iraq for the long-term
whereas the U.S. is only here for the short-term. He added
that Iran has always had a SECURITY and political "file" on
Iraq. Al-Rahman warned of pervasive Iranian influence,
especially in the form of soft power. He asked the U.S. to
start investing in and trading with Iraq to displace Iran's
prominence. (Note: Rahman, who has lived in the U.S.
extensively and speaks unaccented English, also advises
Speaker of the CoR Sammaraie.)


7. (C) To help combat Iranian influence, VP Hashemi took
credit for involving Turkey in Iraq. He said he hoped that
the U.S. was not trading interest in Iraq for interest in
Iran. Hashemi complained that for the last six years the
Iraq-Iran border has been insecure, allowing Iran to easily
target Iraqi territory. Hashemi expressed dismay that the
U.S. spent so much money on training the Iraqi Army and yet
the caliber of the IA is sorely lacking. He said he had
called upon Turkey/NATO and King Abdullah in Amman to provide
additional training for IA troops. He noted that there are
still professional Iranian backed militia elements serving in
the IA. He concluded by acknowledging the need for the U.S.
military to abide by the SA but asked what will fill the
vacuum left when the U.S. military draws down. U/S Burns
reiterated that the U.S. is determined to keep its
commitments to Iraq, particularly to help Iraq build strong
political and SECURITY institutions and will not exchange
Iraq,s SECURITY as part of discussions with Iran.
HILL