Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BAGHDAD1408
2009-05-30 13:08:00
SECRET
Embassy Baghdad
Cable title:
AMBASSADOR, CG AND PM DISCUSS DIYALA, UK AND NATO
how-toVZCZCXRO6602 PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHIHL RUEHKUK DE RUEHGB #1408/01 1501308 ZNY SSSSS ZZH P 301308Z MAY 09 FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3248 INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 2010 RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 1939 RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 001408
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/29/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL MOPS MARR PTER IZ UK NATO
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR, CG AND PM DISCUSS DIYALA, UK AND NATO
SECURITY AGREEMENTS, PM VISIT TO DC
Classified By: Ambassador Christopher R. Hill for reasons 1.4 (b) and (
d).
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 001408
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/29/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL MOPS MARR PTER IZ UK NATO
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR, CG AND PM DISCUSS DIYALA, UK AND NATO
SECURITY AGREEMENTS, PM VISIT TO DC
Classified By: Ambassador Christopher R. Hill for reasons 1.4 (b) and (
d).
1. (S) Summary: In their weekly meeting with Iraqi Prime
Minister Nuri al-Maliki on May 28, the Ambassador and MNF-I
Commanding General Odierno discussed the timing of the PM's
proposed visit to the U.S. (late June or July),the PM's
eagerness to involve U.S. firms in oil contracting, possible
means of easing sectarian tensions in Diyala province, and
the status of UK and NATO security agreements being
negotiated with the Government of Iraq (GOI).
2. (S) Summary Continued: The Ambassador, CG and PM discussed
concerns of sectarian tensions rising in Diyala Province.
The PM defended GOI arrests as based on legal warrants and
good evidence, whether against Sunnis or Shia, and criticized
the actions of the recently arrested Diyala Provincial
Council member as destabilizing. The Ambassador emphasized
the need for the GOI to successfully negotiate a security
agreement with NATO, which the PM said was almost guaranteed.
By contrast, he blamed the current impasse in negotiations
for a UK-GOI security agreement on the UK's increased demands
and inflexibility but said he was still open to negotiating
with them if they changed their position. End Summary.
--------------
PM's Visit to the U.S.
--------------
3. (S) The Ambassador and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki
discussed the timing of the PM's upcoming visit to
Washington. The PM mentioned that his office was considering
June 15, but that it could happen later in June or in July.
Both agreed that this visit was very important and should
focus on economic issues. The PM expressed interest in
meetings with American companies during his visit and in
setting up a future investment conference like the one
recently held in London.
--------------
Expediting Oil Contracts
--------------
4. (S) The PM expressed particular interest in meeting with
Exxon Mobil and Chevron, as he is seeking a way to expedite
contracts for the development of major oil fields in Iraq.
He said that he does not believe the Council of
Representatives will approve a proposed hydrocarbons law
before the parliamentary elections, so the GOI needs to use
the old law and direct contracts to not lose any more time.
The Ambassador said that the U.S. has found an advisor, as
requested by Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih, to assist
the GOI on its oil contracting procedures. He said that this
will not be someone connected to any oil companies but a
technical expert who can assist the GOI in developing its
bidding process. The PM expressed a preference for direct
contracts over lengthy competitive bidding procedures.
--------------
Sectarian Tensions in Diyala
--------------
5. (S) The Ambassador raised concerns about sectarian
tensions were rising in Diyala Province, noting that this was
also a cause for concern in Washington. The PM expressed
disappointment in the amount of attention paid to the
detention of Sunnis when the GOI also detains numerous Shia
on a daily basis. He defended recent arrests, saying that
all are conducted based on legal arrest warrants with solid
evidence behind them. He claimed that the GOI is going after
criminals and killers in Diyala just as it has in Basrah and
as recently as May 27 in Karbala when Iraqi forces arrested a
Qgroup of Sadrists there.
6. (S) The PM said that he had refrained from carrying out
many arrests before the new provincial councils were seated
to avoid aggravating political tensions, but the situation in
Diyala was heating up and the GOI could not stop conducting
all arrests against individuals it knew were bad. He
mentioned as an example the man who claimed to be Abu Omar
al-Baghdadi - the government had no choice but to go after
him. The PM said that he will not back off from arresting
any Sunni who kills people, as he will not back off from
arresting a Shia who does so, or an Iranian or a Syrian who
kills people as well.
7. (S) The Ambassador asked if the PM had explained these
points to the Sunni community. The PM said yes, there was an
ongoing dialogue and all parties were informed of what the
BAGHDAD 00001408 002 OF 003
GOI was doing. The "only" ones who agree or understand are
the Iraqi Islamic Party and Tariq al-Hashimi. The PM said
that there is some concern among the Shia community, though,
that the U.S. is biased in favor of Sunnis. He said that he
knows the U.S. is trying to be fair, but Shia clerics have a
powerful media machine, which some use to promote a negative
view of U.S. forces.
8. (S) The PM said that he is very worried about the
potential return to sectarianism in Iraq, which he is
convinced will be started by the Sunnis. He mentioned his
belief that Saudi Arabia is attempting to instigate the
Sunnis to start sectarian violence. The PM said that
improving Iraqi-Saudi relations is impossible, despite U.S.
efforts, because the Saudis believe that his government is
composed of non-believers. The PM also mentioned Syria,
saying that Iraqi forces yesterday detained a Syrian national
who had come to Iraq to conduct a terrorist act, and the GOI
has sent his taped confession to the Syrian government to
press the Syrians to uncover the extremist cells that are
sending fighters to Iraq.
9. (S) The Ambassador and CG both expressed concern about all
communities in Iraq. General Odierno emphasized to the PM
that the problem in Diyala was the fact that a member of the
Provincial Council had been arrested, which could create
instability. The PM said that this individual had arrived at
his position through elections, which the PM supports. The
problem was that some officials came into the provincial
government with a plan to rid Diyala of Shia and to instigate
problems with the Kurds to the north. These individuals had
arrest warrants outstanding prior to the elections but the PM
froze the warrants and let the individuals run. Once they
got into office and began implementing their plan of
destabilization, however, the PM said that he had to act.
--------------
Progress in Diyala Security Operations
--------------
10. (S) The PM acknowledged that there had been problems in
ongoing Diyala security operations, including some U.S. field
commanders not communicating with their Iraqi counterparts or
Iraqi commanders not trusting the U.S. forces in the
province. General Odierno agreed that there had been some
coordination issues, but reported that had he visited Diyala
several days prior and believed commanders had worked out
much better coordination arrangements. He said that overall,
he thinks the operations in Diyala have gone well and are
making progress.
11. (S) The PM brought up the Diyala Operations Commander,
General Tariq, saying he was a Sunni and that the PM had
appointed him purposefully so as to avoid the perception that
a Shia was targeting Sunnis. General Odierno said that
General Tariq is very impressive, is tactically and
operationally proficient, and requires little assistance from
the U.S. in his planning and operations.
--------------
UK and NATO Security Agreements
--------------
12. (S) The Ambassador emphasized the need for the GOI's
negotiations with NATO on a security agreement to be
successful. The PM responded that the NATO security
agreement is "almost guaranteed" because "NATO's demands are
not as high as the UK's." He indicated a UK-GOI agreement
was still not entirely impossible but said that the problem
Qwas the UK's insistence on raising its demands, causing the
Council of Ministers to reject the agreement. The PM noted
that the UK had wanted to raise the number of personnel to
1,000, which sent a negative message about the situation in
Iraq. The UK also wanted jurisdictional immunity even at
Iraqi joint camps, the PM said, which would mean that a UK
soldier could kill an Iraqi on the facility with no
consequences, which was unacceptable.
13. (S) The PM asked General Odierno to prepare U.S. ships to
take over on a temporary basis. He said 15 new patrol boats
that Iraq is purchasing from the U.S. are en route, along
with a patrol vessel sailing from Italy. General Odierno
told the PM that the U.S. would be able to mitigate UK
forces' departure from the naval mission to secure Iraq's oil
platforms in the Persian Gulf, although it would be
difficult. He said that the U.S. would work this issue but
would not be able to immediately mitigate the UK's maritime
training mission, where the UK departure will leave a gap.
BAGHDAD 00001408 003 OF 003
14. (S) The PM said that he was willing to cooperate, and
mentioned that the UK planned to send an envoy, but said that
this envoy needed to come to Iraq with new ideas. The
Ambassador stressed the importance of Iraq maintaining a
positive relationship with the UK, which serves as a
permanent member on the UN Security Council, and the PM
acknowledged that he hopes they will be able to come to
agreement. He said that in terms of the UK's mission,
training and naval support are exactly what Iraq needs.
HILL
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/29/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL MOPS MARR PTER IZ UK NATO
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR, CG AND PM DISCUSS DIYALA, UK AND NATO
SECURITY AGREEMENTS, PM VISIT TO DC
Classified By: Ambassador Christopher R. Hill for reasons 1.4 (b) and (
d).
1. (S) Summary: In their weekly meeting with Iraqi Prime
Minister Nuri al-Maliki on May 28, the Ambassador and MNF-I
Commanding General Odierno discussed the timing of the PM's
proposed visit to the U.S. (late June or July),the PM's
eagerness to involve U.S. firms in oil contracting, possible
means of easing sectarian tensions in Diyala province, and
the status of UK and NATO security agreements being
negotiated with the Government of Iraq (GOI).
2. (S) Summary Continued: The Ambassador, CG and PM discussed
concerns of sectarian tensions rising in Diyala Province.
The PM defended GOI arrests as based on legal warrants and
good evidence, whether against Sunnis or Shia, and criticized
the actions of the recently arrested Diyala Provincial
Council member as destabilizing. The Ambassador emphasized
the need for the GOI to successfully negotiate a security
agreement with NATO, which the PM said was almost guaranteed.
By contrast, he blamed the current impasse in negotiations
for a UK-GOI security agreement on the UK's increased demands
and inflexibility but said he was still open to negotiating
with them if they changed their position. End Summary.
--------------
PM's Visit to the U.S.
--------------
3. (S) The Ambassador and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki
discussed the timing of the PM's upcoming visit to
Washington. The PM mentioned that his office was considering
June 15, but that it could happen later in June or in July.
Both agreed that this visit was very important and should
focus on economic issues. The PM expressed interest in
meetings with American companies during his visit and in
setting up a future investment conference like the one
recently held in London.
--------------
Expediting Oil Contracts
--------------
4. (S) The PM expressed particular interest in meeting with
Exxon Mobil and Chevron, as he is seeking a way to expedite
contracts for the development of major oil fields in Iraq.
He said that he does not believe the Council of
Representatives will approve a proposed hydrocarbons law
before the parliamentary elections, so the GOI needs to use
the old law and direct contracts to not lose any more time.
The Ambassador said that the U.S. has found an advisor, as
requested by Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih, to assist
the GOI on its oil contracting procedures. He said that this
will not be someone connected to any oil companies but a
technical expert who can assist the GOI in developing its
bidding process. The PM expressed a preference for direct
contracts over lengthy competitive bidding procedures.
--------------
Sectarian Tensions in Diyala
--------------
5. (S) The Ambassador raised concerns about sectarian
tensions were rising in Diyala Province, noting that this was
also a cause for concern in Washington. The PM expressed
disappointment in the amount of attention paid to the
detention of Sunnis when the GOI also detains numerous Shia
on a daily basis. He defended recent arrests, saying that
all are conducted based on legal arrest warrants with solid
evidence behind them. He claimed that the GOI is going after
criminals and killers in Diyala just as it has in Basrah and
as recently as May 27 in Karbala when Iraqi forces arrested a
Qgroup of Sadrists there.
6. (S) The PM said that he had refrained from carrying out
many arrests before the new provincial councils were seated
to avoid aggravating political tensions, but the situation in
Diyala was heating up and the GOI could not stop conducting
all arrests against individuals it knew were bad. He
mentioned as an example the man who claimed to be Abu Omar
al-Baghdadi - the government had no choice but to go after
him. The PM said that he will not back off from arresting
any Sunni who kills people, as he will not back off from
arresting a Shia who does so, or an Iranian or a Syrian who
kills people as well.
7. (S) The Ambassador asked if the PM had explained these
points to the Sunni community. The PM said yes, there was an
ongoing dialogue and all parties were informed of what the
BAGHDAD 00001408 002 OF 003
GOI was doing. The "only" ones who agree or understand are
the Iraqi Islamic Party and Tariq al-Hashimi. The PM said
that there is some concern among the Shia community, though,
that the U.S. is biased in favor of Sunnis. He said that he
knows the U.S. is trying to be fair, but Shia clerics have a
powerful media machine, which some use to promote a negative
view of U.S. forces.
8. (S) The PM said that he is very worried about the
potential return to sectarianism in Iraq, which he is
convinced will be started by the Sunnis. He mentioned his
belief that Saudi Arabia is attempting to instigate the
Sunnis to start sectarian violence. The PM said that
improving Iraqi-Saudi relations is impossible, despite U.S.
efforts, because the Saudis believe that his government is
composed of non-believers. The PM also mentioned Syria,
saying that Iraqi forces yesterday detained a Syrian national
who had come to Iraq to conduct a terrorist act, and the GOI
has sent his taped confession to the Syrian government to
press the Syrians to uncover the extremist cells that are
sending fighters to Iraq.
9. (S) The Ambassador and CG both expressed concern about all
communities in Iraq. General Odierno emphasized to the PM
that the problem in Diyala was the fact that a member of the
Provincial Council had been arrested, which could create
instability. The PM said that this individual had arrived at
his position through elections, which the PM supports. The
problem was that some officials came into the provincial
government with a plan to rid Diyala of Shia and to instigate
problems with the Kurds to the north. These individuals had
arrest warrants outstanding prior to the elections but the PM
froze the warrants and let the individuals run. Once they
got into office and began implementing their plan of
destabilization, however, the PM said that he had to act.
--------------
Progress in Diyala Security Operations
--------------
10. (S) The PM acknowledged that there had been problems in
ongoing Diyala security operations, including some U.S. field
commanders not communicating with their Iraqi counterparts or
Iraqi commanders not trusting the U.S. forces in the
province. General Odierno agreed that there had been some
coordination issues, but reported that had he visited Diyala
several days prior and believed commanders had worked out
much better coordination arrangements. He said that overall,
he thinks the operations in Diyala have gone well and are
making progress.
11. (S) The PM brought up the Diyala Operations Commander,
General Tariq, saying he was a Sunni and that the PM had
appointed him purposefully so as to avoid the perception that
a Shia was targeting Sunnis. General Odierno said that
General Tariq is very impressive, is tactically and
operationally proficient, and requires little assistance from
the U.S. in his planning and operations.
--------------
UK and NATO Security Agreements
--------------
12. (S) The Ambassador emphasized the need for the GOI's
negotiations with NATO on a security agreement to be
successful. The PM responded that the NATO security
agreement is "almost guaranteed" because "NATO's demands are
not as high as the UK's." He indicated a UK-GOI agreement
was still not entirely impossible but said that the problem
Qwas the UK's insistence on raising its demands, causing the
Council of Ministers to reject the agreement. The PM noted
that the UK had wanted to raise the number of personnel to
1,000, which sent a negative message about the situation in
Iraq. The UK also wanted jurisdictional immunity even at
Iraqi joint camps, the PM said, which would mean that a UK
soldier could kill an Iraqi on the facility with no
consequences, which was unacceptable.
13. (S) The PM asked General Odierno to prepare U.S. ships to
take over on a temporary basis. He said 15 new patrol boats
that Iraq is purchasing from the U.S. are en route, along
with a patrol vessel sailing from Italy. General Odierno
told the PM that the U.S. would be able to mitigate UK
forces' departure from the naval mission to secure Iraq's oil
platforms in the Persian Gulf, although it would be
difficult. He said that the U.S. would work this issue but
would not be able to immediately mitigate the UK's maritime
training mission, where the UK departure will leave a gap.
BAGHDAD 00001408 003 OF 003
14. (S) The PM said that he was willing to cooperate, and
mentioned that the UK planned to send an envoy, but said that
this envoy needed to come to Iraq with new ideas. The
Ambassador stressed the importance of Iraq maintaining a
positive relationship with the UK, which serves as a
permanent member on the UN Security Council, and the PM
acknowledged that he hopes they will be able to come to
agreement. He said that in terms of the UK's mission,
training and naval support are exactly what Iraq needs.
HILL