PM MALIKI: DON'T MAKE HUMAN RIGHTS A POLITICAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001951

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/18/2019
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KJUS IZ
SUBJECT: PM MALIKI: DON'T MAKE HUMAN RIGHTS A POLITICAL
ISSUE

REF: A. BAGHDAD 1699

B. BAGHDAD 1546

Classified By: Deputy Political Counselor Steve Walker for Reason 1.4 (
d).


1. (C) Summary: Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki used the
platform provided by a July 8 symposium on the role of human
rights-focused NGOs, sponsored by the Cabinet, to denounce
the politicization of human rights issues by critics of the
GOI. He laid the blame squarely on the shoulders of the
Saddam regime for instilling society with an ethics system
that does not value human life. While he applauded NGOs for
their work on human rights, he encouraged them to spend less
time criticizing his administration for its handling of such
issues as detainee rights and more time focused on assisting
victims of insurgent attacks. He also pushed them to lend
support to the Ministry of Human Rights and other ministries
to increase the standard of living for all Iraqis. End
summary.


2. (C) On July 8, Prime Minister Maliki was the keynote
speaker at a Cabinet-sponsored symposium focusing on the role
of Human Rights and NGOs within Iraq. Approximately 250-300
people attended, mostly from the NGO community. Other Iraqi
participants included the Minister of Human Rights, the
Secretary General of the Cabinet, and a few members of
Parliament.

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PM Maliki's Views on NGOs in Iraq
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3. (C) In his speech, the Prime Minister said that human
rights are "natural" and derive from God and the Quran. He
said the key to eradicating human rights violations is
through education. If the standard of living for average
Iraqis can be raised, there will be fewer abuses of human
rights in society. The "NGO experiment," he noted, is a new
development for Iraq and will take time to mature properly.
Turning to the former regime, Maliki said the Ba,ath party
left behind "many negative traits which are still prevalent
within Iraqi society," including the use of torture,
kidnappings and targeted killings. The "code of ethics" was
repeatedly violated by the former regime in favor of
Saddam,s personal interests and Iraqi citizens are still
paying the price for this, he stated.


4. (C) Continuing, Maliki said that while it is important
to focus on the condition of detainees, this issue should not
be used for political purposes (ref A). (Comment: He was
most likely referencing the Sadrists, claims of detainee
abuse in parliament last month -- see ref B. End Comment.).
He criticized the sympathy shown to detainees while the
victims, the "widows and orphans and families of those who
have been killed," receive little or no attention. NGOs
should condemn insurgent groups rather than criticize the
government for failing to take appropriate actions to combat
human rights violations, he argued. The role of NGOs, he
said, should not be to monitor the government but to bolster
the work being done by the Ministry of Human Rights and
others within the administration. (Note: Parliament
recently approved a new national security law -- see septel.
End Note)

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CoMSEC, MoHR, Others Speak
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5. (C) The Secretary General of the Cabinet, Ali Al-Alaq,
focused his speech on the importance of civil society in
promoting human rights, democratic development, and civic
progress in the new Iraqi state. He added that the
Secretariat of the Cabinet provides support to Iraqi civil
society organizations through the NGOs Assistance Office.
The Minister of Human Rights, Wijdan Salim, also said a few
words to the attendees, highlighting the role and
Qwords to the attendees, highlighting the role and
responsibilities of her Ministry. Other speakers included
the Director of the Iraq Center for Media Development, the
Romanian Ambassador to Iraq, and a representative from
American University, a DRL grantee working on several human
rights-related projects with the GOI.

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Human Rights Committee Left Out in the Cold
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5. (C) In a meeting at Parliament immediately following the
conclusion of the conference, members of the Human Rights
Committee expressed their extreme displeasure over having not
received an invitation to attend the conference. A number of
MPs later appeared on Iraqi television and harshly criticized

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the Minister of Human Rights for this oversight. (Note:
Minister of Human Rights Salim told us July 10 that she was
"not pleased" by the MPs' reaction to this perceived slight,
noting that her ministry had very little to do with the
conference and was only informed of it the day prior. The
Embassy was also notified of the conference on July 7. End
note.).

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Comment
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6. (C) That the Cabinet would host a human rights-themed
conference to raise awareness of government efforts and
support the Ministry of Human Rights is an indication that
the Prime Minister recognizes that human rights is a resonant
public issue. His call for NGOs to condemn insurgent groups
rather than criticize the GOI's human rights record
highlights Maliki's continuing efforts to show himself as
tough on security. We suspect this hastily organized
conference had more to do with countering Sadrist MPs'
allegations of human rights abuses by security forces than
with galvanizing ameliorative NGO action.
FORD