This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000014 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/02/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: AYATOLLAH AL-SADR LEANS TOWARD ALLAWI FOR PRIME 
MINISTER 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires David C. Litt for Reasons 1.4 (B) and 
(D) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: On December 31, Baghdad's most senior Shi'a 
cleric Ayatollah Hussein al-Sadr told Ambassador Khalilzad 
that Ayad Allawi would be the best Prime Minister for Iraq, 
if Allawi can temper his rhetoric.  Sadr also supported 
current PM Ja'afari for the presidency.  Sadr was concerned 
about rising sectarian divisions in Iraq.  The Ambassador 
agreed with Sadr's view that the new government should be 
non-sectarian and representative of all Iraqis and advised 
that candidates for key positions should be able to attract 
broad support.  We need to encourage moderate trends in Shi'a 
Islam, such as those represented by Ayatollah al-Sadr.  End 
Summary. 
 
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Iranians in South, Kurds in North, Threaten Division 
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¶2. (C) Sadr praised the December 15 election as the beginning 
of the path for Iraq to democracy and freedom, but noted that 
Iraqis voted largely along sectarian lines rather than for 
political platforms.  The Ambassador agreed with this 
assessment.  As a result, they agreed, the sectarian rift 
between Sunni and Shia has grown.  This threatens to weaken 
Iraq, said Sadr, who feared increased Iranian influence - 
especially in southern Iraq - as a result. 
 
¶3. (C) Sadr felt that Iranian influence has permeated Iraq's 
nine southern provinces.  With the regional oil wealth, he 
feared further Iranian interest in the south.  Sadr vowed his 
love for Iraq over Sunni or Shia sectarian divisions.  He 
implied that Iran's different history, culture, and 
understanding of Islam threaten further division within Iraq. 
 
¶4. (C) Regarding Kurdistan, Sadr said the Kurds would already 
have created their own state, if they had a strong enough 
economic base.  He implied that, as the economy improves 
there, Kurds would push harder for independence. Sadr 
emphasized the importance of Kirkuk to the Arab community in 
Iraq and warned that the Kurds would support Shi'a control of 
the south simply for the chaos this would create.  In such a 
vacuum, the Kurds could more easily stake full claim to the 
three provinces in which they hold a majority. 
 
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No to Mehdi, Yes to Allawi in the New Government 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶5. (C) The Ambassador advised Sadr to help create a national 
unity government with officials who are competent, 
representative of all Iraqis, and free of militia 
affiliations.  He also said the Council of Representatives' 
choices for the new ministers of Interior and Defense should 
have the confidence of different ethnic and sectarian groups. 
 Sadr suggested Zarqis abu Sarmak, a former MoD advisor to 
Ayad Allawi, as the new minister of Defense. 
 
¶6. (C) Sadr felt that Prime Minister Ibrahim al Ja'afari is 
"the best of the bad options" as the next president because 
"he makes decisions based on his own convictions."  Sadr 
complained that Vice President Abd al-Mehdi, on the other 
hand, cannot make decisions because President Jalal Talabani 
is a "dagger at his belly". 
 
¶7. (C) The Ambassador pointed out that the United Iraqi 
Alliance (555) will likely be eight to ten seats short of a 
majority in the Council of Representatives.  As a result, 
they will need to propose candidates for the major positions 
whom the other representatives broadly support.  Sadr said 
the best candidate outside of the 555 for Prime Minister is 
Ayad Allawi-- if Allawi adopts a more moderate message.  Sadr 
added that Vice President Abd al-Mehdi should not hold a 
major role in the new government because his "Islamic, 
sectarian" views divide the country. 
 
¶8. (C) Biographic Note: Ayatollah Hussein al-Sadr is a 
moderate, well-respected Shi'a leader.  His wife and Moqtada 
al Sadr's wife are sisters.  He returned to Iraq in 2003 from 
London. 
 
¶9. (C) Comment:  A major challenge to USG interests during 
negotiations leading to a new Iraqi government will be to 
strengthen the moderate Shi'a clerics, whose religious 
philosophy opposes political Islam.  Radical Shi'a clerics 
and militias will seek to impose a sectarian government on 
Iraq, even if it means conceding Kirkuk to the Kurds, which 
may speed Kurdish aspirations for independence.  Ayatollah 
Sadr represents a counterweight to the followers of the 
strand of political Islam championed by the late Ayatollah 
Khomeini.  Hussein al-Sadr would also balance Iran's 
challenge to Iraq's national and secular identity. 
LITT