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PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK RUEHMOS
DE RUEHGB #0330/01 0361657
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 051657Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2484
INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC WASHDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000330 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/04/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PINR PINS PNAT IZ KDEM
SUBJECT: ABD AL-MAHDI CLAIMS HE IS HIS OWN MAN 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY:  At a February 3 dinner hosted by Minister of 
Planning (and senior Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) 
official) Barham Saleh, Deputy President Adel Abd al-Mahdi 
told the Ambassador that, if chosen to be Prime Minister, he 
would not be beholden either to SCIRI head Abd al-Aziz 
al-Hakim or Iran.  Abd al-Mahdi explained that, although Iraq 
needs good relations with its neighbors, concerns about 
growing Iranian influence are the result of propaganda 
designed to smear SCIRI.  Iraq must work with the U.S., he 
noted.  Abd al-Mahdi also said that he has accepted the 
Ambassador's idea of a national unity government consisting 
of Shia, Kurds, Sunni Arabs, and secular Iraqis from the bloc 
led by former PM Ayad Allawi.  Abd al-Mahdi said he also is 
in favor of dividing government ministries into three 
baskets:  security, economics, and services, each to be 
headed by a Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) or a special 
assistant to the PM.  When the Ambassador pushed for the 
adoption of a program that would unite the next Iraqi 
government, Abd al-Mahdi agreed.  END SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
Questions Regarding Abd al-Mahdi's Independence 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶2. (C) At a February 3 dinner hosted by Minister of Planning 
Barham Saleh, Abd al-Mahdi asked the Ambassador to help 
convince Fadhila Party General Secretary Nadeem al-Jabiri to 
drop out of the race for PM.  Abd al-Mahdi said that Shia 
independent Hussein Shahristani already has decided to drop 
out of the race and that Shahristani's supporters would throw 
their weight behind Abd al-Mahdi.  With the Fadhila Party's 
support, Abd al-Mahdi said, he would almost certainly become 
PM. 
 
¶3. (C) The Ambassador replied that there are concerns about a 
possible Abd al-Mahdi premiership.  Ambassador said that 
there is a perception that, if Abd al-Mahdi were to become 
PM, SCIRI head Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim really would be the one 
running Iraq, and Iranian influence in Iraq would increase. 
The Ambassador asked Abd al-Mahdi what kind of assurances he 
could offer that this would not occur. 
 
¶4. (C) Abd al-Mahdi countered strongly, arguing that his 
relationship with Hakim was such that he could be frank with 
Hakim.  Abd al-Mahdi said he sometimes has disagreed publicly 
with Hakim during Governing Council meetings.  Furthermore, 
Abd al-Mahdi claimed, concerns about Iranian influence in 
Iraq are the result of propaganda designed to smear SCIRI. 
Abd al-Mahdi argued that Iraq needs good relations with its 
neighbors, but must work with the U.S. as well.  For example, 
a possible U.S. withdrawal from Iraq would not be in the 
interests of either Iraq or Iran.  Abd al-Mahdi also said 
that, if it were true that Iran is arming and supporting 
terrorists, he would confront the Iranian government. 
 
-------------------------------- 
The Shape of the Next Government 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) Abd al-Mahdi said he has accepted the Ambassador's 
idea of having the various government ministries divided up 
into three baskets:  security, economics, and services, each 
to be headed by a DPM or special representative of the PM. 
Abd al-Mahdi said, however, that he doubts the Kurds would 
accept this.  Abd al-Mahdi recommended that Barham Saleh 
should be a DPM, and he agreed with the Ambassador's idea 
that Iraq should have a National Security Council -- but 
argued that it should be an advisory rather than a 
decision-making body (reftel). 
 
¶6. (C) Abd al-Mahdi told the Ambassador that he supports the 
Ambassador's plan to form a national unity government 
comprising Shia, Sunni Arabs, Kurds, and secular Iraqis led 
by former PM Ayad Allawi.  The UIC 555 coalition, Abd 
al-Mahdi said, also would accept Allawi's participation in a 
national unity government.  When the Ambassador suggested 
that Allawi might be appointed DPM in charge of security, Abd 
al-Mahdi balked.  Although he personally would not object, 
Abd al-Mahdi said he did not believe the rest of the UIC 555 
coalition would accept this.  Instead, Abd al-Mahdi suggested 
that Allawi could be Minister of Defense (MOD).  Abd al-Mahdi 
said that Grand Ayatollah Sistani does not object to Allawi's 
participation in the government, despite the former PM's 
Ba'athist roots. 
 
¶7. (C) Barham Saleh added that the Iranian Ambassador had met 
with TNA speaker Hajim al-Hassani and told him that Iran 
would not object to Allawi's participation in the next GOI. 
Abd al-Mahdi argued, however, that if Allawi becomes MOD, 
 
BAGHDAD 00000330  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
then the Minister of Interior (MOI) should be someone who has 
the support of the UIC 555 coalition.  Qassim Daoud would 
make an excellent MOI, Abd al-Mahdi said.  He asked the 
Ambassador to discuss this with Qassim. 
 
¶8. (C) The Ambassador said that the Embassy is working on a 
program of action for the unity government.  Abd al-Mahdi 
agreed that this would be a good idea and suggested that the 
Ambassador pass the proposals to Saleh, who could then build 
upon them. 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶9. (C) COMMENT: How a possible PM Abd al-Mahdi would be 
perceived by Sunni Arabs, Kurds, or secular Iraqis remains an 
issue.  Questions remain about his independence from Hakim 
and his willingness to stand up to Iran.  Thus far, however, 
Abd al-Mahdi has said the right things.  He appeared to the 
Ambassador to be sincere when he said Iraq needed to 
cooperate with the U.S. 
 
¶10. (C) COMMENT CONT'D: Allawi's apparent willingness to 
accept some other job in the government besides PM should be 
viewed as a positive development.  At a lunch hosted by PM 
Ja'fari on February 3, Allawi told the Ambassador that he had 
met with Hakim the previous day.  Allawi described the 
meeting as very positive. Allawi said that he has had a 
long-standing relationship with the Hakim family, and he 
recounted to the Ambassador how he used to travel from his 
home in Baghdad to visit the holy shrines in Najaf.  While in 
Najaf, his family would visit the Hakim family home and young 
Ayad would kiss the hand of Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim's father, 
the late Grand Ayatollah Mohsin al-Hakim.  It remains to be 
seen if this long-standing relationship can help foster an 
effective, cross-sectarian government.  END COMMENT. 
KHALILZAD