VZCZCXRO6093
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHMOS
DE RUEHIHL #0042 0711701
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 121701Z MAR 06
FM REO HILLAH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0572
INFO RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 0558
RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RUEHIHL/REO HILLAH 0621

C O N F I D E N T I A L HILLAH 000042 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  3/12/2016 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM KISL PHUM PTER IZ
SUBJECT: WASIT PROVINCIAL COUNCIL CONDEMNS U.S. ROLE IN GOVERNMENT 
FORMATION NEGOTIATIONS 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: ALFRED FONTENEAU, REGIONAL COORDINATOR, REO, 
AL-HILLAH, STATE. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY. In a contentious meeting with Regional Embassy 
Office Al-Hillah staff in Al-Kut, the Wasit Provincial Council 
(PC) Chairman and members of Supreme Council for the Islamic 
Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) harshly criticized the United States' 
role in the ongoing government formation negotiations. According 
to PC members, the U.S. bias against Shi'a political figures is 
hampering the ability of the Iraqi Government to fight terrorism 
throughout the country. PC members also accused the USG of 
tacitly supporting the February 22 Samarra Mosque bombing. END 
SUMMARY 
 
------------------------------------------- 
WASIT PC TO U.S.: MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) Jassim Mohammed Rudha, Wasit Provincial Council Chairman 
(PCC), speaking on behalf of the entire council, strongly 
criticized the perceived role of Embassy officials in the 
coalition negotiations in Baghdad. Rudha related an informal 
meeting held in Najaf on or about March 1 with other PCCs from 
the South Central and Southern provinces. In this meeting, the 
attendees agreed that decisions regarding the leadership of the 
new government should be left in the hands of the United Iraqi 
Alliance, not negotiated with the other major blocs or the 
United States. 
 
¶3. (C) PC member Nasser Mahmud Al-Haddad (SCIRI) followed 
Rudha's critique with a long diatribe about the perceived U.S. 
involvement in the government formation negotiations. Al-Haddad 
said the UIA was perfectly capable of forming a government and 
remarked, "the U.S. will not be a coalition partner in the new 
Iraqi Government." The results of the December 15 election gave 
a clear mandate to the UIA to form a government and choose a 
prime minister, according to Al-Haddad, therefore advice from 
the U.S. and others is "undemocratic." The other eight PC 
members in the meeting, including independent PC members, as 
well as Dawa (Iraq) and Badr Organization representatives, 
echoed Haddad's comments. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
SCIRI REP: JABR, JAFARI KEY TO FIGHTING TERRORISM 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
4.(C) Al-Haddad described terrorism in Iraq as solely a Sunni 
phenomenon, and pointed to the relative lack of insurgent 
activity in Wasit compared to the Western provinces of Iraq as 
proof of this assertion. Minister of Interior Jabr and PM Jafari 
were doing everything in their power to combat Sunni terrorism, 
Al-Haddad opined. Therefore, U.S. efforts to prevent Jafari and 
Jabr from assuming ministerial level positions in a new 
government are evidence of U.S. bias toward all Shi'a, alleged 
Al-Haddad. REO Hillah staff, in response, noted reports of 
Ministry of Interior human rights abuses, and emphasized the 
importance of credible, non-militia affiliated leadership in the 
security ministries as the key to a government of national unity. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
PC MEMBERS AGREE: U.S. INDIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR SAMARRA 
BOMBING 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
¶5. (C) Al-Haddad, supported by the other PC members in 
attendance, also assigned blame for the Samarra bombing to 
Coalition Forces. He stated that while it was "likely" that 
Coalition Forces were not directly involved in the incident, the 
bombing is evidence that Coalition Forces do not take their 
responsibility for securing Shi'a religious sites seriously. 
Security responsibilities across the country should be turned 
over to Iraqi Security Forces as soon as possible, as only ISF 
would take seriously the obligation to protect Shi'a shrines. 
 
¶6. (C) COMMENT. For SCIRI Provincial Council members, the 
opportunity to posture before Provincial Council colleagues was 
too good to pass up. Nevertheless, the shrill and angry tone 
towards the U.S. over the Samarra bombing and coalition 
negotiations is new. There is intense interest and speculation 
at all levels of the Wasit provincial government in perceived 
U.S. involvement in government formation negotiations. For the 
Shi'a Islamists of Wasit, lip service to "national unity" is 
acceptable, but in the end, anything less than complete 
domination of the national government will be perceived as an 
affront to the results of the December 15 elections. END COMMENT. 
 
FONTENEAU