VZCZCXRO9009
PP RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK RUEHMOS
DE RUEHBC #0052 1010853
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 110853Z APR 06
FM REO BASRAH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0302
INFO RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RUEHBC/REO BASRAH 0320

C O N F I D E N T I A L BASRAH 000052 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  4/11/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: BADR IN BASRAH: A CHANGE IS IN THE AIR 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Ken Gross, Regional Coordinator, REO Basrah, 
Department of State. 
REASON: 1.4 (b) 
 
¶1.  (C) Summary:  The General Secretary of the Badr Organization 
in Basrah, Hassan Al Rashid, and three colleagues attended a 
luncheon hosted by Regional Embassy Office (REO) Basrah on April 
¶10.  During the lunch Al Rashid discussed the inability of the 
provincial council to deliver basic services to the citizens of 
Basrah and blamed the council for the deteriorating security 
situation.  Al Rashid indicated that a coalition might be formed 
in the council that would have enough votes to oust the current 
governor from office.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  (U) On April 10, REO Basrah hosted a lunch for members of 
the Badr Organization in Basrah.  The General Secretary, former 
governor and current Basrah Provincial Council (BPC) member 
Hassan Al Rashid attended the lunch along with three lower 
ranking Badr colleagues.  The lunch was held by REO Basrah to 
broaden and reinforce our contacts with the Badr Organization. 
 
¶3.  (C) Discussion during the lunch covered various subjects. 
The main topics were the political and security situations in 
Basrah, and Al Rashid made the following points: 
 
-  Dissatisfaction exists among many BPC members with the 
current BPC leadership, and members of Badr/SCIRI, the Basrah 
Islamiyah list and members of the National Accord may join 
forces to "change the council and how it is operating."  Public 
dissatisfaction with the BPC is high, with people complaining 
about the BPC not able to ensure that even basic public services 
are available.  Comment:  A possible alliance solely among 
members of the above lists would not be sufficient to comprise 
the two-thirds needed to fire the current governor, Muhammad 
Moassibh Al Wah'il.  It is evident, however, that Al Rashid is 
working to reach that end.  End comment. 
 
-  Al Rashid does not agree with the boycott of the British and 
the Danes and believes that the only way forward is through 
dialogue.  He said that when he was governor, there were open 
lines of communication between all the different political and 
social groups in Basrah.  Without giving specifics, he also 
chided the REO for not doing more to help end the stalemate. 
 
-  Al Rashid concurred with REO personnel that the security 
situation in Basrah has worsened in recent months.  He placed 
the blame for this squarely on the BPC and its inability to 
provide the leadership necessary to bring the situation under 
control.  To illustrate how much security has deteriorated in 
Basrah, Al Rashid said that when he was governor he had only one 
bodyguard and no guards at his residence.  Governor Muhammad 
travels with a complete security package. 
 
-  He stressed that Badr Organization is no longer a militia but 
a political party fully invested in the political process.  He 
placed particular emphasis on Badr's efforts to work within the 
political system to effect change in the BPC. 
 
¶4.  (C) Comment:  Although Al Rashid normally weighs his answers 
to questions very carefully and rarely offers candid insights, 
it is clear that he would like the BPC to vote Governor Muhammad 
out of office.  He referred to a split in Fadillah and the need 
for establishing a responsible government in Basrah.  If the 
governor were voted out by the BPC, Al Rashid would be a strong 
candidate for the position.  (Septel will report on prospects of 
Al Rashid becoming governor.)  From the REO's viewpoint, this 
would be a welcome change.  Though Iran still has influence with 
Al Rashid, he would be his own man and likely would work to 
improve the security situation and the delivery of services by 
the local government.  End comment. 
 
¶5.  (C) Biographic note on Hassan Al Rashid:  Al Rashid was the 
previous governor of Basrah Province before Governor Muhammad. 
Soft-spoken and thoughtful in his speech, Al Rashid is unlike 
other Basrah politicians and does not bluster and talk ill of 
other politicians.  He was arrested multiple times during the 
previous regime and lived in Iran off and on during the 1980s 
and 1990s.  After fleeing to Iran in 1991, he joined the Badr 
Corps.  Al Rashid is the contact person for Iran in the Badr 
Organization and travels there - and elsewhere in the region -- 
frequently.  He was born in 1967, is married with four children 
and holds a master's degree in Military Science.  Despite his 
time resident in Iran, he speaks little Farsi and claims that he 
lived in a community with other Iraqis while he was there.  End 
bio note. 
 
GROSS