VZCZCXRO0030
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK RUEHMOS
DE RUEHGB #1441/01 1212202
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 012202Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4217
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC WASHINGTON DC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001441 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/01/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PNAT PINR IZ
SUBJECT: CABINET FORMATION AND PM OFFICE UPDATE 
 
Classified By: ACTING POLITICAL COUNSELOR MICHAEL J. ADLER FOR REASONS 
1.4 (B) AND (D) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary. In an April 30 meeting with PolOffs, Shia 
Coalition independent Sami al-Askari reported that 
PM-designate Nuri Kamil al-Maliki has named Ahmad al-Saadawi 
as his private office director.  Al-Maliki's inner circle is 
moving forward with re-organization and expansion plans for 
the PM's Office.  Shia Independent Qassim Daoud told poloffs 
that seven key ministerial positions should be exempt from 
the UIC-proposed point selection system.  Tawafuq ministerial 
selection negotiator Ali Baban said that Tawafuq, Hewar and 
Iraqiya had failed to reach agreement on how to fill the 
"Sunni" deputy prime minister (DPM) position.  Baban said 
that Tawafuq had refused a UIC proposal that the Sunni bloc 
get the MFA in exchange for the MOD.  End Summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
MALIKI ADVISER ON GOVERNMENT AND PM OFFICE TRANSITION 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶2.  (C) In an April 30 meeting with PolOffs, Maliki adviser 
Sami al-Askari expressed confidence that the GOI can form a 
new government by May 10.  However, he would not confirm 
whether or not the blocs have agreed to exempt any of the 
sovereign ministries from the point selection system. 
Al-Askari said the three positions in the PM Office 
configuration who will answer directly to the PM are the 
Private Office Director, Senior Policy Advisor and 
Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers.  Al-Askari 
 
SIPDIS 
said that al-Maliki has chosen Ahmad al-Sadawi to be his new 
Private Office Director. (NOTE:  Ahmed al-Sadawi is an Iraqi 
Canadian who returned to Iraq in 2003.  According to 
al-Askari, al-Sadawi has vast management experience and 
speaks excellent English. Others have suggested, however, 
that al-Sadawi has a far less extensive management 
background.  We understand that this appointment has been 
made on a four-month trial basis.)   Al-Askari intimated to 
PolFSN that he expects to be named Secretary-General of the 
Council of Ministers.  Al-Askari claimed the PM-designate's 
team was reviewing resumes for senior policy advisors from 
all political blocs.  He asserted that the policy advisors in 
the PM office would not have executive power over any 
ministry.  PolOff cautioned that the policy advisor-ministry 
relationship will need to be clearly defined. (NOTE: PolOff 
also heard on May 1 that Salam Abd al-Razzaq was named the 
PM-designates temporary spokesperson. END NOTE)  Regarding 
the PM's security plan, Al-Askari said the U.S. should work 
to dissolve the Kurdish Peshmerga and Tariq al-Hashimi's 
"private militia" (sic).  He made no mention, however, of the 
Sadrist Jaysh al-Mahdi. 
 
--------------------------------------- 
DAOUD: NURI BETTER LISTENER THAN JAFARI 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) In an April 30 meeting with PolOffs and VP Abd 
al-Mahdi advisors Fareed Yaseen and Zuhair Humadi, Shia 
independent Qassim Daoud asserted that the difference between 
PM Ibrahim Jafari and PM-designate Nuri al-Maliki is that 
Nuri is a good listener, has an open mind and would welcome 
USG suggestions for strategic posts and PM office 
organization to guarantee success.  PolOff reiterated that 
the U.S. is interested in experienced, competent and honest 
candidates for government positions.  Daoud urged the Embassy 
to be as direct as possible in expressing this view. 
 
¶4.  (C) Daoud proposed that seven key ministerial positions 
(Interior, Defense, Oil, Finance, Electricity, 
Transportation, and Health) be exempt from the UIC-proposed 
point selection system and instead have the selection based 
on competence and relevant experience. Daoud claimed that the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not important to the Shia 
Coalition; the UIC is willing to let the Sunnis and Kurds 
fight over the Foreign Minister position.  In contrast, he 
argued that the Ministry of Oil is extremely important and 
insisted that Fadhila should not be granted control.  Daoud 
said there is no contest between prospective MoO candidates 
Thamer Ghadban and Hussein al-Shahristani.  He argued that 
both men are honest, but claimed that former nuclear 
physicist Shahristani cannot compete with Ghadban's 30 years 
in the oil business.  Fareed Yasseen added that quick 
decisions are needed in the oil sector and it would take 
Shahristani too long to ramp up no matter how intelligent he 
is. 
 
¶5.  (C) Daoud said that al-Maliki considers the security 
situation his top priority.  Daoud commented that al-Maliki's 
recent press statement on militia disbandment, supported by 
Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani's statement, was a good sign. 
However, he warned that the relationship between Muqtada 
 
BAGHDAD 00001441  002 OF 002 
 
 
al-Sadr and al-Maliki remains "unknown."  Daoud said that the 
question of disbanding the Jaysh al-Mahdi militia could 
become a sore point in the Da'wa-Sadrist alliance. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
No Deputy PM resolution between Sunnis and Iraqqiya 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶6.  (C) Tawafuq's ministerial selection committee leader Ali 
Baban told PolOff April 30 that a meeting earlier in the day 
with Iraqqiya and Hewar representatives failed to reach 
agreement on the question of how to fill the "Sunni" deputy 
prime minister (DPM) position.  Baban maintained there had 
been agreement between these parties in late March that 
Tawafuq would get the DPM position.  But he said that 
agreement had now fallen apart.  Baban said the April 30 
meeting ended with no resolution in sight, but he added the 
three parties would continue negotiations. Baban said 
Tawafuq's top nominee for DPM would be Rafe'a al-Isawi, a 
Fallujan and head of the Ministry of Health's Fallujah 
office.  Baban said Tawafuq's second choice for DPM would be 
Dr. Salam Zaygam.  A member of Adnan Dulaymi's party, Zaygam 
has a Ph.D. in agriculture and is a university professor. 
Baban said that all parties -- not just Tawafuq -- should 
work together to make room for positions for Hewar's Saleh 
Mutlaq and Iraqqiya's Ayad Allawi. 
 
-------------------------- 
MOD Tawafuq's Top Priority 
-------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (C) Baban ranked Tawafuq's ministerial wish list, in 
descending order: Defense, Finance, Planning, Education, 
Human Rights, and Youth and Sports.  He said Tawafuq has just 
begun to discuss specific candidates internally and had yet 
to provide the Shia Coalition with names.  He explained that 
until Tawafuq members can agree among themselves, and then 
with Hewar and Iraqqiya, there would be no such meeting. 
Baban said that Tawafuq refused the Shia Coalition's offer of 
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in exchange for the Ministry 
of Defense. (NOTE: In his April 30 meeting with poloffs, 
al-Askari asked for USG help in securing the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs for the Sunni Arabs, claiming that an MFA 
under continued Kurdish leadership could not be as successful 
as a Sunni-led ministry in "opening doors" to Iraq's 
neighboring countries.) 
 
¶8.    (C) Baban said that Tawafuq does not want to fill the 
Minister of Interior (MOI) position because it will be 
"impossible" to rid the MOI of corruption.  Baban added that 
Tawafuq will press the Shia to nominate a truly independent 
person to clean up the MOI.  As a back-up, Tawafuq's MOI 
candidate would be Tawfiq al-Yasiri.  Baban discounted Qassam 
Daoud as too sectarian for the MOI position.  Baban said he 
would like to be Minister of State for Security Affairs or 
Minister of Planning.  (BIONOTE: Ali Baban lived in Iraq 
until 1977.   He then lived in Jordan, Yemen, Egypt, and the 
UAE, where he was a university professor in statistics and 
finance. END NOTE) 
KHALILZAD