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UNCLAS PARTO 043001 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OVIP CLINTON HILLARY KWMN PHUM PGOV IZ
SUBJECT: (U) Secretary Clinton's April 25, 2009 
Conversation with Iraqi Women, Iraqi Officials, and NGO 
Representatives 
 
¶1.  (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified; handle 
accordingly.  Not for distribution on the Internet. 
 
¶2.  (U) April 25, 2009; 11:30 a.m.; Baghdad, Iraq. 
 
¶3.  (U) U.S. 
The Secretary 
NEA A/S Jeffrey Feltman 
Ambassador Christopher Hill 
Director of USAID Office of Democracy and Governance 
   Julie Koenen-Grant 
Deputy Chief of Staff Huma Abedin 
Claire Le Claire (Embassy Notetaker) 
 
IRAQ 
Samira Al-Mousawi, Member of Parliament, Chair of Women's 
Committee 
Salma Jaboo, Advisor to President Talabani 
Suhaila al-Assadi, Iraq Foundation , Project Manager Eman 
Abdul Rahman,Iraq Foundation, Deputy Project Manager 
Hala al-Sarraf, Director, Iraq Health Aid Organization 
 
¶4.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  On April 25, the Secretary invited a 
group of widows, Iraqi officials, and NGO representatives 
to recount their personal experiences and share their 
ideas about how to improve the lives of Iraqi widows. 
The invitees expressed their determination to achieve 
economic independence through education, job training, and 
employment.  The head of the Iraqi Council of 
Representatives'(CoR) Committee for Women, Family, and 
Children highlighted the need for legislation that 
guarantees women's rights and a separate budget for 
widows' assistance programs.  Both Government of Iraq 
(GOI) participants called for women to become part of the 
political decision-making process.  END SUMMARY. 
 
------------------------------ 
WIDOWS NEED MORE THAN HANDOUTS 
------------------------------ 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The Secretary assured those present that the 
situation of Iraqi widows was a top USG concern, noting 
she had appointed the first Ambassador at Large for 
Women's Issues, Melanne Verveer.  She emphasized her 
intention to raise the profile of women's issues in Iraq 
and to support good programs that provide education, 
training, and health assistance that will improve the 
lives of widows and all Iraqi women. She further promised 
to raise their concerns in her meetings with GOI 
officials. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The key concerns for all the widows present were 
security for their children, and access to education and 
training, followed by employment opportunities that would 
enable them to support their families.  The widow 
attendees told similar stories.  All had lost their 
husbands due to terrorism or U.S. military operations; 
most had several children.  Only two had jobs that 
provided an adequate income.  One woman from Anbar 
province, whose husband was killed by insurgents for 
cooperating with U.S. forces, said she was living on 
handouts from Islamic organizations.  Another had no 
housing and pleaded for a place to live with her four 
children. 
 
----------------------- 
GOI COMMITMENT IS KEY 
----------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Al-Assadi and Abdul Rahman of the DRL-funded 
Iraq Foundation noted that the Foundation's training 
centers worked closely with MP Samira Al-Mousawi's 
parliamentary Committee for Women, Family, and Children. 
The Foundation's Baghdad and Basra centers teach basic 
literacy, marketable skills, and computer and English 
language courses.  The 400-plus widows enrolled in both 
centers also receive training in women's rights awareness 
and democratic values.  Project Manager Al-Assadi called 
for GOI participation in creating work opportunities for 
widows.  One of two Baghdad graduates present said she was 
working as a teacher in a private school, noting private 
sector jobs pay very little.  The other commented she was 
completing her higher education, but was forced to live on 
handouts from her deceased husband's family, since she 
could not find suitable work. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) The Head of the CoR's Committee for Women, 
Family, and Childhood Al-Mousawi advocated for legislation 
supporting women's rights and development.  She noted that 
democratic changes since 2003 have allowed women's voices 
to be heard (Note:  Over 60 percent of voters in the 
January 2009 provincial elections were women.  End note.), 
but that the former regime's mentality had to be replaced 
so that a new society based on respect for human rights 
could take root.  Al-Mousawi believed that the social 
safety network and NGO assistance to widows were not 
adequate.  Her goal was to pass legislation protecting 
women who have no source of income.  Al-Mousawi said she 
has the support of UN Special Representative of the 
Secretary General Staffan de Mistura and hopes the USG 
will support her efforts to get the GOI to pass such a 
law.  Al-Mousawi called for a separate GOI program budget 
for women's and children's development.  Al-Mousawi also 
wanted the Ministry of Industry to allocate a portion of 
its small business projects programs to widows, thus 
linking them to Iraq's general industrial development. 
Both Al-Mousawi and Jaboo believed women must not only be 
voters, but become part of the political decision-making 
process. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Al-Sarraf commented that the Iraq Health Aid 
Organization provides mental health therapy for widows 
traumatized by the sectarian violence which resulted in 
the deaths of their husbands.  (Note:  The program is 
funded by an $80,000 grant from USIP.  End note.) In 
contrast to Al-Mousawi, Al-Sarraf believed civil society 
should play an even greater role in helping widows, since 
the government did not act quickly enough. 
 
 
CLINTON