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FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
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INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 BAGHDAD 000306 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/23/2020 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON ENRG PHUM KDEM KU IZ
SUBJECT: VPOTUS DISCUSSES KURDISH ISSUES, THE IRAQI BUDGET, 
AND DE-BA'ATHIFICATION WITH CABINET MINISTERS 
 
REF: A) BAGHDAD 153 AND PREVIOUS B) BAGHDAD 87 C) 09 
     BAGHDAD 2731 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Christopher R. Hill for reasons 1.4 (B) and ( 
D). 
 
¶1. (U) January 23, 2010; 1:45 p.m.; Baghdad, Iraq. 
 
¶2. (U) Participants: 
 
U.S. 
 
Vice President Biden 
Ambassador Christopher Hill 
General Raymond Odierno, Commander, USF-I 
Antony Blinken, National Security Advisor, OVP 
Jeffrey Feltman, Assistant Secretary of State for Near 
Eastern Affairs 
Puneet Talwar, Senior Director, NSC 
Gary Grappo, A/Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy Baghdad 
Patricia Haslach, Assistant COM for Assistance Transition, 
Embassy Baghdad 
Colin Kahl, Deputy Assistant Secretary, DOD 
John Desrocher, Economic Minister Counselor, Embassy Baghdad 
Yuri Kim, A/Political Minister Counselor, Embassy Baghdad 
Herro Mustafa, Special Advisor to the Vice President 
Peter Vrooman, Iraq Director, NSC 
Emma Sky, Advisor to General Odierno 
Embassy Baghdad note taker 
 
Iraqi 
 
Mr. Rafa'e al-Issawi, Deputy Prime Minister 
Dr. Rowsch Shaways, Deputy Prime Minister 
Mr. Baqir Jabr al-Zubaidi, Minister of Finance 
Mrs. Wijdan Salim, Minister of Human Rights 
Mr. Hussein al-Shahristani, Minister of Oil 
 
¶3. (C) SUMMARY.  During a 90-minute luncheon discussion, 
Iraqi Finance Minister Zubaidi told the Vice President the 
Council of Representatives (COR) would pass the 2010 
government budget "within two weeks."  Human Rights Minister 
Salim described progress in improving Iraq's human rights 
situation, but said the difficult security situation and a 
lack of funding for her Ministry meant it was "one and a half 
steps forward, one step backward."  Deputy Prime Minister 
(DPM) Issawi said progress on the disputed internal 
boundaries and political reconciliation in areas such as 
Ninewa would have to wait until after the March election. 
DPM Shaways disagreed and argued that it was important to 
continue working on mechanisms to address these issues in 
order to send the message during the election period that 
Iraqi leaders and parties were prepared to agree on a 
framework for addressing these issues.  According to Shaways, 
dialogue was underway now among political parties on these 
issues in advance of the post-election formation period, but 
it would take a new government to "encourage and direct" the 
parties in resolving the disputed internal boundaries (DIBs). 
 Regarding the current de-Ba'athification controversy (ref 
A), Issawi said the best way to address it was to wait and 
vet the winners after the election, rather than vet all the 
identified candidates now.  Oil Minister Shahristani asked 
for U.S. Government assistance in removing existing Chapter 
VII sanctions, which the Vice President pledged to provide. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
Passage of an Iraqi Budget Two Weeks Away 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) The Vice President told his Iraqi guests that he was 
"getting mixed signals" on the likelihood of the COR passing 
the 2010 budget before the end of January.  Implementing the 
loan agreements with the IMF and World Bank becomes 
"problematic" the longer passage of a budget is delayed, the 
Vice President pointed out.  The USG is not prepared to step 
in with financial support should the pending budgetary 
support loan from the IMF and World Bank not be finalized, 
the Vice President emphasized several times to the Ministers 
(as the Prime Minister had suggested to the Vice President in 
an earlier meeting -- see septel).  In response, Minister of 
Finance Zubaidi said he expects the COR will pass the budget 
QFinance Zubaidi said he expects the COR will pass the budget 
in the "next two weeks" (Comment.  The COR in fact passed the 
budget a week later.  End comment).  The GOI is keeping the 
IMF and World Bank informed on the status of the budget. 
Both institutions had wanted the Iraqi budget passed by 
January 20 so that the IMF board could consider the Stand-by 
Arrangement at its next board meeting, but that had not been 
possible, the Minister acknowledged.  Zubaidi stressed that, 
although the Finance Ministry had shifted some funds between 
budget accounts in response to COR requests, the overall 
budget expenditure figure had not been raised. 
 
 
BAGHDAD 00000306  002 OF 004 
 
 
¶5. (C) Minister of Oil Shahristani added that although 
overall budget revenues and expenditure figures were 
unchanged from those originally submitted to the COR, the 
government's actual financial situation would be better than 
anticipated because the price of oil had risen above the 
projected price used in the original budget calculations, and 
oil export volumes were expected to exceed original 
projections as well. Shahristani added that he was 
"surprised" to hear that any Iraqi official thought the USG 
would provide a loan should negotiations with the IMF and 
World Bank prove unsuccessful. 
 
Human Rights 
------------ 
 
¶6. (C) Minister of Human Rights Salim described how work on 
human rights issues is moving forward in "many areas," but 
continuing security fears and lack of stability affected how 
much progress can be achieved. "It is one and a half steps 
forward, and one step back," she told the Vice President. 
Salim was pleased at advances made with the Ministries of 
Interior and Defense on human rights issues (Comment. 
Probably a reference to a decision to transfer many detainees 
over to Ministry of Justice facilities.  End comment).  The 
Minister also told the Vice President that that government 
ministries in general now include human rights issues in 
their operational plans.  It was a milestone as well that her 
Ministry was now publishing its own annual Human Rights 
Report on the Iraqi environment.  But, Salim pointedly noted, 
"the bad thing is no one else in the government reads it." 
Establishing a Human Rights Commission, to complement the 
work of her Ministry, is important as well, she added, but 
"we are just at the start" of setting up a Commission. 
(Comment:  Per ref B, work on establishing the Commission has 
actually stopped.  End comment)  More budgetary support is 
needed for the Human Rights Ministry to make additional 
progress, Salim added as she half-jokingly pointed at the 
Minister of Finance, who, in turn, said that the Human Rights 
Ministry will get an increase in funding under the then 
pending 2010 budget. 
 
¶7. (C) DPM Issawi added that the COR's Human Rights Committee 
had an important role in improving the Iraqi human rights 
situation -- the Government "can't criticize itself," and it 
is important for the COR to play that role.  DPM Shaways 
noted that a healthy civil society was important to 
protecting human rights.  Salim thanked the USG, Embassy 
Baghdad, and USF-I for assisting the development of Iraqi 
civil society.  She also thanked the USG for its financial 
support to the International Commission on Missing Persons, 
which has been helping the GOI with the grave site recovery 
of Kuwaiti bodies missing since the invasion of Kuwait. 
 
DIBs:  An Election Pause or Keep Working? 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (C) At Ambassador Hill's request, DPM Issawi described his 
initiative to mediate tensions in Ninewa and broker an end to 
the (Kurdish) Ninewa Fraternal League's boycott of the (Sunni 
Arab) al-Hadba Gathering-led Provincial Council (ref C). 
Issawi said the reconciliation effort will be a focus "after 
the election," noting progress on ending the boycott stalled 
because the March election make it difficult for the parties 
to be seen compromising now, Issawi reported. 
 
¶9.  (C) The upcoming election makes discussions on the DIBs 
and related issues very difficult now, Issawi told the Vice 
President.  As an example of the election's impact, Issawi 
described how Mosul's residents had initially welcomed the 
proposal for a Combined Security Architecture in the DIBs as 
Qproposal for a Combined Security Architecture in the DIBs as 
a way to improve security, but had since raised complaints 
that the plan is intended to divide the province as a result 
of election-related campaign rhetoric. 
 
¶10. (C) The Vice President asked for an assessment of how the 
parties involved in these issues view the period of 
government formation that will follow the March elections -- 
would each side attempt to leverage their relative power in 
the government formation negotiations?  The period 
immediately after the election is "a window for mischief," 
the Vice President noted, and he hoped all the players would 
bring a sense of urgency to creating a new government.  In 
response, Issawi said the period before the election was not 
the time to address these issues, but he "would return to my 
Ninewa file" the day after the election. 
 
¶11. (C) DPM Shaways disagreed, telling the Vice President 
that continued work on the DIBs will send the message during 
the election period that initiatives are underway and key 
parties still engaged.  A resolution to all these issues will 
not be reached before a new government is formed, but the 
parties involved in these issues are the same ones that have 
 
BAGHDAD 00000306  003 OF 004 
 
 
been involved since 2003.  All of them will have a role in 
the new government, so it is important the parties continue 
working on mechanisms and proposals that can be a basis for 
discussion once the new national government is formed. 
Shaways said dialogue is underway now between the key 
political parties on Arab-Kurd issues in advance of the 
government formation period.   Shaways added that this 
dialogue was not, however, by itself enough and it would take 
the "encouragement and direction" of a new government to 
resolve Arab-Kurd issues.  Shahways said he supported an 
accelerated government formation process. 
 
¶12. (C) Shaways (a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party) 
said the Kurds want DIBs issues decided on the basis of the 
Iraqi constitution's fundamental principles, "federalism, 
democracy, and consensus."  Any solutions based on these 
principles can be a basis for agreement, but there are 
"dangerous" proposals being floated by some parties that are 
sowing animosity.  Shaways cited the recent opposition to the 
Kurds' participation in Ninewa Provincial Council as an 
example of the kind of hostility some parties are "stirring 
up."  Issawi responded that all the citizens of Ninewa want a 
solution based on the constitution, but it is important not 
to define the constitution in terms of Article 140 alone. 
The inhabitants of Ninewa want to maintain momentum of 
current discussions, but believe a solution involves 
appropriate consideration of Article 142 as well. 
 
Upcoming Election and De-Ba'athification 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶13. (C) Regarding the current dispute over the proposed 
banning of 500-odd candidates from the March election because 
of their alleged Ba'ath Party ties (ref A), the Vice 
President told the Ministers that he had not traveled to Iraq 
to press a particular solution, contrary to reports in the 
American and Iraqi media.  Oil Minister Shahristani told the 
Vice President that the Iraqi Government and people were 
committed to building democracy, and free and fair elections 
are a "pillar of a new Iraq."  Part of that commitment is 
respecting Iraqi laws and the constitution's provisions, even 
when the laws are ones the government disagrees with, 
Shahristani said.  The government -- including Prime Minister 
Maliki, Shahristani claimed -- had only learned about the 
list of banned candidates from media reports and not been 
involved in its drafting.   But now that the list has been 
submitted, the Iraqi Government was looking for 
"constitutional ways" to deal with the list; the Iraqi 
Government cannot "step over" its own laws.  Shahristani said 
it was important for the Vice President to correct media 
reports that he had come to Iraq to "twist arms" over the 
issue.  He urged the Vice President to make a statement while 
in Baghdad that the USG respects Iraqi law and wants to see 
free and fair elections carried out on the basis of Iraqi 
laws and constitution.  The Vice President assured 
Shahristani that he would be making such a statement 
following his meeting with President Talabani, as well as 
delivering this message to the media. 
 
¶14. (C) DPM Issawi told the Vice President that although "no 
one wants to defend Ba'athists," the right approach to 
addressing the problem was to vet the winning candidates 
after the election, rather than conducting a vetting process 
of all the candidates now.  The Accountability and Justice 
Commission was legally established to take action, but there 
were too many troubling questions surrounding the 
Qwere too many troubling questions surrounding the 
Commission's list to justify using the list to bar candidates 
before the election.  It was wrong, Issawi pointed out, that 
a current candidate in the election sat on the Commission and 
helped prepare the list. 
 
Help with Chapter VII Sanctions 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶15. (C) Although there is public optimism about the impact 
increased oil revenues will have, Minister Shahristani said, 
there is also fear the Iraqi people will not fully benefit 
because of the continuing imposition of UN Chapter VII 
sanctions.  The Vice President assured Shahristani that the 
USG is committed to seeing Chapter VII sanctions lifted and 
to working with the Iraqi Government to that end.  The Vice 
President noted that he had been told during his earlier 
meetings with Iraqi officials that work on reaching a 
resolution to the package of Chapter VII issues (i.e., those 
related to Kuwait) would have to wait, however, until after 
the March election because of the sensitive compromises on 
boundary questions and other issues that would be required. 
 
Iraq is Moving Forward 
---------------------- 
 
¶16. (C) Minister Shahristani ended the discussion by 
 
BAGHDAD 00000306  004 OF 004 
 
 
describing to the Vice President how Iraq had made 
significant progress since 2003, progress that, in 
Shahristani's view, justified the high costs in Iraqi and 
American lives and treasure.  The security situation had 
greatly improved, Iraqi security forces were more effective, 
and the U.S. and Iraqi governments had successfully fought 
the threat of international terrorism.  What remains 
unfinished is the economic rebuilding of Iraq, which had been 
hampered because of the security situation.  The Iraqi people 
are confident about the economic future, however, because 
they now see contracts signed to expand oil production and 
believe "there is more than good wishes and hopes" on which 
to build an economy.  "We need to rebuild as fast as 
possible," in order to build on the security progress made. 
Echoing the Vice President's own earlier comments, 
Shahristani concluded that in ten years Iraq, economically 
strong from its oil revenues, could be a beacon of democracy 
and progress to its neighbors in the region. 
 
¶17. (U) The Vice President's Office and NSC cleared this 
cable. 
HILL