US embassy cable - 90BAGHDAD3296

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 03296 
 
E.O. 12356: DECL:OADR 
TAGS: PINS, IZ 
SUBJECT: INTELLECTUAL LEADERSHIP 
 
1.  CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT. 
 
2.  FOR THE LAST TWO DAYS, THE HEADLINE NEWS HAS 
BEEN SADDAM'S MEETINGS WITH A "GROUP" WHICH IS 
MAKING THE FINAL CHANGES IN THE DRAFT CONSTITUTION 
PRIOR TO DISCUSSION BY THE RCC AND THE PARTY'S 
REGIONAL COMMAND. 
 
3.  WE THINK DEPARTMENT'S BIOGRAPHIC FILES SHOULD 
REFLECT THE NAMES OF THE SIX-MEMBER GROUP WHO 
SADDAM HAS SPENT SO MANY HOURS WITH ON THIS 
IMPORTANT PROJECT AND WHOSE VIEWS, THEREFORE, 
WE ASSUME HE VALUES.  ALL SIX, WEARING THEIR 
PARTY UNIFORMS, ARE PICTURED IN THE MEDIA 
SITTING IN WHAT IS OFTEN USED AS THE CABINET ROOM. 
THEY ARE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTERS SA'DUN HAMMADI AND 
TARIQ AZIZ, FLANKING THE PRESIDENT, PRESUMABLY 
REFLECTING THEIR SENIOR STATUS.  NEXT TO TARIQ 
AZIZ IS SPEAKER SALIH (WHO IS CHAIRMAN OF THE 
BAGHDAD BRANCH OF THE PARTY); AND THEN AHMAD 
HUSAYN AL-SAMARA'I.  THE LATTER CARRIES THE RANK OF 
A CABINET MINISTER HAVING BEEN MINISTER OF YOUTH; 
HE.IS NOW SYG OF THE PRESIDENT'S DIWAN AND, WE 
ARE TOLD, HIS "FRIEND."  FLANKING SA'DUN IS 
MINISTER OF INFORMATION JASIM AND, FINALLY, HAMID 
YUSUF HUMMADI. 
 
4.  HUMMADI, WITH WHOM THE AMBASSADOR FIRST HAD 
A SUBSTANTIVE EXCHANGE WHEN SHE WAS TRAPPED WITH 
HIM IN AN ELEVATOR DURING THE DOLE VISIT LAST 
MONTH, IS A TIKRITI AND A GRADUATE OF BAGHDAD 
UNIVERSITY IN ENGLISH.  DEPARTMENT WILL HAVE 
HIS BASIC BIO, WHICH SHOWS HIS APPOINTMENT IN 
EARLY 1979 AS THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE 
PRESIDENT'S DIWAN, THEN LATER THAT YEAR AS THE 
PRESIDENT'S PERSONAL SECRETARY.  HIS ENGLISH IS 
EXCELLENT, AND WE ARE TOLD HE STUDIED WITH 
TARIQ AZIZ, WHO IS HIS GOOD FRIEND.  HIS POWER IS 
CONSIDERABLE; E.G., A CALL FROM HIM STOPPED THE 
MINISTER OF INTERIOR IN HIS TRACKS AFTER HE HAD 
ORDERED THE REMOVAL OF THE CHECKPOINT IN FRONT 
OF THE EMBASSY LAST MONTH, AND WE WERE IN RECEIPT 
OF PROFUSE APOLOGIES FOR SEVERAL DAYS AFTER THAT. 
 
 
GLASPIE