US embassy cable - 05BAGHDAD3647

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 003647 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/06/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, MOPS, PHUM, PREF, PREL, IZ, MARS, National Assembly, Security, Sunni Arab 
SUBJECT: IRAQI GOVERNMENT NAMES INTERLOCUTORS ON TALL,AFAR; 
DISAGREEMENT OVER USING MILITARY OPTION 
 
REF: BAGHDAD 3517 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY: In separate meetings this week, the Prime 
Minister's special advisor Adnan Ali al-Kadhami and TNA 
member Hassan Seneid pledged to work closely with U.S. 
government representatives to ensure the welfare of citizens 
in Tall'Afar.  On August 30, Senior SCIRI official Muhammad 
Taqi al-Mawla reported that a meeting between Sunni and Shia 
tribal leaders from Tall'Afar and ITG interlocutors in 
Baghdad on August 29 failed to address any of the key issues. 
 Iraqi government interlocutors, however, are disagreeing on 
how to move forward; Seneid prefers to avoid the military 
option, but al-Mawla (who is an influential SCIRI Shia cleric 
with close ties to Tall'Afar) believes that the time for 
action has come.   In all the meetings, PolOff is urging all 
sides to consult with their ITG interlocutors, and to ensure 
that the appropriate ministries are involved in the planning. 
  END SUMMARY. 
 
2. (C) Prime Minister Jafari's special advisor on political 
affairs Adnan Ali al-Kadhami told PolOff on August 28 that 
Jafari was increasingly concerned about the worsening 
security situation in Tall'Afar.  Al-Kadhami had been asked 
to be the Iraqi Transitional Government (ITG) interlocutor on 
Tall'Afar and to coordinate the ITG's political and 
humanitarian efforts for the city.  He ordered the Ministries 
of Trade, Health and Transportation and the Iraqi Red 
Crescent to form a working group to address humanitarian 
issues for the city, including planning for internally 
displaced persons (IDPs) fleeing Tall'Afar.  PolOff urged 
al-Kadhami to include the Ministry of Finance and the 
Ministry of Diplacement and Migration in future working group 
meetings. 
 
3. (C) TNA Security Council member and ITG interlocutor on 
Tall'Afar Hassan Seneid confirmed on August 29 that he would 
be meeting with a delegation of Sunni and Shia tribal leaders 
from Tall'Afar that evening in Baghdad.  Seneid said he had a 
5-point plan to counter Sunni resistance in the city, which 
he blamed for the violence there: 
 
-     Explain to the Sunnis that the MNF-I presence in 
Tall'Afar is not aimed against Sunnis, but against the 
terrorists operating there; 
-     Remind the Sunnis that military operations would 
result in the destruction of the city; 
-     Pledge that the government would allocate funds for 
reconstruction and compensation projects; 
-     Recruit police and military officers for Tall'Afar from 
outside the city to quell suspicions of sectarian prejudices 
in the security sector; and 
-     Create a tribal council with representatives from all 
the tribes in the city, not just Sunni and Shia, to assist 
the local government. 
 
The key point, however, was that all these projects would 
only occur if the Sunnis agreed to cut all ties with the 
foreign fighters in the city.  PolOff again urged Seneid to 
include the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of 
Diplacement and Migration in his contingency planning for a 
potential IDP emergency.  Although Seneid demurred, saying 
he'd rather wait until after the meeting tonight, PolOff 
emphasized the need for earlier coordination among 
ministries. 
 
4. (C) Senior SCIRI official Muhammad Taqi al-Mawla 
confronted PolOff on 30 August on humanitarian relief for 
Tall'Afar.  Al-Mawla reported that there was no progress made 
at the tribal leaders meeting on August 29 and again pressed 
PolOff for a military solution to the security problem. 
PolOff urged al-Mawla to address his concerns and those of 
his constituents in Tall'Afar to the ITG interlocutors, and 
he appeared comforted by the fact that the U.S. Embassy was 
working closely with the Iraqi government to address the 
situation. (see reftel) 
 
5. (C) COMMENT:  Increased Iraqi government interest in 
Tall'Afar is coming at a point when tensions in the city 
appear to be escalating.  Recent media reports of two attacks 
on U.S. helicopters in Tall'Afar add some urgency to 
resolving this situation.  Iraqi government interlocutors, 
however, are disagreeing on how to move forward; Seneid 
prefers to avoid the military option, but al-Mawla (who is an 
influential SCIRI Shia cleric with close ties to Tall'Afar) 
believes that the time for action has come.  Direct and 
effective political engagement of the authorities in Baghdad 
with local leaders in Tal'Afar and the provincial capitol 
Mosul is a pre-condition for decisive military operations. 
We have made all parties aware of that and we are working 
with the ITG to ensure adequate contingency planning for the 
city, should the military option become necessary.  END 
COMMENT. 
Khalilzad