US embassy cable - 05BAGHDAD3895

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 003895 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/19/2015 
TAGS: MOPS, PREF, PGOV, IZ, Reconstruction, Sunni Arab 
SUBJECT: TAL AFAR RECONSTRUCTION PROCESS, CONSTITUTION 
DISCUSSED WITH DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER 
 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires David M. Satterfield for reasons 1.4 ( 
a), (b), (d) 
 
1.  (C//REL MNFI)  SUMMARY.  Charge d'Affaires (CDA) and 
MNF-I Deputy Commanding General (DCG) met with Deputy Prime 
Minister Rawsh Shaways (who is the senior government official 
in Iraq during the absence of Prime Minister Jaafari) to 
discuss the situation in Tal Afar, and the prospects for 
further discussions with Sunni factions on the language of 
the constitution.  Shaways was urged to appoint a Sunni Arab 
minister to head the reconstruction effort in Tal Afar and 
said that he would do so.  He agreed that one last effort 
should be made to close the gap that remains on the 
constitution between the Sunnis on the one hand and the Shias 
and Kurds on the other.  If this fails, all efforts should 
then be focused on assuring a successful referendum process. 
Shaways also expressed condolences on the death earlier in 
the day in Mosul of a State Department security officer.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
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TAL AFAR RECONSTRUCTION 
----------------------- 
 
2.  (C//REL MNFI)  CDA Satterfield and DCG Brims called on 
Shaways at his home the evening of September 19.  Brims 
provided a briefing on the current state of affairs in Tal 
Afar.  Decisive combat operations have concluded and the 
reconstruction phase has begun.  Families are beginning to 
return to their homes and as they pass U.S. military 
checkpoints they are being provided with food and water.  A 
claims office has been established to begin processing 
compensation claims, and U.S. troops have already begun to 
work on public works projects such as repairing water lines, 
police stations, and schools.  There are adequate supplies of 
food and steps are being taken to coordinate their delivery. 
A team from the Iraqi Transitional Government (ITG) visited 
Tal Afar September 20 to continue to coordinate efforts 
between the town, the provincial government, and the ITG. 
 
3.  (C//REL MNFI)  Brims stressed the importance of assuring 
the success of the reconciliation process in Tal Afar, not 
only between the communities within the city, but also 
between the officials of the town, the province, and the ITG. 
 A key step to moving the reconciliation process forward is 
to fulfill the promises the ITG has made to pay compensation 
to people who are entitled.  This would be an act of good 
faith and send a powerful message that the ITG is there for 
all Iraqis, not just certain communities.  Reconstruction can 
begin quickly and it is critical that important momentum not 
be lost.  The U.S. and the ITG both have funds they have made 
available and projects they can begin immediately.  The other 
key issue is the rapid and equitable reconstitution of a 
police force that is representative of the community.  A key 
problem is the fact that the Sunnis continue to feel 
aggrieved by what has taken place. 
 
4.  (C//REL MNFI)  CDA echoed Brims' assessment of the 
situation and explained that the Sunnis we hear from have 
substantive concerns, such as the conduct of the 
predominantly Shia police commando units that were sent into 
the city, and that we take these concerns seriously.  But, 
perhaps more importantly, the Sunnis also have concerns about 
the level of representation and the role they're playing in 
the decision make process and the operation.  We are 
sensitive to these concerns as well, as we must be, as some 
Sunnis are using the Tal Afar operation as justification for 
carrying out car bombing attacks in Baghdad or as an excuse 
to launch a war on the Shia.  The ITG needs to make it clear 
that the Tal Afar operation was and is what it was advertised 
as from the beginning: a transparent operation aimed at 
routing dangerous terrorists, not an assault on Sunnis. 
Accordingly, we believe it important that the reconstruction 
efforts have a Sunni Arab face, and recommended that Minister 
of Industry and Minerals Osama al-Nujeifi,an Arab Sunni from 
Mosul, be placed in charge, instead of the Minister of 
Planning, Barham Salih, a Sunni Kurd. We recognize that 
Nujeifi has spoken out against the operation, but the 
operation has ended and he should be interested in playing a 
key role in the reconstruction efforts. 
 
5.  (C//REL MNFI)  Shaways replied that he agreed Nujeifi is 
a good candidate for the position, but when he had raised 
this idea earlier he encountered opposition from the Minister 
of Defense, Saadoun Dulime, a Sunni himself.  CDA and DCG 
undertook to discuss this with Dulime, and urged Shaways to 
make the decision rapidly in order to maintain momentum and 
to avoid festering recriminations about the reconciliation 
and reconstruction process.  Shaways agreed that he would 
made the switch the next day, September 20. 
 
6. (C//REL MNFI)  In a telephone conversation on September 
21, Shaways informed CDA that Nujeifi had accepted the 
position and that a Mininsterial Decree had been issued on 
September 20 appointing him to the reconstruction committee. 
 
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ONE LAST TRY ON CONSTITUTION 
---------------------------- 
 
7.  (C//REL MNFI)  CDA asked Shaways if had had any contact 
with Sunni leaders about the language of the constitution 
subsequent to their last meetings in Irbil.  Shaways replied 
there had been no new contacts.  CDA told him that it seems 
that positions on the constitution have hardened and that we 
all need to be realistic about what is achievable. 
Nevertheless, time is running out and perhaps one last push 
should be made to arrive at consensus on as many issues as 
possible.  Shaways agreed that of the several Sunni demands 
remaining, perhaps two are negotiable, those dealing with the 
threshold for amendments, and the language issue.  CDA 
acknowledged that while we have heard nothing encouraging 
from the Sunnis, all parties owe it to themselves to make one 
last effort.  The Ambassador will do whatever he can to reach 
out to all parties to assist them to arrive at an outcome 
that is the best possible, taking into account the differing 
positions.  Shaways agreed that one last effort should be 
made, but that if it failed everyone should accept the 
situation as it is and concentrate on moving the referendum 
process forward. 
 
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CONDOLENCES FOR LOSS OF RSO 
--------------------------- 
 
8.  (U)  At the conclusion of the meeting, Shaways expressed 
to the CDA his condolences for the death earlier in the day 
in Mosul of a State Department Diplomatic Security Officer, 
killed in the line of duty. 
 
 
Satterfield