US embassy cable - 05BAGHDAD4339

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 004339 
 
SIPDIS 
 
CENTCOM FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/20/2015 
TAGS: PREL, EG, IZ 
SUBJECT: MIXED LOCAL REACTIONS TO AMRE MUSA VISIT 
 
REF: A. CAIRO 8016 
     B. CAIRO 7963 
     C. BAGHDAD 4186 
 
Classified By: POL COUNS ROBERT S. FORD  REASON 1.4 (D) 
 
1.  (C) Summary. On October 20, Arab League Secretary General 
Amre Musa discussed with GOI officials the possibility of 
hosting a national dialogue conference in Baghdad, prior to 
the national elections.  Jafari staff reaction to the visit, 
and that of other Shia contacts, has been measured.  Sunni 
Arab and Kurdish contacts' reaction to the visit has been 
more upbeat so far. End Summary. 
 
SHIA REACTION TO MUSA VISIT 
--------------------------- 
 
3. (C) PM staffer Adnan Ali al-Kadhimi told PolOff October 20 
that the visit with Prime Minister Jafari had been quite 
friendly and seemed sincere. However, General Secretary to 
the Cabinet Dr. Khudair Abbas asked PolOff "why is Amre Musa 
really here?"  When PolOff approached Ahmed Chalabi for a 
comment, Chalabi  smiled broadly and got into his limousine. 
Zuhair Humadi, Senior Advisor to VP Abdel Abd' al-Madhi, told 
PolOff on October 20 that Amre Musa was on his "best 
behavior."  Humadi reported that Musa proposed organizing a 
national dialogue conference in Baghdad in mid-November. 
Humadi said he urged Musa to open an Arab League office in 
Baghdad, but did not get a response.  He added that the Arab 
League's presence would raise pressure on Arab countries to 
be more forthcoming about the level of diplomatic relations 
and that more would send Ambassadors to Baghdad. 
 
SUNNI AND KURDISH REACTION 
-------------------------- 
 
4.    (C) Ahmed Najati Agha, Private Secretary to Vice 
President Ghazi al-Yawr, told PolOff that his boss' meeting 
with Amre Musa had gone well.  Agha told PolOff that he was 
impressed by the size and length of the visit.  Agha said 
that Musa suggested to VP Ghazi al-Yawr that hosting a 
national dialogue with dignitaries from the Arab world would 
add balance to the political discourse in Iraq.  Agha said 
that Musa offered to organize such a conference in November 
and that al-Yawr was very pleased with the idea. National 
Assembly staffer Saifaldin Abdul-Rahman told PolOff that 
Musa,s visit with Speaker of the House Hachem al-Hassani had 
been brief but positive. 
 
5.    (C) MFA Chief of Staff Hariri told PolOff that Foreign 
Minister Hoshyar Zebari greeted Amre Musa upon arrival at the 
airport.  They exchanged a few words and promised to discuss 
"projects and possibilities" at an October 21 iftar hosted by 
the MFA. Hariri said MFA interaction with Arab League 
delegates had been very friendly. 
 
MFA SEVERE LACK OF ORGANIZATION 
------------------------------- 
 
6.  (C) Two days prior to the visit, MFA Chief of Protocol 
Ambassador Abdel Amir Tabikh provided PolOffs with a 
jam-packed 3-day itinerary.  With the exception of perimeter 
security (see ref b), Tabikh insisted that this visit be 
completely Iraqi-organized.  The first day of the visit was 
plagued with logistical problems. Scheduled meetings were 
canceled at the last minute because the MFA neglected to 
check if politicians were in town.  Meeting sites were 
changed because MFA assumed that GOI officials would be 
meeting in their offices rather than their homes. On two 
occasions, the MFA handlers did not know the addresses of 
Green Zone sites for meetings, so PolOff had to drive the 
lead car in the convoy. 
 
6. (C) The disorganized schedule required several entries in 
and out of the IZ, causing delays. In general, the delegation 
was 2 hours behind schedule.  Special Assistant to UN 
Representative Steven Siqueira told PolOff on October 20 that 
the delegation failed to show for a meeting with UN Special 
Representative Ashraf Qazi.  Five hours after the scheduled 
meeting, Siqueira said someone called to inform them the 
delegation might drop by the next day but could not specify a 
time. 
 
--------------------- 
PLANS FOR DAY 2 AND 3 
--------------------- 
 
7. (C) Amre Musa's schedule for October 21 includes 
additional meetings in Baghdad with political leaders.  On 
October 22, he will travel to Erbil and Najaf via rotary wing 
transportation arranged by Embassy Baghdad. 
Satterfield