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OO 151600Z GEDIS GEMIS HELSI HOSEE HOUST ISLAM JAKAR KULUM LISBO LOANG
OO 151600Z LUXEM MADRI MEXIC MIAMI MOSCO NAIRO NEDEL NEYOR OSLOO
OO 151600Z PARIS PRAGU ROMEE SAFRA SANAA SEATT STOCK TEHRA TOKYO
OO 151600Z VIENN VIMIS
FM IRAQR TO FCOLN
151300Z MAY
GRS
ESPTG, ASSIFFI
TO DESKBY 151600Z FCO
TELNO 10
OF 151300Z MAY 03
INFO DESKBY 151600Z UKMIS NEW YORK, WASHINGTON
INFO IMMEDIATE
BAGHDAD, CABINET OFFICE, CANBERRA, DFID
INFO IMMEDIATE EU ENLARGEMENT POSTS, EU POSTS
INFO IMMEDIATE ISLAMIC POSTS, MIDDLE EAST POSTS, MODUK
INFO IMMEDIATE NATO POSTS, NEW DELHI, PJHQUK
, SOSFA, TOKYO
INFO IMMEDIATE SECURITY COUNCIL POSTS,
INFO IMMEDIATE UKMILREP CENTCOM, US POSTS,
WASHINGTON TELNO 655 TO FCO
FROM SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR IRAQ
SUBJECT: NOSEC: IRAQ: DE-BA'ATHIFICATION
SUMMARY
1. Policy agreed on lines reported by Washington. Some concerns on the impact on reconstruction, and on how in practice this policy will be implemented. But Bremer decides tough initial policy with a provision for exemptions is needed, and that ridding Iraq of Ba'athism is a higher priority than the impact on the reconstruction so far achieved.
DETAIL
2. Bremer met with senior advisers today to decide whether changes were needed to the inter-agency agreed draft decree received from Washington. He laid down at the outset that disruption to setting up Iraqi ministries was not the prime concern. His instructions were to bear down heavily at first, and to allow exemptions as necessary.
DECLASSIFIED
131
implement as we were talking of only a couple of hundred positions, and the number of exemptions we might want would be few.
4. Some tidying up is in hand to set out the purposes of the policy, to make the text factually correct and to remove unnecessary detail (in part to simplify implementation and leave more flexibility in the field). Bremer asked overnight for of the numbers involved (ie top four levels, and the total full party membership). Grateful for advice
5. We expect the decree to be announced at the meeting with political leaders on 16 May, and published in the various party newpapers the following day. Meanwhile, implementation procedures are being drawn up in parallel.
COMMENT
6. This new policy is tougher than your advice preferred (FCO telno
2). But I advise against any action in Washington. The new policy is badly needed, and it corresponds with the preferences of all the members of the Leadership Group bar Allawi. Serious mistakes have been made by ORHA in the Health, Trade and Foreign Ministries and at Baghdad University, and at elections for a new Rector the Ba'athists were sufficiently organised to put forward their own candidate who found significant (but not majority) support.
7. Their will be implications for us in Basrah as Sheikh Muzahim will be caught by this new policy.
Contact:
SAWERS
YYYY
SVLNAN 7652
NNNN
DECLASSIFIED