9.2 | 23
May 2003 to June 2004
601.
Shortly
afterwards, Sir Jeremy Greenstock reported that:
“Efforts by
the CPA to resolve the impasse … over the 15 November
Agreement
were
further complicated on 27 November by reports to the CPA governance
team
that
[Grand] Ayatollah [al-]Sistani has come out in favour of direct
elections to the
TLA
[Transitional Legislative Assembly].”338
602.
In a statement
on 28 November, Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani set out his
“reservations”
regarding the 15 November Agreement:
“Firstly,
it is based on preparing the law of the Iraqi state, for the
transitional period,
through the
Governing Council in conjunction with the Occupying Power – thus
not
providing
it with legitimacy. For this (legitimacy) to be achieved it must be
presented
to
representatives of the Iraqi people for approval.
“Secondly,
the mechanism in place to choose members of the
Transitional
Legislative
Assembly does not guarantee the establishment of an assembly that
truly
represents
the Iraqi people. Therefore this mechanism must be replaced with
one
that
guarantees the aforesaid, which is ‘elections’, so the Assembly
will emanate
from the
desire of the Iraqi people and will represent them fairly without
its legitimacy
being
tarnished in any way.”339
603.
By 1 December,
the GC had not agreed a way ahead in relation to Grand
Ayatollah
al-Sistani’s
objections beyond creating a committee to discuss the mechanics
of
604.
In early
December, the Iraq Senior Officials Group concluded that “a new
joined
up approach
to campaign planning [with the US] had not translated into reality
on the
605.
Mr Blair
and President Bush spoke by video conference on 4
December.342
During
the
conversation Mr Blair underlined the importance of
Iraqiisation, including involving
the Sunni
community and former Ba’athists. He suggested that the Coalition
should
aim to
mobilise tribal leadership, as the UK was doing in the South.
Mr Blair welcomed
“improvements
in co-ordination” and stressed that the focus should be on
security.
338
Telegram
292 IraqRep to FCO London, 28 November 2003, ‘Iraq: Sistani
Views’.
339
Talmon
S. The
Occupation of Iraq: Volume II The Official Documents of the
Coalition Provisional
Authority and
the Iraqi Governing Council. Hart
Publishing, 2013.
340
Telegram
294 IraqRep to FCO London, 1 December 2003, ‘Iraq: Sistani
Update’.
341
Letter Dodd
to Sheinwald, 1 December 2003, ‘Iraq: Senior Officials
Group’.
342
Letter
Cannon to Adams, 4 December 2003, ‘Iraq: Prime Minister’s
Video-Conference with President
Bush, 4
December’.
307