Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05BAGHDAD4110
2005-10-05 06:42:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Baghdad
Cable title:  

IECI REACHES OUT TO KIRKUK

Tags:  PGOV KDEM PINS IZ 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 004110 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/01/2015
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PINS IZ
SUBJECT: IECI REACHES OUT TO KIRKUK

Classified By: Political Counselor Robert Ford for reasons
1.4(b) and (d)


C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 004110

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/01/2015
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PINS IZ
SUBJECT: IECI REACHES OUT TO KIRKUK

Classified By: Political Counselor Robert Ford for reasons
1.4(b) and (d)



1. (C) SUMMARY. Sunni Arab leaders in Kirkuk told an
Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI) delegation
September 28 that the large increase in Kurdish voter
registration was fraudulent and demanded an investigation.
IECI commissioners Hamdia Muhammad and Adil Allami assured
these Sunni Arab leaders and provincial government leaders
that IECI would conduct an audit of Kirkuk voter
registration records and invited Kirkuk leaders to observe
the audit in Baghdad. Regarding the elections crimes
provision in the new election law, IECI commissioners
explained that those who vote twice or stuff ballot boxes
face imprisonment. The IECI commissioners solicited help
from Kirkuk leaders to get the word out to the public to
report any irregularities, including ballot tampering or
intimidation, and stressed their commitment to hold free
and fair elections. (See paragraph 7 for a complete list
of Kirkuk participants). END SUMMARY.

Kirkuk Government Leadership Meeting
--------------


2. (C) Commissioner Hamdia Muhammad began the September 28
meeting by telling the multi-ethnic Kirkuk government
leadership, including the governor and provincial council
representatives, about the new electoral law. She
explained the provision on elections crimes in detail:
voting twice or stuffing ballot boxes were elections crimes
punishable by imprisonment. IECI Chief Executive Officer
and Commissioner Adel Allami said that, as recommended by
elections experts, IECI would audit the controversial surge
in Kirkuk registrations to ensure that new registrations
were legitimate. Both commissioners stressed IECI's
commitment to hold free and fair elections.


3. (C) Provincial council member Ali Mehdi (Turcoman) said
that the 227,000 new registrations in Kirkuk represented an
incredible 49 percent increase in the Kirkuk voter roll and
was 10 times the increase in the number of the voters in
Baghdad. He threatened to withdraw the Turcomans from the
political process if IECI did not carry out its promised
audit. Council member Rakan Said (Sunni Arab) pointed out
that one registration center suspiciously recorded 4,000
new voters in one day. Council member Muhammad Kamal

(Kurd) was less enthusiastic about the voter registration
audit. He claimed Kurds, including those previously
deported to Iran, have started to return to Kirkuk in large
numbers, and any investigation that specifically targeted
Kurdish areas would be unacceptable. All participants
united in accusing the IECI Kirkuk office of incompetence
and corruption. Provincial Council Chairman Rizgar Ali
Hamajan (Kurd) called for an investigation of IECI
employees in Kirkuk, and demanded ethnically representative
IECI management in Kirkuk. Commissioner Allami noted that
Kirkuk leaders have never been able to agree on a candidate
to lead IECI Kirkuk, and once again invited the leaders
nominate a candidate acceptable to all parties.

Kirkuk Sunni Arab Leaders
--------------


4. (C) In a separate meeting, Sunni Arab leaders from
Kirkuk raised concerns about what they saw as fraudulent
Kurdish registration during August 2005. Provincial
Council member Rakan Saeed, for example, claimed that many
Kurds recently arrived from Iran and Turkey had registered
without proper documentation or identification. Although
none of the Sunni Arabs had proof, they all supported this
claim. A local community leader, Ali Abid Muhammad, echoed
the sentiments of several attendees who feared outsized
Kurdish registration would marginalize Sunni Arabs.
Commissioner Allami assured the group that voter
registration records in Kirkuk would be brought to Baghdad
for an audit and invited political party representatives to
come to Baghdad to observe the audit.


5. (C) Sunni Arab leaders demanded greater Sunni
representation on IECI's Kirkuk staff. Several Sunni Arab
provincial council members warned the IECI of their
"historic responsibility" to ensure legitimate elections.
In response, IECI Commissioner Hamdia Muhammad called for
their help in reporting credible allegations of ballot
tampering or intimidation. She explained the new IECI
system available online to report such abuses.


6. (C) COMMENT. This Kirkuk visit is the second stop in
the Embassy-organized IECI outreach program to five Sunni
areas (Ramadi, Kirkuk, Mosul, Fallujah, and Tikrit) to
address deep Sunni suspicions against IECI, and to
encourage Sunni-IECI dialogue. IECI commissioners continue
to praise Embassy facilitation of this important outreach
program and commented that the Kirkuk trip was a success.
As this visit demonstrated, there are many deep-seated
suspicions among the Sunni Arabs, and other Iraqi
communities as well. END COMMENT.


7. (C) List of Kirkuk Participants:

Kirkuk Governor and Provincal Council Meeting
-------------- -
Kurds (invited):
'Abd-al-Rahman Mustafa Fattah, Kirkuk Governor (Kirkuk
Brotherhood List (KBL)/independent)
Rizgar Ali Hamajan, Provincial Council Chairman (KBL/PUK)
Kamal Muhammad, Provincial Council Member (KBL/KDP)
General Sherko Shaker, Kirkuk Police Chief
Representative of Brigadier General Anwar Hamed Amen

Kurds (not invited, but participated in meeting):
Ihsan Gili, Kirkuk Mayor (KDP)
Hassib Rozhbayani, Head of Kirkuk Government Resettlement
and Compensation Committee (KDP)
Ali Qadir, KBL Spokesperson (PUK)
Dr. Adnan Obed Kirkuki, KBL Spokesperson (KDP)
Mahmood Muhammad, Provincial Council Member (KDP)

Turcomans:
Ali Mehdi, Provincial Council Member (Iraqi Turcoman
Front (ITF)/Turcoman Eli Party)
Qasim Hamza, Provincial Council Member (ITF/Turcoman Loyal
Party)
Irfan Jamal Kirkukli, Provincial Council Member
(KBL/Iraqi Turcoman People's Party)


Sunni Arabs:
Burhan Muzhir Assi Al-Ubedi, Provincial Council Member
(Iraqi Republican Gathering(IRG)/IRG)
Rakan Saeed Ali Al-Jabburi, Provincial Council Member
(IRG/Independent)
Ahmed Khidhir Gharb, Provincial Council Member
(IRG/IRG)
(Note: All Sunni Arab council members were invited to this
meeting. Three of the six attended. End Note.)

Chaldo-Assyrian:
Edward Oraha, Assistant to Kirkuk Governor

Sunni Arab Meeting
--------------

Khidhr Akber Hassan, Kirkuk University Professor
Ahmed Shihab Ahmed, Imam, Hawijah
Ahmed Qadir, Writer (Human rights and law)
Sheikh Ibrahim Muhammad Khalef Al-Jumaily, Tribal Leader
Sheikh 'Abdallah Yassen Sultan Al-Luhebi, Tribal Leader
Muhammad Ibrahim Muhammad, Community Leader and Teacher
(College of Administration and Economics)
Ali Abid Muhammad, Community Leader and Teacher
(Secondary School)
Abdulbast Ali, Community Leader and Northern Oil Company
Employee
Ahmed Hameed al-Ubaydi, Iraqi Republican Gathering Kirkuk
Office Head and Arab Consultative Council Deputy Head
Dr. Hussein Sulayman Al-Jabburi, Current Arab Consultative
Council Head
'Abd-al-Rahman Munsheed al-Ubaydi, Tribal Leader and
Former Head of the Arab Consultative Council
Burhan Muzhir Assi Al-Ubedi, Provincial Council Member
Rakan Saeed Ali Al-Jabburi, Provincial Council Member
Ali Hamdi, Assistant to Kirkuk Governor
Mamduh Ahmed Hassan, Community Leader and English Language
Teacher
Mustafa Ahmed, Coordinator of Iraqi Human Rights
Organization
Khalilzad