UNIFIED KURDISTAN REGIONAL GOVERNMENT FORMED,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001572 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/11/2016 TAGS: PGOV IR IZ SUBJECT: UNIFIED KURDISTAN REGIONAL GOVERNMENT FORMED, IRAQI OFFICIALS IN ATTENDANCE Classified By: Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Senior Iraqi and foreign government officials gathered on May 7 in Erbil to celebrate the naming of the unified Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Iraqi government officials present included Deputy President Adil Abd al-Mahdi, Speaker Mahmud al-Mashadani, Tawafuq leader Adnan al-Dulaymi, and Deputy Prime Minister Rowsch Shaways, among others. After the nearly unanimous confirmation of the unified KRG, KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani outlined four main goals: regaining lost Kurdish territory for the KRG, decreasing reliance (particularly in food production) on Baghdad, fighting corruption, and compensation for Faily Kurds. The Kurdistan National Assembly (KNA) Speaker emphasized the need to implement Constitution Article 140 on Kirkuk, and Abd al-Mahdi emphasized Kurdish and Arab Iraqi unity. Ambassador congratulated the KRG on its historic step toward full unification. In a side conversation, KDP intelligence chief Masrur Barzani informed PolOff that he had spoken with Iranian officials on the rocket attacks on Haj Omran and that the Iranians had explained they felt pressured to respond to increasing Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) attacks on Iranian soil. END SUMMARY. -------------- Iraqi Government Officials Present -------------- ¶2. (C) Senior Kurdish and Iraqi government officials gathered on May 7 in Erbil to celebrate the naming of the unified Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Although the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) - led by Masud Barzani - predominated, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) was represented by two senior members: KRG Deputy President-nominee Kosrat Rasul and KRG Deputy Prime Minister Omar Fattah. Nearly the entire Iraqi political leadership turned out for the event, headed by Deputy President Adil Abd al-Mahdi, Speaker Mahmud al-Mashadani, Deputy Speakers Khalid al-Attia and Arif Taifour, Deputy Prime Minister Rowsch Shaways, National Security Advisor Muwafuq al-Rubaie, Minister of Defense Sa'adun Dulime, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Planning Minister Barham Saleh, Water Minister Abd al-Latif Rashid, senior SCIRI member Sheikh Muhammad Taqi al-Mawla, former Speaker Hajim al-Hassani, and Tawafuq leader Adnan al-Dulaymi. In a telephone conversation late afternoon on May 7, President Talabani's chief of staff Kamran Karadaghi informed PolOff that Talabani had called KDP leader Barzani earlier that morning to explain that he would not attend in order not to divert attention away from the KRG. -------------- An Ambitious Agenda -------------- ¶3. (C) First, almost the entire cabinet was voted in unanimously. (Comment: After a complaint midway through the voting process by a Kurdistan National Assembly (KNA) member, three ministers - Tourism and two Ministers of State - were each given two token votes against their nominations, in what appeared to be an attempt to fend off charges of rubberstamping. End Comment.) In apparent contrast to the cabinet negotiations in Baghdad, three of the KRG ministers are women: the Minister for Martyrs/Anfal victims, the Minister for Municipalities, and a Minister of State (NOTE: referred to as "Minister of Region" by the interpreters at the event, but as Minister of State in the KRG press release announcing the new cabinet). Then, both the Kurdish and Iraqi leadership gave speeches that were illuminating in both tone and scope. The Speaker of the KNA began by calling on the Government of Iraq to implement TAL Article 58/Constitution Article 140 on Kirkuk and to provide compensation for the victims of the Anfal, Saddam Hussein's campaign to "Arabize" portions of the North. ¶4. (C) During his thirty minute speech, Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani began by reassuring the KNA that, after the initial transitional period, the number of KRG cabinet members would decrease. He made four significant points: -- REGAINING TERRITORY: Barzani laid down a marker for future conflicts with Baghdad when he promised the Kurdish people that the KRG would fight to restore lost territory to the KRG (for example, Khanaqin in Diyala province). -- SELF-RELIANCE: Barzani strongly emphasized the necessity of self-reliance - particularly in food production - for the Kurdistan region in order to shield the Kurds from being too dependent on Baghdad. BAGHDAD 00001572 002 OF 002 -- CORRUPTION: Barzani acknowledged the "shame of corruption" in the KRG and promised to establish a commission to root out corruption in the regional government. -- FAILY KURDS: Finally, he pledged to seek compensation for the wrongs done to (the Shia) Faily Kurds by both the Government of Iraq and the KRG in failing to recognize their plight. -------------- Abd al-Mahdi Reaches Out -------------- ¶5. (C) In a speech that highlighted both Deputy President Adil Abd al-Mahdi's closeness to President Talabani and the Iraqi Government's ongoing need to woo the Kurdish vote for upcoming cabinet formation negotiations, Abd al-Mahdi warmly congratulated the KRG on its newly unified government and called the Kurdish people pioneers for Iraq. Often interrupted by applause, Abd al-Mahdi referred to the Kurdish peshmerga as "heroes" and thanked the Kurdish people for their peaceful and forgiving nature. "If Kurdistan is strong, Iraq is strong; when Kurdistan is unified, Iraq is unified; When Kurdistan is federal, Iraq is federal," he declaimed. -------------- Ambassador Congratulates KRG -------------- ¶6. (C) The KNA Speaker thanked the representatives of foreign governments for attending the ceremony and for lending their support, and he invited the Ambassador to say a few words. The Ambassador congratulated the assembly for its historic step toward full unification and stated that he looks forward to working with the Kurds to finalize Iraqi government formation in the near future. -------------- Masrur Barzani on Iran -------------- ¶7. (C) In a side conversation, KDP intelligence chief Masrur Barzani told PolOff that he had met separately with both Iranian intelligence and the military (Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps-IRGC) on the mortar attack on Haj Omran last week. Barzani stated that he found the intelligence people more honest than the IRGC; at least, they admitted that there is some coordination between the Iranian and the Turkish forces. According to Barzani, the Iranians stated that they felt compelled to respond to increasing Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) attacks on Iranian soil. Later, gesturing toward Iranian Charge Hazemi-Qomi (who was present for the ceremony on May 7),Barzani remarked that he is keeping a close eye on passengers on the new twice-weekly Erbil-Tehran plane flights. KHALILZAD