TAWAFUQ INDEPENDENT SEEKS TO FORM NEW COR BLOC --

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 002289 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/29/2026 TAGS: PREL PGOV MOPS PTER IZ SUBJECT: TAWAFUQ INDEPENDENT SEEKS TO FORM NEW COR BLOC -- "IRAQ FIRST" REF: . Classified By: Political Counselor Margaret Scobey, for Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Shaikh Wathab Shakir, who entered the CoR as a member of the National Dialogue Council, claimed to have recently broken with both the NDC and the Tawafuq bloc. As an independent, he claimed to be seeking broad-based support for forming a new bloc, "Iraq First." According to Shakir, 34 CoR members have signed on to the Iraq First mission statement, which advocates a non-sectarian approach to the legislative process. Comment: While Shakir is a secular businessman, some of the reported co-signers of the document -- e.g., SCIRI's Jalal al-Deen al-Sagheer and Badr's Hadi al-Aamari -- are strong proponents of sectarian interests. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) PolOffs had an introductory meeting with Shaikh Wathab Shakir June 28 in which he conveyed his views on CoR proceedings to date. Shakir expressed disapproval of the sectarian committee leadership selection process whereby the positions of committee chair, vice chair and secretary, although ostensibly chosen via internal committee elections, were in fact pre-determined according to negotiations between the political blocs. Shakir, a member of the Economic Committee, stated that he walked out of the first meeting in protest of the manner of election (NOTE: He showed PolOffs the signed meeting notes from the first meeting of the Economic Committee that reflect his leaving the session before its conclusion. END NOTE) ¶3. (C) Shakir told PolOffs that the committee assignment process was the catalyst for his withdrawal from the National Dialogue Council in the Tawafuq bloc, saying he felt the group led by Khalaf Ayan was too Islamist for his taste. He subsequently circulated a mission statement for a new political bloc, "Iraq First," which would advocate for an approach to legislation that puts Iraq's national interests above those of any individual sect or party. He showed poloffs a copy of the mission statement signed by 34 CoR members. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: It is unclear what Shakir's motives are and what the "Iraq First" alliance might amount to. We will seek to confirm with other CoR contacts whether the signed mission statement reflects the basis for follow-on steps to promote cross-sectarian cooperation. Shakir, a businessman by trade with investments in Dubai, has spent the past decade outside Iraq. He returned, he told PolOffs, so that he could help Iraq enjoy the same prosperity as Dubai. It is possible that he is seeking to form this coalition with a view toward leveraging more influence in the CoR. Some of the co-signers of the "Iraq First" mission statement, however, are highly sectarian politicians such as Jalal al-Din Al Sagheer (SCIRI),Hadi al Aamari (Badr),and Muhammad Al Daeni (IFND). Other reported signers include former Deputy Prime Minister Abid Mutlak al-Juburi. Khalilzad