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