ARTICLE 140 COMMITTEE MEMBERS UPDATE ON CURRENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 003806

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV IZ
SUBJECT: ARTICLE 140 COMMITTEE MEMBERS UPDATE ON CURRENT
STATUS

Classified By: Political Counselor Margaret Scobey for reasons 1.4 (b)
and (d)


1. (C) Summary. In meetings with PRT Kirkuk officers and
Emboff, Baghdad-based Article 140 Committee members explained
the Committee,s current structure and efforts taken to
finish Kirkuk,s "normalization." Basic questions including
funding, Kirkuk,s boundaries, and who will participate in
the referendum remain unanswered. While some Committee
members remain convinced that the referendum will occur as
scheduled in October 2007, others oppose pressing forward
without adequately addressing the multiple outstanding
issues. End Summary.

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Subcommittees and Regional Offices to Further Normalization
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2. (C) Prime Minister Maliki announced the Article 140
Committee,s formation on August 9. The nine members
immediately established a timeline with a March 2007 deadline
for completing Kirkuk,s "normalization" process, a September
2007 deadline for completing a census, and an
October/November 2007 goal for a referendum to decide
Kirkuk,s future status. Committee member and Kurdistan
Regional Government (KRG) Minister of Extra Regional Affairs
Mohammed Ihssan explained in September and October meetings
with PRT Kirkuk and Embassy officers the Committee,s latest
changes. In addition to opening regional offices in
Baghdad, Kirkuk, Makhmor (Erbil province),and Touz Hourmato
(Sulaymaniyah province),five subcommittees based in Baghdad
have been created. These subcommittees - a technical
committee, follow-up committee, finance committee, fact
finding committee, and an administrative committee ) will
review applications received in the regional offices from
residents seeking assistance leaving the region or former
residents wanting to return to their previous properties.

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Relationship with the CRRPD
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3. (C) Ihssan agreed that many of the Article 140
Committee,s normalization process efforts are similar to
efforts of the separate Commission for Resolution of Real
Property Disputes (CRRPD). The key difference, according to
Ihssan, is that the Article 140 Committee does not have to
submit cases through a lengthy legal process. For example,
according to Ihssan he "knows of 7,000 families willing to
move immediately from Kirkuk for 10,000 USD each." The
regional offices could be used to collect these applications,
pass them to the appropriate Article 140 subcommittee and
disburse funds if the application is favorably approved.
Ihssan concluded by saying that the Article 140 Committee has
invited a CRRPD member to join the Committee "as a non-voting
member."


4. (C) A subsequent meeting with Jassim Mohammed, Minister of
Youth and Sport and Committee member representing Shiite
Turkmen, confirmed an invitation had been extended to the
CRRPD. A response, however, has not been received. Mohammed
agreed the Committee would benefit from a CRRPD
representative since he believes there are approximately
75,000 people who want to move into the Kirkuk area in
advance of the referendum while approximately 5,000 people
will seek compensation to leave the area. According to
Mohammed, both the CRRPD and Article 140 Committee will be
needed to process the high number of outstanding property
claims.

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Impediments to Progress
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5. (C) In separate meetings, other members conveyed
frustrations with the Committee,s progress and lack of
support from the GOI. Ihssan stated that the Committee has
been given a 200 million USD budget, but that the funds have
not been made available. Furthermore, according to Ihssan,
certain members have not been active in the Committee's work.
The Minister of Interior, Ihssan stated, has not attended a
Committee meeting and sends representatives "unable to make
decisions."


6. (C) Jassim Mohammed expressed frustration at differences
of opinion about the Committee,s focus. In addition to
property and boundary disputes, Mohammed stated that the
Committee must focus on displaced peoples and rebuilding
destroyed villages. When questioned about the Committee,s
progress, Mohammed replied that "you can,t solve Kirkuk by

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committee," and suggested that an international organization
such as the UN could play an important role in protecting
Kirkuk,s non-Kurdish residents.

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Delaying the Referendum?
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7. (C) Ihssan dismissed the idea of delaying the referendum
would allow the Committee to finish its work, stating that
the there is sufficient time to finish normalization and
conduct a census before the referendum. When asked whether
the UN could assist in Kirkuk,s normalization and
referendum, Ihssan replied that UN involvement would be seen
as a delay tactic and that "delay is unacceptable."


8. (C) Other Committee members, however, express serious
concerns about the Committee,s ability to meet their stated
timeline. According to Minister Environment, Narmeen Uthman,
a Kurdish Committee member, there is insufficient time to
complete the outstanding property disputes and negotiate the
provincial borders. Uthman stated that she "hopes the
referendum can be delayed" but she is not sure if other
Committee members will agree to a postponement.
KHALILZAD