Home
| Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06BAGHDAD4242 | 2006-11-15 08:13:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Baghdad |
Cable title:
PUK PARLIAMENTARIAN TANIA GILLY ON FUTURE OF KIRKUK
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1. (C) SUMMARY: In a meeting on November 12, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Council of Representatives (CoR) member Tanya Gilly expressed the Kurds, determination to hold the referendum on Kirkuk by December 31, 2007 as specified in Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution. She also articulated the Kurdish party line on local administration of elections and mistrust between Kurds and Arabs, and warned that Kurds are impatient with delays to what they see as justified demands. END SUMMARY. -------------------------- Holding to Kirkuk Referendum Timeline -------------------------- 2. (C) In a meeting on November 12, CoR member Tanya Gilly told Poloffs that the 1994 law that changed provincial boundaries should be repealed, and areas of Kirkuk and other districts that were artificially reassigned should be returned to their original provinces. Gilly was insistent that despite significant obstacles to fulfilling all the requirements of Article 140, the referendum on Kirkuk should go through by December 31, 2007 as scheduled. She said that trying to plan for an alternate contingency was tantamount to giving up on the idea that the referendum could be held on time and would allow politicians to continue to delay on a key issue for the Kurds. -------------------------- -------------------------- Elections Law Should Include Local Administration -------------------------- -------------------------- 3. (C) Asked about the draft elections commission law, Gilly agrees the central government should have oversight over regional elections but the actual administration of those elections, including such things as voter registration, is better handled at the local level. Gilly claimed that the Kurds were cheated out of two seats in Kirkuk in the last election because of the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq,s (IECI) incompetence, adding that Kurds were determined not to allow that to happen again. -------------------------- Mutual Distrust -------------------------- 4. (C) Gilly commented on the historical mistrust between the Arabs and the Kurds. Although the Kurds had been conditioned by previous Arab-led administrations to view the central government with suspicion, she also recognized that the Sunni and Shia Arabs are concerned about Kurdish intentions on independence - and noted that this is clouded by a continued lack of understanding by all political leaders of the definition of federalism. She said she has been pushing Kurdish leaders to engage on this issue. Poloff responded that they needed to come to Baghdad and engage the leaders there to be effective. -------------------------- Concern over Results of U.S. Elections -------------------------- 5. (C) When Gilly inquired about the implications of the recent U.S. elections and the possibility of Coalition troop withdrawal, Poloff assured her that the U.S. is still fully committed to Iraq and Iraqis. Gilly expressed her hope that current funding levels for reconstruction and governance capacity building will be maintained. -------------------------- Comment -------------------------- 6. (C) Although still a junior member of the Kurdistan Alliance bloc in the CoR, Gilly,s fluent English and understanding of Western systems of governance (prior to Baghdad, she and her family had lived in Canada) make her a valuable contact. She faithfully repeated the Kurdish party line and is genuinely focused on ensuring the timely transfer of Kirkuk to the Kurdistan region. Gilly reluctantly admitted that part of the drive to secure Kirkuk stemmed from pressure by the Kurdish public, and conceded that the senior Kurdish leadership bore some responsibility for failing to moderate expectations. However, Gilly flatly warned that the Kurds were no longer prepared to wait patiently for their demands while the Arabs sorted out their problems. Speckhard |