ANBAR: LOCAL GOVERMENT PLAYERS WATCH WARILY AS

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 004502

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/01/2016
TAGS: PGOV PINR IZ
SUBJECT: ANBAR: LOCAL GOVERMENT PLAYERS WATCH WARILY AS
SHEIKH'S COUNCIL JOINS PROVINCIAL COUNCIL

Classified By: Anbar PRT Leader Jim Soriano, for reasons 1.4 b and d

This is a PRT Anbar reporting Cable


1. (C) Summary: After a negotiation session brokered at the
request of the PM, the Anbar Provincial Council voted in
early November to include eight members of the Anbar
Salvation Council (ASC) tribal sheikhs organization in the
Provincial Council (PC). In this early phase, PC members are
wary of their new colleagues, whose leadership spent the
better part of the previous three months publicly and
privately denouncing Anbar government and claiming credit for
fighting Al-Qaeda. Other points of tension include the
Salvation Council's raising of what appears to be an
extra-legal fighting force in Anbar, the direct access to the
PM enjoyed by their leader Sheikh Abd Al Sittar Abu Risha,
and allegations that the Salvation Council relies on highway
extortion as its main source of funds. Salvation Council
Deputy Chairman Colonel Fadl asserted to PRT officials
November 28 that the purpose of the sheikhs alliance was to
defeat Al-Qaeda, and not take over the PC. Fadl claimed that
the PC did not have public support and was a failed
institution. He argued that the Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP)
which controlled the council had been given a chance to
govern Anbar and had failed - and would not fare well in a
free election. The PC chair and the Governor of Anbar have
acknolwedged the importance of developing a constructive
relationship with the ANCS, forging a unified stance to
fighting Al Qaeda in Anbar and taking concrete steps to
improve communication with national level GOI interlocuters.
End Summary.

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ANBAR PC AND TRIBES "SALVATION COUNCIL" COME TOGETHER
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2. (C) The ASC appeared in September of this year; it's
leader Abd Al Sittar, a minor sheikh of the Abu Risha tribe,
appeared on the media denouncing the Provincial Council and
Anbar governor Ma'moun Alwani as illegitimate and called for
its downfall. The Salvation Council (which, according to its
leadership, includes twenty-five Anbar tribes) also began to
raise a fighting force to combat Al-Qaeda. Sittar also
gained special access to the PM; in private meetings he
received reassurances of support for the Council's efforts in
Anbar. However the PM stopped short of promoting Sittar over
the elected government of Anbar, opting instead for mandating
a negotiation session between both sides chaired by Minister
of State for Foreign Affairs Raf'aa Essawi. The session
resulted in the addition of eight Salvation Council Members
on to the PC and the establishment of a "consultative
committee" - an Anbar kitchen cabinet of sorts composed of
the Governor, PC Chair, a Sittar rep, Essawi, and PM Adivsor
Mohammed Salman - that would be the sole advisory body to the
PM on Anbar. The goal of these moves was to include Sittar
in decision-making, while limiting the access of individual
sheikhs to the PM.

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SECURITY AND GOVERNANCE IN ANBAR: TWO SIDES OF THE COIN
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3. (C) Colonel Fadl, Sittar's deputy met with PRT officials
November 28 and expressed his doubts about the PC. . Fadl,
who was in Baghad meeting with MOI about getting the Sittar
fighting force on the MOI payroll, while calling the PC was a
failed institution, said that the Salvation Council had no
intention to take over the PC - it's purpose was to fight
Al-Qaeda. He noted that the ACS was willing to work with the
PC "despite its failures." The IIP, where most of the
Council's original elected members came from, were in hiding,
according to Fadl. This discredited party would not fare
well in future elections, he continued, because if Anbaris
were to get out and vote, they would vote based on tribal
connections.


4. (C) Fadel told PRT Officials that the Salvation Council
has established nine police stations and is in the process of
settng up three "emergency" police battalians in Zangora,
Jazeera, and Abu Faraj),that would be under the command of
the provincial police chief, General Hameed Shouqa. Sheikh
Sattar reprotedly pays for many of the police force uniforms
out of pocket. According to Fadl, the Salvation Council has
"hit the insurgency badly", killing "70-80 insurgents" since
mid-September and captured 30-40 others, and burned 35-45
cars belonging to AQI. He predicted that the Salvation
Council could defeat AQI in "three to six months." He asked
for support from the US Marines int he form of small arms,
transprotation, and commpuncation equipment. (Note: PRT
officials have emphasized with Fadl and others that the US
supports any efforts to fight AQI - however given our ongoing

concerns regarding militias and our strong support for the
PC, we are committed to providing support to ensure that the
Salvation Council's actions are consistent with the rule of
law.)


5. (C) On the PC side, both the PC Chairman and prominent
PC member Dr. Ashour have expressed strong concern about
direct CF and GOI support for the Salvation Council. They
argue that the Council has no legal authority to raise police
emergency units, and expressed fears that the Council is a
"militia in disguise." They appeared frustrated at MoI's
endorsement of Salvation Council - and not PC - efforts at
police recruitment. They compared the Salvation Council to
AQI, indicating that both groups rely on highway extortion as
a source of financing.

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THE WAY FORWARD
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6. (C) Now that the Salvation Council sheikhs have a seat at
the table, their leadership has stopped public criticism of
the Anbar elected government. However, it is clear that the
Council is in the throes of adjustment pangs, as both sides
size eachother up. Governor Alwani and PC Chair Abdullah
have, in good faith, opened the door to the Salvation Council
and have repeatedly pointed out to PRT officials and PC
members that the Salvation Council must longer refer to
themselves as "Salvation Council members" when they talk to
the media or to GOI interlocuters, but rather "Provincial
Council Members."


7. (C) Comment: The challenge posed by the Salvation Council
has had the indirect benefit of pushing the PC leadership and
Governor into the forefront of advocating for Anbar's
interests with the national level government and with MNF-I
and the Embassy. Despite their concerns about the Salvation
Council's intentions, PC Chair Abdullah and Governor Ma'moun
have demonstrated flexibility and leadership in their
approach to this challenge, upholding their role as the
elected leaders of Anbar while opening the floor for new
voices to have a say in how the province is governed. As the
newly enlarged Provincial Council begins to tackle the
political and socio-economic issues facing Anbar, power
dynamics will sort themselves out as both sides recognize
their relative strengths and weaknesses, and strengthen the
recently agreed upon mechanisms for consultation and
cooperation.
KHALILZAD