WOMEN PARLIAMENTARIANS LOG

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000627

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/26/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER KDEM KWMN IZ
SUBJECT: WOMEN PARLIAMENTARIANS LOG

Classified By: Political Counselor Robert S. Ford for
reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).


1. (C) SUMMARY. On January 22, Poloffs met SCIRI
parliamentarians Jinan Jasim Ali Al Ubaidi and Muna
Noor Zalzala, two of this year's Iraqi delegates to
the Commission on the Status of Women. Al-Ubaidi
lamented that the role of women in society had been
greatly diminished during Saddam's reign, and was
still inferior to the role of men. She said that
women are excluded from first-tier politicking and
allowed to work only on traditional "women's"
issues, where they still face meddling from male
colleagues. End Summary.

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ROLE OF WOMEN: PAST & FUTURE
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2. (C) During the January 22 meeting, al-Ubaidi told
Poloffs that the status of women had diminished
during Saddam's reign. She said that oppressive
Ba'athist policies severely limited educational
opportunities for women, and that fears of being
kidnapped and raped by Uday's gangs prevented women
from leaving their homes. Al-Ubaidi continued by saying
that even when women were willing to go through with
university training, they were often relegated to
traditionally female fields such as education.


3. (C) Al-Ubaidi lamented the high rates of
unemployment, underemployment and illiteracy that
resulted from these policies and continue to plague
women in Iraq. She said that underemployment had
caused women to lose important skills sets, and that
family responsibilities, especially in families that
had lost members in the Iran-Iraq war, left no time
for social participation.


4. (C) Al-Ubaidi then discussed progress made since the
fall of Saddam's regime. She highlighted the extent
to which women are now participating in the
political process, noting that women serve as
parliamentarians and participate in the
constitution-making process. However, she noted
that politics was still considered the "least
accepted field for women," and that there were still
"two levels of chess": the men's level and the
women's level. Women are still not allowed to
participate at the men's level, and occasionally
face male interference at their own level.


5. (C) Al-Ubaidi outlined priorities for the new
parliament, including elimination of "tribal systems
of law", greater equity in the distribution of
resources, protection of human rights and elevation
of women's status. She specifically noted a law
that would make "honor" killings illegal, and a law
that would eliminate the tradition of exchanging
female family members as a means of conflict
resolution between tribes or families.

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THOUGHTS ON GOVERNMENT FORMATION
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6. (C) Saying that it would be up to UIC 555 to
select the future Minister of Interior,
both women expressed support for the incumbent
Bayan Jabr. They highlighted to Poloffs that
Jabr has been doing a good job of cleaning out
the "Ba'athists" and the insurgents. Howver,
both CoR members said that there was still no
lead on who would be nominated for this position,
nor any sense of when the council would convene.
The next Minister of Interior, they said, would be
a Minister with cross-sectarian appeal, and
someone who would be required to attend UIA
meetings.

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BIO NOTE
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7. (C) Jinan Jasim Ali Al Ubaidi is a doctor who
recently gave birth to her fifth child. She is a
member of SCIRI and a previous TNA member. She
is a graduate of Baghdad University and practiced
medicine in Najaf hospital prior to 2003. She is
very well-spoken, has a good command of English and
appears very interested in women's issues.

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8. (C) Muna Noor Zalzala, who lived several years in
Denmark, was also a TNA member. Zalzala
was reserved during this meeting and not as quick to
engage in a conversation on women's issues. However,
she seems to be a somewhat outspoken and challenging
personality, more willing to engage on conversations
relating to what she perceives as mistakes by MNF-I
forces.
KHALILZAD