THE GATHERING TO SAVE BASRAH -- A NEW POLITICAL ENTITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BASRAH 000136 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 8/24/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV IZ SUBJECT: THE GATHERING TO SAVE BASRAH -- A NEW POLITICAL ENTITY REF: BASRAH 109 BASRAH 00000136 001.2 OF 002 CLASSIFIED BY: Ken Gross, Regional Coordinator, REO Basrah, Department of State. REASON: 1.4 (b) ¶1. (C) Summary: On August 22, the Regional Coordinator (RC), Deputy RC and poloffs hosted three members of the newly established Gathering to Save Basrah (GSB) group. The GSB was established by a group of influential politicians, clerics, tribal leaders, and educators in Basrah who believe that a new political entity is needed to offer Basrah citizens a choice besides the religious and secular parties that cater to their own interests. Established in June, a founding committee of eleven oversees the participation and activities of various subcommittees that are designed to reach out to all elements of the community. The goals of the GSB are to eliminate sectarian strife and improve the dismal security situation, give Basrah and its people a voice in Baghdad, root out corruption, and provide essential city services. The group plans to contest the next provincial elections by endorsing independent candidates and hopes to form a political bloc that will establish a new balance in the Basrah Provincial Council. The GSB identified Islamic political parties - and their militias - as its principal opponents. End summary. THE BEGINNING: AN IDEA BECOMES REALITY ¶2. (C) On August 22, the RC, DRC and poloffs met with three members of the GSB: Sheik Mansour al-Kana'an, Sheik Kadhim al-Gatrani, and Dr. Abdul Jabbar al-Hadi. All three are established REO contacts. Sheik Mansour, the GSB's General Secretary, explained to the RC that the group formed six months SIPDIS ago to discuss the deterioration of Basrah's security and its lack of social services. This group, comprised of religious, political, and tribal leaders, believed that it needed to do something to address the rampant political corruption, the infiltration of security services by militias, the campaigns of assassinations, and the complete absence of essential services in Basrah. After months of discussion and planning, the original eleven members launched the Gathering to Save Basrah on June 3 with the release of an official announcement. The announcement outlined the group's mission and listed 15 goals, including a judicial system that would protect human rights, protection of all religious sites and faiths, and the safeguard of educational institutions from pernicious influences. (See Reftel for previous discussion of the Gathering.) THE STRUCTURE OF THE GATHERING ¶3. (C) The GSB's original eleven members act as the administration core of the group. Beyond that, the group has multiple subcommittees that are chaired by each of the original members. The subcommittees include youth and sports, tribal affairs, media, education, financial, scientific, public relations, and a soon-to-be established women's subcommittee. Membership in the subcommittees is open to the public, although Sheik Mansour said that they become full members only after "a long discussion" with other members. Sheik Mansour said that six tribal leaders and leaders from various religious faiths were members of the Gathering. He reiterated that the GSB wanted members from all walks of life and all backgrounds, including Sunni, Shia, Assyrian, and Christian, in order to be "truly representative" of Basrah. BASRAH NEEDS A SAVIOR ¶4. (C) Sheik Mansour said that the GSB was founded to help relieve the people of Basrah from the miserable condition they now suffer from. All three GSB leaders commented that there is no true representation of Basrah in Baghdad and that mistrust characterizes the relationship between the local and central government. The goals of the GSB include giving a voice to Basrah and its people, ending Basrah's sectarian strife, resolving issues without violence, improving the security situation, eliminating corruption among local officials, and providing essential services through reconstruction projects. Sheik Mansour said the GSB's strength is that it is not formed around one individual, and important decisions are made by committee. He contrasted this to local political parties that revolve around one individual whose judgment is paramount. ¶5. (C) The GSB plans to back independent candidates in the provincial elections, in effect throwing its backing behind candidates that are either members of the GSB or that believe in the GSB's philosophy. The leaders said that by the time the elections are held, their membership and influence should have grown significantly. Their goal for the next election is to become a strong political bloc that will create a balance among the political parties and enable the Basrah Provincial Council to take steps to implement real changes. All of the GSB members noted that the Islamic religious parties and their militia BASRAH 00000136 002.2 OF 002 henchmen would be their chief rivals. LOOKING FOR USG SUPPORT ¶6. (C) Sheik Mansour repeated throughout the meeting that the GSB would need support from the United States. He said that the GSB is weak compared to the Islamic political parties that have backing and strong financial support from neighboring countries. In discussing the type of support needed, Sheik Mansour said that it would be extremely helpful if the USG would assist them with various infrastructure projects in Basrah and with media outreach. The GSB, he continued, would like to establish its own magazine and radio station, and he requested that the United States provide equipment and a media headquarters. Sheik Mansour also asked that the United States help provide an official headquarters since they currently hold meetings in Sheik Kadhim's diwan and Dr. Abdul Jabbar's home. Sheik Mansour stressed the importance of a strong relationship with the United States. The RC promised to stay in close contact and engage in ongoing dialogue with the GSB. COMMENT ¶7. (C) Comment: The idea and intent behind the formation of the Gathering to Save Basrah is welcome - politics in Basrah is characterized by parties out of touch with the public and with agendas that frequently have little to do with providing good government. That said, political parties will recognize the potential appeal of the GSB to the average citizen and will attempt to limit its influence. With vastly greater resources, national political parties will attempt to snuff out the GSB or to characterize it as representative of the elites. Perhaps with the idea of establishing a wider base of support Sheik Mansour confirmed that the Noble Council in Maysan, led by Abu Hatim, is a similarly styled political organization, and Sheik Mansour said that he could envision the eventual establishment of a larger Gathering in the south that represented Basrah, Maysan, and Dhi Qar provinces. End comment. GROSS