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

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 8/24/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV IZ
SUBJECT: THE GATHERING TO SAVE BASRAH -- A NEW POLITICAL ENTITY

REF: BASRAH 109

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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

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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

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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