TRIBAL LEADERS FED UP WITH BAD SECURITY IN BASRAH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BASRAH 000056 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 4/15/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER KDEM KISL SOCI IZ SUBJECT: TRIBAL LEADERS FED UP WITH BAD SECURITY IN BASRAH REF: A) BASRAH 52, B) BASRAH 53 BASRAH 00000056 001.2 OF 002 CLASSIFIED BY: Ken Gross, Regional Coordinator, REO Basrah, State Department. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Summary: On April 12, Basrah Regional Coordinator (RC) met with Sheikh Kadim Al Gatrani, the Chair of the Basrah Council of Nobles (CoN) and leader of the Al Gatrani tribe in Basrah. As one of the most powerful and influential sheikhs in Basrah, Sheikh Kadim's message that security in Basrah was the biggest concern of Basrah's tribal leaders underscores the degree to which the deteriorating security situation in the city affects all members of society. Sheikh Kadim blamed Basrah Governor Muhammed Wa'hil for the poor security in Basrah and the increase in murders, and said he supported his removal from office. End Summary. "Check the Morgues" -------------- ¶2. (C) On April 12, the RC met with Sheikh Kadim Al Gatrani, the Chair of the Basrah CoN and leader of the Al Gatrani tribe in Basrah. With 120,000 members, the Al Gatrani tribe is one of the largest and most influential tribes in the area. Sheikh Kadim immediately launched into a critique of Basrah's bad security situation, saying this was the CoN's greatest concern. An unofficial curfew exists in Basrah from 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. when people are too afraid to go out on the street. Cars without license plates or with Dubai plates roamed the city, inciting fear. He claimed that 20-30 murders were occurring each day in Basrah, even though many of these murders were not reported in the media or even recorded officially. Motives for murder were for political control and control over oil and other resources -- for personal gain, in other words. He advised the RC to "check the morgues" for proof of the killings. Basrah Governor to Blame -------------- ¶3. (C) According to Sheikh Kadim, the CoN met with Governor Mohammed al Wa'hil a few days ago and blamed him for the murders. Most of the murders, he said, were being carried out by politically affiliated militia members within the police forces, many of whom answered directly to the Governor. The CoN also met with the Basrah Provincial Council (BPC) about a week ago, he said, and delivered a letter that demanded that those responsible for the assassinations be turned over. He also said that the CoN requested that cars without license plates be removed from the streets. He said that the council had received no response from the local government regarding their demands. He commended the British military for netting several of the killers in recent operations. ¶4. (C) Sheikh Kadim's preference for the removal of Governor Wa'hil was clear, although he was closed-mouth on the subject of who he would like to see in his place (Refs A and B). He said that the matter would be resolved "within a few days," and that if we heard a lot of noise and gunshots in the street, not to be surprised. The RC responded that it would be much preferable, as well as simpler, for the BPC to remove the Governor through the voting process; resorting to force to oust the Governor would not be acceptable. Citing the need for security in Basrah in order to attract foreign investments and economic development, Sheikh Kadim replied that "all means necessary" were justified in getting rid of the Governor. Poloff stressed that foreign investors looked at changes of government very carefully when assessing whether or not to invest and that democratic changes of government were preferred to violent overthrows. Sheikh Kadim responded that the best solution would be for the current Governor to leave the country; if he remained, someone would surely kill him. Sheikh Kadim Leery of Democracy -------------- - ¶5. (C) Even if the Governor were removed, Sheikh Kadim said, this in itself would not be sufficient to rid the streets of militias and murderers. He said that as the liberators of Iraq, the United States bore the responsibility for ensuring its security and dragging criminals off the streets. Poloff responded that the United States was very concerned about the security of Iraq, and we also believed that Iraqis are capable of local self-government. The United States could not take the place of the elected leaders of Basrah. Sheikh Kadim responded with an allegory: if you order your servant to bring you tea, and he brings you water, and then on his next try, brings you juice or something else, at some point you will have to beat BASRAH 00000056 002.2 OF 002 your servant until he understands that he must bring you what you ordered. Poloff responded that the master-servant relationship was not a good comparison to the role of the United States in Iraq, but rather the relationship between an older relative guiding and advising a younger one. Unconvinced, Sheikh Kadim began grinding his heel into the carpet, saying that force was the only thing that would produce results. The RC stressed that only a democratic solution is acceptable. Comment -------------- ¶6. (C) A traditional tribal leader, Sheikh Kadim's enthusiasm for the enforcement of peace in Basrah through violence can be understood, even if not supported. The important thing is that Basrah's tribal leaders all agree that security in Basrah has gotten out of hand and must be addressed. When or if a change of government takes place in Basrah, tribal leaders can be counted on to lend their full support to the process, democratic or otherwise. By taking the time to exchange ideas with him, however, the Basrah REO clearly advocated democratic means to attain the goals of the CoN. Sheikh Kadim's comments concerning violent actions against the Governor are bluster designed to match the visceral anti-Wa'hil rhetoric prominent in local politics. If, however, peaceful demonstrations calling for the Governor's removal led him to respond violently, a counter-reaction could be expected. ¶7. (C) BIONOTE: Sheikh Kadim became the Chair of the CoN when it was established in 2004. The CoN meets on an irregular basis in its headquarters in central Basrah. The CoN issues laminated identification cards to its members. Sheikh Kadim was nominated the leader of the Al Gatrani tribe 36 years ago and considers himself to be one of the more senior sheikhs in Iraq. He was imprisoned under Saddam for eight months. He maintains open relations with the Coalition and attends weekly meetings with tribal leaders at the British Consulate in Basrah. He has a high school education. He has three wives and sixteen children. GROSS