BASRAH PROVINCIAL COUNCIL VOTES TO END BOYCOTTS OF BRITISH

C O N F I D E N T I A L BASRAH 000068 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 5/5/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM IZ SUBJECT: BASRAH PROVINCIAL COUNCIL VOTES TO END BOYCOTTS OF BRITISH AND DANES REF: (A) BASRAH 53; (B) BASRAH 58; (C) BASRAH 59; (D) BASRAH 61 CLASSIFIED BY: Ken Gross, Regional Coordinator, REO Basrah, Department of State. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Summary: On the evening of May 3, the Basrah Provincial Council (BPC) voted to end the boycotts of the British and the Danes. An official statement and media event is scheduled for Sunday, May 7, at the Provincial Council building where it is expected that statements will be read from the British Consul General and the Governor. The Regional Coordinator has been invited to attend. End Summary. ¶2. (C) A Locally Engaged Staff (LES) member of the Basrah Regional Embassy Office (REO) attended the evening meeting of the BPC where the main discussion focused on whether to end the boycotts of the British and the Danes. According to the REO LES, Basrah Governor Muhammad al-Wa'eli and Deputy Provincial Council Chairman Nussaif Jassim Ali were the main proponents of ending the boycott. Some opposition was voiced by a couple of members, but when the issue was put to a vote it passed easily. Reftels discuss the machinations of some members of the BPC to end the boycott. ¶3. (C) In meetings leading up to the BPC decision to end the boycott, the Governor and Fadillah party members portrayed themselves to the REO and the British Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO) as the brokers to solve the boycott problem. The REO LES reported that at the BPC meeting the Governor and his fellow Fadillah party member, Nussaif, were the most vocal in their support to end the boycotts. (Note: The Governor has felt pressure from Baghdad and within his own party in Baghdad to remove the boycotts and demonstrate leadership. Reftels discuss an on-going scheme to replace him.) With the scheduling of a media event on May 7, the Governor now clearly wants to capitalize on the end of the boycotts and portray himself in a positive light. ¶4. (C) Comment: The vote to end the boycott came as no surprise. The question remains whether the Governor's newfound desire to be a problem solver rather than a troublemaker will persuade the public and the BPC members to keep him in office. Perhaps the phrase that best summarizes British feelings towards the end of the boycott came from the Deputy Consul General of the FCO. He wrote in an email to the Regional Coordinator, "So the good news is that we're talking to them again. And the bad news is that we have to talk to them again." End Comment. GROSS