(C) PUK CHANGES; KIRKUK MUST JOIN KDP; IRAN NO ALLY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KIRKUK 000125

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 7/15/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PINS PNAT PREF PREL KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: (C) PUK CHANGES; KIRKUK MUST JOIN KDP; IRAN NO ALLY

KIRKUK 00000125 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Tim Uselmann, Political Officer, IPAO, Department
of State.
REASON: 1.4 (a),(d)




1. (C) Summary. PUK party leader Noshirwan Mustafa informed IPAO
on July
1 in Sulaymaniyah that the PUK had undertaken major reforms,
including
the re-election of all PUK leaders, beginning with the villages,
districts, and sub-districts. Also, he said the Article 140
referendum
was necessary to the KRG's strategic position for protecting
Sulaymaniyah and Erbil from insurgents. Finally, he said the KRG
maintained formal relationships with Kurdish cities in Iran, but
not
with the national Iranian government. This is the second of two
cables
from this meeting. (REFTEL) End Summary.

(C) Iran - Not a Friend of the Kurds
-------------- ---


2. (C) The KRG and the Iranian security bureau had "a gentleman's
agreement" to prevent internal insurgents from attacking each
other's
border areas. The PUK also had a formal relationship with
leaders from
three Iranian Kurdish cities. However, the KRG and the Iranian
national
government had nothing in common, including differences in
language,
national goals, ideology, and religion. Mustafa said the
Iranians
actively worked against Iraq. For example, the Iranians had
given safe
haven to 600 Sunni members of the Ansar al-Islam terrorist group
before
returning them to the southern areas of Iraq.

(C) Article 140: Control of Kirkuk Protects KRG
-------------- --------------


3. (C) Mustafa insisted the Kirkuk referendum take place on time
in 2007
because the KRG needed the increase in national budget pie that
co-opting Kirkuk province brought. The KRG could then spend
more on the
poverty-stricken IDP areas of Kirkuk, where currently Arabs
categorized
KRG funding as akin to strategies used by the Jews in Palestine.
Controlling Kirkuk was also key to the KRG's strategic position
for
protecting Sulaymaniyah and Erbil from insurgents. The KRG
could take
over the management and protection of sensitive sectors,
including the
oil facilities and pipelines.

(SBU) Changes Within the PUK
--------------


4. (SBU) The two-month process of re-electing PUK leaders in
villages,
districts, and sub-districts of Dohuk, Sulaymaniyah and Erbil,
began
July 1st. Mustafa said the bottom-up shake-up of party
leadership was
intended to invigorate the party, diversify the leadership with
younger
members, and redistribute power horizontally by ending the
Central
Committee and Politburo's monopoly on decision-making.


5. (SBU) Mustafa said the minimum age to run for election to the
party
leadership was lowered from 30 to 16 years old. Minimum
membership was
also lowered from 15 years to 6 months and the requirement for a
university degree was eliminated. They hoped more women would
run for
office however it was difficult at the village level. In
theory, each
central organization (district) would have one woman.


6. (C) The PUK also adopted Mustafa's initiative to establish a
bureau
of inquiry to combat corruption within the party. The bureau
could
investigate any member or rumor and had free reign to ask about
any

KIRKUK 00000125 002.2 OF 002


matter. It was not meant to address historical crimes, but
corruption -
e.g. to examine the source of new wealth. The internal
committee would
include three members: a judge, a financial manager, and a
member of the
PUK leadership. The bureau could revoke party membership and
decisions
could not be appealed.




(C) COMMENT:
--------------


7. (C) Mustafa's effort to distance the KRG from the Iranian
government
comes after a local paper leaked a secret meeting between the
Iranian
Intelligence and the PUK and KDP politburos. Many of the changes
in the
PUK are Mustafa's, particularly those that fight corruption and
attempt
to include a younger audience. He is a strong advocate for party
adaptation to the new Iraq for the sake of survival and an
important PUK
supporter of KRG Prime Minister Barzani. End Comment.
JBIGUS