(C) KDP-PUK UNITED FRONT AFTER DOKAN MEETINGS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KIRKUK 000126

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 7/15/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PINS PNAT PREF PREL KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: (C) KDP-PUK UNITED FRONT AFTER DOKAN MEETINGS

KIRKUK 00000126 001.2 OF 002


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




1. (C) Summary. KRG Prime Minister Nechirwan Barzani and PUK
party
leader Noshirwan Mustafa informed IPAO in separate meetings on
July 2
and 1 respectively that the KDP and PUK politburos had agreed to
end
direct party interference in government affairs; delay
appointment of
deputy ministers; base new appointments on merit; establish a
joint
committee within each KRG ministry to unite laws; and encourage
Iraqi-Arab scientists from the south to move their research to
the more
secure KRG. Both had attended the meeting and were optimistic
about the
outcome. End Summary.

(C) KDP-PUK Politburos Find Compromise
-------------- --------------


2. (C) According to Prime Minister Barzani the joint meeting of
the KDP
and PUK politburos in Lake Dokan last month was the first of many
regular meetings to come. Mustafa said they reached several
agreements
including:

a. To end direct party interference in government affairs by
creating a
party liaison office within the Council of Ministers. The new
office,
made up of three individuals appointed by the prime minister and
his
deputy, would review all party requests. Barzani said this
office did
not yet have a name.

b. To ban party nepotism - the practice of linking employment to
party
membership - by basing director generals appointments on merit
not party
affiliation. The prime minister and his deputy would make
selections
from lists provided by the KDP and PUK.

c. To delay appointment of deputy ministers indefinitely to allow
Barzani and his deputy Omar Fattah to work more effectively with
the new
ministers.

c. To establish a joint committee within each ministry to
reconcile
Erbil and Sulaymaniyah laws, beginning with the Ministry of
Justice.
Barzani added that all ministries needed new legislation. New
ministries needed to start at the beginning, old ministries
needed
review, and merged ministries needed their legal frameworks
united.

d. To encourage Arab-Iraqi scientists affected by the security
situation
in the south to re-locate to Kurdistan. The KRG would provide
labs,
houses, salaries, and facilities. Mustafa said this could help
reverse
the exodus of talent out of Iraq.


3. (C) Barzani said the Ministry of Justice was given top
priority; a
newly established special commission was expected to achieve full
unification in 2 - 3 months. U.S. assistance was particularly
welcome
to develop the judicial system, train judges, and keep the
Ministry of
Justice independent. The Supreme Court was also to be revamped
with new
talent.

(C) PM: Unified PUK and KDP Best for Unified KRG
-------------- --------------


4. (C) Barzani expected the KRG would be a strong, unified
government by
the end of the year. Both political parties had strong wills
for the

KIRKUK 00000126 002.2 OF 002


KRG to succeed. He preferred the unification to come in slow,
solid
steps, to avoid the possibility of retrogression. The first
task was to
build confidence within the party memberships and ministers.


5. (C) The PUK and KDP needed to move forward together. One
party
should not feel swallowed up by the other, but both sides should
psychologically feel part of one team. Barzani said it was more
difficult for the PUK because they had many voices. He held
bi-weekly
meetings with the PUK to discuss issues and find out where they
stood on
issues.

(C) Mustafa: Unified KRG Needed in Baghdad
-------------- --------------


6. (C) Mustafa said the Kurdish parties needed to work together
within
the INA as new laws were drafted for foreign investment, foreign
ownership, banking, and taxation. Coordination was also needed
to force
implementation of constitutional provisions such as printing
both Arabic
and Kurdish on national currency and passports.


7. (C) Mustafa believed the newly unified KRG leadership worked
well
together. He felt Prime Minister Nechirwan Barzani and the PUK
ministers had a good relationship. The KDP was also united,
with the
Prime Minister and his uncle President Masud Barzani supporting
each
other. Masrur Barzani, the president's son, and Nechirwan held
different jobs within the KDP and appeared congenial. Mustafa
added,
however, that the "Barzani house is tight. I don't know what
goes on
inside it."


8. (C) Mustafa said succession of the KRG presidency was not an
issue.
Unlike in the U.S., the KRG President shared some of his
responsibilities with the Vice President. The secession order
went from
President, Vice President, Parliament Speaker, and then the Prime
Minister. In reality, Prime Minister Nechirwan Barzani was
obviously
more powerful than Parliament Speaker Adnan Mufti.

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


9. (C) The joint meeting of the party politburos is a very
positive
sign, though the parties continue to disagree on many
fundamentals. The
decision to not appoint deputy ministers is probably more out of
a
disagreement over who to appoint, than a gift to help Barzani
and Omar
Fattah make work more efficiently. Party stalwarts are all
saying the
right things, but it would be naive to think a new era of
cooperation is
firmly upon us. In this regard, Barzani and Fattah could
benefit from
increased U.S. support - both moral and technical. End Comment.
JBIGUS