(U) SENIOR PUK LDR ON UNIFICATION, BAGHDAD TALKS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KIRKUK 000032

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

BAGHDAD FOR POL, POLMIL, IRMO/IPCC, NCT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/9/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM IZ
SUBJECT: (U) SENIOR PUK LDR ON UNIFICATION, BAGHDAD TALKS


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CLASSIFIED BY: Scott Dean, Regional Coordinator (Acting),Reo
Kirkuk, Department of State .
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. (SBU) INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY: On February 7, RC(A) met
with Kosrat Rasul, the Executive Secretary of the Patriotic
Union of Kurdistan's (PUK's) politburo. Rasul discussed the
unification of the two Kurdistan Regional Governments (KRGs) and
national political developments in Baghdad. He said that
KRG-Sulaymaniyah Prime Minister Omar Fattah would accept the
unified KRG deputy prime minister post and laid out difficulties
in unifying sensitive ministries. He also said that the PUK
leaders would meet soon to decide whether to put off KRG
unification until Iraq had formed a new government in Baghdad.
END INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY.


(SBU) FATTAH WILL ACCEPT KRG DEPUTY PM JOB
--------------


2. (C) On the unification of the two KRGs, Kosrat Rasul said:

-- The PUK politburo will meet with Talabani in Baghdad on
February 9 to discuss unification and the formation of the
central government. One issue it will decide is whether the PUK
needs to wait until a new central government is formed before
naming a KRG deputy PM and going forward with unification.

-- The details of the KRG's unification plan have been agreed
upon.

-- KRG-Sulaymaniyah Prime Minister Omar Fattah has been asked to
be the deputy prime minister of the unified KRG, a majority
(READ: not including me) of the PUK politburo supports his
candidacy and he will accept the post.

-- Unification of the Asayish, ministries of finance, interior,
justice and Peshmerga affairs will take time because the two
KRGs' systems are different in these areas. For example, our
Asayish are under our ministry of interior whereas President
Barzani's son runs theirs. The committee to resolve this will
be created after unification begins. This committee will have
to insure that hiring and promotion is based on merit, not party
loyalties. Also, we have made more changes to our legal system
than they have. With the Peshmerga, it is necessary to retire
the older ones and recruit younger men equally. The same goes
for the Asayesh and the police. That said, unifying the Asayish
and Peshmerga is possible if Barzani acts as a president of
Kurdistan instead of as a KDP leader.

-- But the political obstacles to unification, e.g., the lack of
trust, are greater than the technical ones.

-- Everyone's authority should be limited. Barzani and Talabani
are above the law in Kurdistan and that should change so that
their powers are limited, democracy is established here, there
is transparency in the budget, officeholders do not keep power
forever and elections decide who holds power. I will never
support a dynastic system. The current government formation
negotiations in Baghdad and over KRG unification are not
affecting the pace towards reform in Kurdistan one way or the
other.

-- The U.S. should support democracy in Kurdistan, not any
particular party in the KRG.

-- I will tell the KRG-S Ministry of Interior to cooperate with
you on the detainee issue.


(SBU) BAGHDAD NEGOTIATIONS
--------------


3. (C) Turning to the state of play in the formation of a new
Iraqi government, Rasul said:

-- The Shiite parties still disagree among themselves over who
should be prime minister. They will decide this February 11.

-- Formation of the new government will take longer than the
previous government because of this government's greater
importance.

-- Problems in forming the government and continued insecurity
in Iraq will impede our plans in Kurdistan.

-- The Baathists are causing insecurity in a bid for more
leverage over the negotiations for a new government and because

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of the Saddam trial.


(U) COMMENT
--------------


4. (C) Some say that how much the PUK and KDP each get in the
central government negotiations vis a vis the other may affect
the KRG unification negotiations. Rasul probably supports
Arsalan Baiz to be KRG deputy PM, but apparently expects to lose
that fight. We see no rush to unify the key KRG ministries.
DEAN