KURDS' PUSH ON TAL ARTICLE 58 SPARKS TEMPORARY PROVINCIAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L KIRKUK 000056 SIPDIS SIPDIS BAGHDAD FOR POL, POLMIL, NCT, ROL COORDINATOR, IRMO/IPCC E.O. 12958: DECL: 3/9/2016 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINS KDEM IZ SUBJECT: KURDS' PUSH ON TAL ARTICLE 58 SPARKS TEMPORARY PROVINCIAL COUNCIL BOYCOTT REF: 05 KIRKUK 294 CLASSIFIED BY: Michael Oreste, Deputy PRT Team Leader, PRT Kirkuk, DoS. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. Kurds sprung a surprise proposal at the March 1 Kirkuk Provincial Council meeting to implement TAL article 58 at the provincial level. Turcoman and Arab PC members staged a walkout to show their displeasure, but both sides sidestepped a long-term boycott. END SUMMARY. (SBU) KURDS MOVE TO HAVE KIRKUK IMPLEMENT TAL ARTICLE 58 -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) At the March 1 meeting of the Kirkuk Provincial Council, Kurdish members proposed that Kirkuk province aid internally displaced persons (IDP's) under Transitional Administrative Law (TAL) Article 58. The subject was not scheduled on the normal agenda that was released several days prior to meetings. The surprise move immediately angered all non-Kurd-aligned PC members. The Kurds proposed giving the IDP's preferential distribution of land for housing and aid in obtaining basic services. The program also included construction loans and special employment programs to hire individuals that were displaced during the previous regime. UNIFIED REJECTION BY ARAB AND TURCOMAN COUNCIL MEMBERS -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) Arab and Turcoman council members objected both to making the agenda item a surprise and to discussing what they saw as a national, not provincial, issue. When the (Kurdish) PC Chair rejected their request to postpone debate, the Arab and Turcoman members walked out of the session. The Kurdish Brotherhood List holds 26 of the 41 seats on the council so the Kurdish members were able to continue the meeting with a quorum. When the session concluded the Arab and Turcoman members delivered a memorandum objecting to the procedure but they stayed to conduct unrelated council business. When questioned on their respective positions, both sides used the constitution to justify their actions. COMMENT -------------- ¶4. (C) The incident highlights Kurdish resentment at the pace of "normalization" at the national level. The Kurdistan Democratic Party and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan have long run major programs to settle Kurds into Kirkuk province; these proposals would legitimate and expand this program to include preferential employment practices and have the provincial government fund these programs. ¶5. (C) The fact that the entire council returned to business after the controversial session is a positive sign that demonstrates an increased understanding of the democratic process. ORESTE