IRAQ NATIONAL DIALOGUE COUNCIL CONCERNED ABOUT SHAPE OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSUL 000014

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/14/2016
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM IZ MARR PINT
SUBJECT: IRAQ NATIONAL DIALOGUE COUNCIL CONCERNED ABOUT SHAPE OF
POLITICS IN IRAQ AND NINEWA

CLASSIFIED BY: Cameron Munter, PRT Leader, Provincial
Reconstruction Team Ninewa, State.
REASON: 1.4 (a),(b),(d)



--------------
SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) The Iraqi National Dialogue Council (INDC) in Ninewa is
concerned about the shape of the new national government in
Iraq. National assembly delegate Mahmood Al-Azzawi seems afraid
Sunni Arabs might be "left out" from playing a larger role in
the formation of the government. He said he would work to
oppose private militias, such as Peshmerga and Badr, and
corruption. Al-Azzawi asked for USG assistance to keep Iraq
unified as "one people," and for help to move Iraq on to the
world stage. He said, however, that such assistance should
follow Iraq's lead. Al-Azzawi said he welcomes provincial
elections planned for later this year. He said he hopes a new
provincial government would be more representative and, if
controlled by Sunni Arabs, more responsive to the needs of the
people of Ninewa. End Summary.


2. (SBU) PRT Leader met with Iraq National Dialogue Council
(INDC) provincial director and newly elected national assembly
delegate Mahmood Al-Azzawi, and party spokesman Musadaq Al
Chalabi, in Mosul on February 11. PRT Poloff was also in
attendance.

--------------
FEAR OF DIVISIONS IN THE NEW GOVERNMENT
--------------


3. (C) PRT Leader welcomed Al-Azzawi and Al Chalabi to the PRT
where the topic moved to concerns INDC members had regarding the
formation of the new government in Baghdad. Referring to the
Shia majority in the new national assembly, Al-Azzawi said he
hopes the process to form the new government is inclusive. He
said the most important issue should be limits on federalism and
control of political party and private militias. Al-Azzawi said
he fears the new government would interpret the constitution to
allow for the creation of separate Shia and Kurdish units. He
said such a plan would "carve up" resources and further "divide"
the populace. Al-Azzawi said private militias, even those he
considers as operating under the guise of the Ministry of
Interior, such as Kurdish Peshmerga, are "illegal" and
contribute to hostilities. He said political party militias,
such as the Shia Badr Brigades, are "supported by Iran" to
"divide Iraq." Al-Azzawi claimed the actions of these and Iraqi
Security Forces (ISF) make the "USG look bad" to the Iraqi
public who fail to make distinctions between them. He asked for
USG assistance to address the issue.

--------------
USG ASSISTANCE AND RELATIONS WITH IRAQ
--------------


4. (C) Al-Azzawi suggested that the USG, with the Iraqi
government, should concentrate in three areas: the economy,
security, and preventing Iraq from dividing into separate
federal units. PRT Leader replied that Iraq should take the
lead on solving economic problems and that the USG would work to
support those ideas. Al-Azzawi said a problem in the past with
development assistance from the USG was "indecision." He said
he believes this contributed to economic uncertainty and a rise
in security problems. He agreed with PRT Leader that Iraq
should take the lead in developing its internal politics, but
that both countries need to work harder to understand each
other's needs.

--------------
IRAQ MOVING FORWARD ON THE WORLD STAGE
--------------


5. (C) Al-Azzawi said, as a former opponent of Saddam Hussein
who spent two years in exile in Turkey and was twice imprisoned
for his actions against the regime, that he is pleased with
Iraq's progress in the areas of freedom of speech and
association. Al-Azzawi claimed the former regime kept contact
with the outside world limited, which has complicated their
ability to communicate effectively abroad. Al-Azzawi qualified
his statement by saying USG assistance would still be done on
Iraq's terms and not that of the U.S. However, he claimed that
Iraq "needs a strong relationship" with the USG if the country
is to move forward. PRT Leader reiterated USG support by
following Iraq's lead and respecting its sovereignty.

--------------
PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OUTLOOK
--------------


6. (C) Al-Azzawi said he is looking forward to provincial
elections later this year. He said he hopes Sunni Arab
coalitions would "take control" of the provincial government.
Al-Azzawi said the current government, which is dominated by
Kurds, is "corrupt," "not representative," and "illegal." He
said he believes provincial leadership should be made from the
"different fabrics" of Ninewa but that any new government should
not be based on "quotas." Al-Azzawi recommended a committee be
established to select candidates based on their expertise rather
than ethnicity. He claimed that once a new government is
elected he hopes it works to remove non-Iraqi flags, such as
that of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). He claimed
such flags "cause conflict" among Ninewa's diverse groups.
Al-Azzawi said he believes a new provincial council would help
make Ninewa "more stable" by better addressing problems of
security and terrorism. Al-Azzawi requested an increased
presence of international aid organizations in Ninewa to help
address issues of poverty.

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


7. (C) Over the past few months since INDC was established we
have maintained close contact with Al-Azzawi and Al Chalabi. At
first fervently opposed to the U.S. presence in Iraq, we have
noticed that Al-Azzawi has mellowed. Perhaps this could be
attributed to his recent victory in the national election and
the realization that compromise will be necessary to achieve any
sort of meaningful outcome in the new government. However,
while he has relaxed on some issues, he is still adamant about
certain topics that are sure to spur heated debate in the new
government as it establishes the rules and procedures for the
constitution. He is strongly opposed to the idea for separate
federal units of control, especially for Shias and Kurds, for
example. On the other hand, he has well-meaning desires to rid
the country of its reliance on private militias, as well as to
find solutions to government corruption. It is still uncertain,
however, how effective Al-Azzawi will be on the national stage,
and whether he and his colleagues will be relegated to
opposition party status.
MUNTER