KURDISTAN ISLAMIC UNION, BRINGING DEMOCRACY BACK TO IRAQI

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSUL 000009

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/5/2016
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM IZ PINT
SUBJECT: KURDISTAN ISLAMIC UNION, BRINGING DEMOCRACY BACK TO IRAQI
KURDISTAN

REF: MOSUL 195

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



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SUMMARY
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1. (C) REO Poloff met with Ninewa members of the Kurdistan
Islamic Union (KIU) on February 2. KIU provincial director
Sabbah Baberi believes KIU, given their strong showing after the
December national election, could now play an important role in
Iraqi Kurdistan by moving the PUK and KDP, "back to democracy."
Baberi claims the two larger parties tightly control freedom of
speech and association to the detriment of the Kurdish people.
He said the PUK and KDP operate like "separate governments," and
that corruption is causing the good that has occurred in Iraqi
Kurdistan, such as development and security, to "crumble."
Baberi believes KIU can focus on these issues and act as an
honest broker between KDP and PUK, to help "give Kurds faith" in
the democratic process. Baberi hopes that top-level KIU
officers might be able to meet more regularly with high-level
U.S. officials, which he believes would help give Kurds not
affiliated with PUK or KDP "more faith" that the USG cares for
them. Baberi asked for USG support for KIU's work in this
regard in Iraqi Kurdistan. End Summary.


2. (SBU) REO Poloff met with members of the Kurdistan Islamic
Union (KIU) in Mosul on February 2. Members in attendance were
political affairs officer Shawkat Sharafani and Ninewa director
Sabbah Baberi. Baberi recently became provincial director after
the death of former director, Mushir Ahmat (reftel).

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ROLE OF THE "THIRD PARTY"
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3. (C) Poloff welcomed KIU members Baberi and Sharafani where
discussion quickly moved towards issues of democracy and freedom
of speech in Iraqi Kurdistan. Baberi believes, like smaller
opposition parties, that KIU has a role to play to help lessen
the political domination of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
(PUK) and the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KDP) whom KIU claims are
"regressing democratically." Baberi said although there are
many positives in Iraqi Kurdistan, such as security and
infrastructure, the cores of the Kurdistan Regional Government
(KRG) are "crumbling." He said in effect two parties control
the area "for their own benefit." Baberi believes KIU can help
reshape the debate by appealing to al sectors of the population.
He spoke at some length about recent KIU success in the
December national election, where they won five seats despite
what he terms as "flagrant incidents of fraud," as a permit to
push against KDP and PUK. Baberi said, however, KIU is "limited
financially" and still fears more attacks from the two larger
parties (reftel).

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IRAQI KURDISTAN AND TWO PARTY CONTROL
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4. (C) Baberi said after the no fly zone was established, the
PUK and KDP could not reach agreement after elections were held
in 1992. As a result, Baberi said Iraqi Kurdistan was "split in
two." He claims divisions between KDP and PUK did not improve
after a ceasefire in the late 1990s (the two parties were at war
before that time),or even after liberation in 2003. Baberi
said he heard a rumor that KDP and PUK signed an agreement to
remain a coalition until 2015. While some would view this as a
move towards unification, Baberi believes having the two so
closely aligned means "democracy would suffer." Baberi
believes, unfortunately, that human rights and freedom of speech
have regressed and are worsening everyday.


5. (C) Baberi said almost three years after the fall of the
Saddam Hussein regime, there are "three governments" Kurdish
Iraqis must follow: The KDP in northern Kurdistan, the PUK in
southern Kurdistan, and the Iraqi central government. Baberi
claims ministries (especially of defense, interior, and finance)
from the three governments do not speak to one other. He said
many Islamic NGOs who have registered in Baghdad are not allowed
to operate in KDP Kurdistan, for example, because they are not
also registered with KDP-controlled KRG. Baberi said the
ministries of finance and defense are inextricably linked in
Kurdistan, and as a result much corruption occurs. Baberi
claims that the central government in Baghdad gave the KRG money
for the disabled, for example, but that the funds were given to
"party loyalists" instead. Baberi recommends removing the
"financial chains" that bind people to the parties rather than
to democratic principles. He believes pressure, however, should
also come from the USG.

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FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND ASSOCIATION
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6. (C) Baberi said the press is not free, especially in
KDP-controlled Kurdistan. He said newspapers and television
stations cannot print or say anything against (KRG President)
Masoud Barzani or the Barzani family. He believes such limits
on free speech only end debate and make people "live in fear."
Baberi said teachers and government workers who do not support
KDP are "fired from their jobs." Baberi claims KIU is not
allowed to run its own television station in Kurdistan because
the market is so tightly controlled. He is hoping international
pressure might allow for these policies to change. Baberi
believes the role of independent, especially international, NGOs
and human rights organizations should be expanded. Baberi
claims several NGOs and unions cannot operate freely in
Kurdistan, and must align with the PUK or KDP, which "severely
compromises" the ability of these organizations to act
independently. And as a result, Baberi said, they become "tools
of the parties."

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RELATIONS WITH THE USG
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7. (C) Baberi claims "people on the street" in Kurdistan
believe the KDP and PUK enjoy a "special relationship" with the
USG. He said anytime the U.S. Ambassador meets with Presidents
Talabani or Barzani, and it is broadcast in the news, many Kurds
"draw conclusions" that might otherwise not be true. Baberi
said he is having a difficult time even convincing KIU followers
he has actually had meetings with the REO. Baberi inquired
about the possibility of top-level members of the KIU having a
regular audience with the Ambassador and/or U.S. officials in
Washington DC. He believes that such an event, especially one
that is broadcast via the international press, would do more to
give Kurds a more favorable view of the USG, and Muslims "hope"
that they, too, have a voice with the USG.

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COMMENT
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8. (C) Although only the opinions of a provincial director not
working directly in Iraqi Kurdistan, Baberi believes KIU has a
better grasp on the importance of democratic principles than
their two rivals, the KDP and PUK. Baberi said KIU officials
envision the party as some sort of "savior" for the Kurds, a
group who can move debate back to issues of importance, such as
freedom of speech and association, and get Iraqi Kurdistan back
to the forefront of "how things are done right" in Iraq. While
problems of corruption and government control in Iraqi Kurdistan
could be debated, in conversations with Baberi it is obvious he
believes KIU has a responsibility to speak out on these issues.
Baberi claims any evidence they needed to move in this direction
was proven by KIU's strong performance during the national
election, and his confidence that the party would continue to
gain ground in future provincial elections.
MUNTER