PUK REFORMIST LEADER IN IRAQI KURDISTAN CRITICIZES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001039 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/22/2017 TAGS: PGOV PINR PHUM KDEM IZ SUBJECT: PUK REFORMIST LEADER IN IRAQI KURDISTAN CRITICIZES PARTY POLICY Classified By: Regional Coordinator James Yellin for reasons reasons 1. 4 (b) and (d). This is a Regional Reconstruction Team (RRT) Cable. ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The prominent Kurdish politician, Nashirwan Mustafa, co-founder of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Politburo and Peshmerga expressed to RRT Off his support for a strong Iraqi central government, modernization of the Peshmerga and an independent media and think tank to address the need for political reform in Iraqi Kurdistan. Nashirwan Mustafa also said he believes that the Iraqi central government is not ready to carry out the provisions of Article 140 which calls for a referendum on the status of disputed territories, including Kirkuk, and will determine whether Kirkuk should be part of the Kurdistan Region. END SUMMARY. BACKGROUND -------------- ¶2. (U) On March 5, RRT Off met with Nashirwan Mustafa in Sulaimaniyah at his office and residence. Mustafa is long-standing figure in Sulaimaniyah politics and his popularity, while not equal to PUK leader Jalal Talabani, is very high. He is former Deputy Secretary General of the PUK, co-founder of the PUK Politburo and the Peshmerga, an academic and writer. Mustafa, along with Muhammed Tawfiq Rahim, leads the reformist wing of the PUK party. PUK VS KDP -------------- ¶3. (C) Nashirwan Mustafa said there are no real ideological differences between the PUK and KDP. He put forward the sociological distinction, however, in noting that the KDP members have a more elitist attitude and belong to a well-to-do class. The PUK, he said, has a large number of supporters from the lower socio-economic groups and the middle-class. ¶4. (C) The capitals of the provinces in which these parties operate also reflect social differences, Nashirwan Mustafa noted. In Sulaimaniyah where the PUK is dominant, social norms are relatively more liberal. For instance, women and the youth have more freedom. In Erbil, he believed, the lifestyle and relations are more conservative. ¶5. (C) Nashirwan Mustafa made the point that a PUK leader comes to power because fellow members view him as the best man, not because he is coming from the best family or having the most wealth. Mustafa emphasized Jalal Talabani is the leader because he is seen as the most effective in managing party affairs and dealing with political leaders in Iraq and abroad. PUK leaders rise to power through the party ranks, he said, and are chosen from the Politburo or selected from the congress. ¶6. (C) Nashirwan Mustafa explained that in the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP),succession is more straightforward, reflecting a family structure of the party. He said if the KDP needs a leader, the family council meets and its members elect him. A STRONG DEMOCRATIC CENTRAL GOVERNMENT -------------- ¶7. (C) Nashirwan Mustafa told RRT Off that a strong Iraqi central government is key to fighting corruption among the PUK leaders and would allow the party organization to evolve. He also said stability and security in Baghdad are necessary to progress politically in the KRG. The new generation in Iraqi Kurdistan (civilians and military) should work toward greater federalism and less on how to fight Iraq. He added the youth did not experience the Baath regime nor the years of Peshmerga freedom fighting or the civil war and their emotions and loyalty have to be won with a new policy direction. AN INDEPENDENT MEDIA -------------- ¶8. (U) Nashirwan Mustafa noted that the media center he and Muhammed Tawfiq Rahim founded in December 2006 is akin to a Western-style think thank. He stressed the need to analyze current events instead of simply reacting to them. Mustafa cited the upcoming general elections in Turkey and how they will benefit Iraq as one topic of the center. The center, he added, responds to the need for a non-partisan, non-governmental and independent media. BAGHDAD 00001039 002 OF 002 THE FUTURE OF PESHMERGA -------------- ¶9. (C) One of the co-founders of Peshmerga, Nashirwan Mustafa, told RRT Off that these forces must modernize, including changing their name. (Comment: this is a striking statement coming from a former Peshmerga and Kurdish politician.) The training and organization of the Peshmerga needs to reflect the move from freedom fighters to a national guard, he said. Instead of destroying the State, they must become statesmen, he continued. This requires a new generation of officers with a business sense, not soldiers. According to Mustafa, the soldiers cannot be the officers now but should retire and allow for a new generation to enter the ranks. KIRKUK AND ARTICLE 140 -------------- ¶10. (C) Nashirwan Mustafa told RRT Off that the Iraqi central government is not ready to carry out the provisions of Article 140 leading up to the referendum on whether Kirkuk should be part of the Kurdistan Region (constitutionally mandated to take place by December 31, 2007). One obstacle, he continued, is purely financial. The process won,t get to the referendum stage, he continued, if seven thousand families who are returning to the area are not properly compensated before settling in. According to Mustafa, who was one of the drafters of the article, if the Iraqi government cannot pay, the referendum process should not go forward. ¶11. (C) COMMENT: Nashirwan Mustafa clearly sees the need to bridge generations and prepare the Kurdistan Region for greater political and economic openness in the post-Saddam era. He has substantial popular support but has withdrawn from the party political circles and it is unclear if he will be drawn into them again should Jalal Talabani leave office. The resignation of Mustafa reflects his frustration at greater PUK resistance to party reform and his pessimism that Talabani can learn and adapt to the challenges of the post-Saddam era. KHALILZAD