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