LOCAL KURDISH LEADER DISCUSSES KURDS IN BAGHDAD

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 001333

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/15/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: LOCAL KURDISH LEADER DISCUSSES KURDS IN BAGHDAD

Classified By: Acting Political Counselor Robert Gilchrist per 1.4 (b)
and (d)


1. (C) Summary: Sadoon Shafi, head of the Patriotic Union of
Kurdistan (PUK) office in Baghdad, discussed with Poloff
April 5 the plight of Kurds living in Baghdad, saying that
they find it very difficult to get contracts or find jobs.
At the same time, he thought prospects were good for the PUK
and the Kurds in Baghdad in the next elections. He said that
the main Kurdish players in Baghdad had met recently to
coordinate policy and discuss Baghdad security, and he also
commented on constitutional review and the improved health of
President Jalal Talabani. End Summary.

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Kurds in Baghdad
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2. (C) Shafi told Poloff April 5 that both MNSTC-I and the
Ministry of Trade have been withholding contracts from the
Baghdad Kurds in favor of Shia and Sunni bidders (mainly
Shia). He said their mindset is that the Kurds have their
own prosperous region so why should they get anything in
Baghdad. This is unfair, since those Kurds still in Baghdad
(most Kurds left after OIF, according to Shafi) planned to
remain and needed jobs. He is working to change that mindset
and he asked the Embassy to assist him.


2. (C) Shafi thought that the PUK had an advantage with the
locals over the KDP in Baghdad because of the way it had
handled the Sadriya bombing earlier this year and because of
its superior efforts at outreach. He said the PUK gave the
victims of the Sadriya bombing one million Iraqi dinars and
flew the most critical to Sulaymaniyah for treatment, while
the KDP gave them little. The PUK even treated and sent
north Arabs injured in the bombing. He described how an Arab
who had lost his leg went to Kurdistan and returned with a
prosthesis, and he claimed that this had generated a lot of
good will with Arabs in the community. He said the Kurds are
mostly concentrated in a few areas in Baghdad, but within
these areas they are they are intermixed with Arabs.


3. (C) He thought the Fayli Kurds would vote their ethnicity
in future provincial and national elections instead of their
religion (Note: many Fayli Kurds voted with the Shia and the
Unified Iraqi Alliance list in the elections in December
2005) and both local PUK and KDP had been working to increase
their membership among the Faylis. He admitted that in order
to get more votes in the next elections the Baghdad PUK, KDP
and some minority parties may ally with the Shia (what he
called a 180 degree change) and accept a certain
predetermined number of seats from them. He claimed that
President Talabani had signed off on this strategy.

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Baghdad-Based Kurds Coordinating Policy
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4. (C) He told Poloff about a meeting Deputy Prime Minister
Barham Salih held for a number of Kurds including parliament
members, ministers and other officials, and important local
members of all Kurdish parties at his residence in the
International Zone April 3-4 to coordinate their position on
a number of issues, including Kirkuk and the disputed
territories. He claimed that during one session National
Security Advisor Mowaffuq Rubai and the Defense Minister were
present to discuss how the Kurds could help improve Baghdad
security. Shafi explained that he had 280 local young men
who needed something to do and would gladly help out with
Baghdad security. He thought this was a much smarter option
than bringing Kurds down from the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. He
said the 280 locals are better equipped to handle Baghdad
security because they live there and are familiar with the
city and willing to help. He claimed that there would be a
follow-up meeting in the next week or two with Rubai and the
Defense Minister to agree on a course of action.

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Iraqi Constitution and Talabani
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5. (C) Shafi thought the Iraqi Constitution needed to go
further to protect the Kurds. He approved of the
constitutional review proposals recently submitted to the
Council of Representatives by the Kurdish Alliance. He
denied any rumors that a succession struggle was beginning
within the PUK due to Talabani,s recent illness. He stated
that Talabani was "obviously fine now" and predicted he would
live to be very old like his father.
CROCKER