PRT TIKRIT: SALAH AD DIN DESPERATE FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001426

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/24/2017
TAGS: PGOV PINR KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: PRT TIKRIT: SALAH AD DIN DESPERATE FOR
RECONCILIATION


Classified By: Classified by PRT Lead Steven Buckler for reasons 1.5 (b
) and (d)


1. (U) This is a PRT Tikrit, Salah ad Din cable.


2. (C) SUMMARY. Salah ad Din (SaD) is desperate for
reconciliation, especially debaathification reform and
reintegration of the former Iraqi Army (IA). In the new PRT
Team Leader's round of introductory calls on the Governor,
Deputy Governor, Provincial Council Chair, and the SaD
Sheikhs' Council, all lamented the central GOI's lack of
action on reconciliation and called for the fulfillment of
the al Maliki administration's promises. Representative of
the conversations, the Provincial Council Chair said,
"Violence will not stop in the province until reconciliation
happens," and several tribal sheikhs noted, "former Iraqi
Army officers resort to insurgent activities as a means to
feed their families." While discontentment and political
frustration remain high in the province and are often
expressed through insurgent attacks, a majority of SaD
residents are now ready to participate in the political
process and to voice their opinions through elections.
However, this window of opportunity for bringing the SaD
Sunnis into the political fold is open now. Continued
inaction on reconciliation initiatives such as
debaathification reform and reintegration of the former IA
has the potential to reverse this trend among SaD Sunnis,
potentially isolating them anew and re-fueling the
insurgency. END SUMMARY.

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Governor and Deputy Governor Weigh In
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3. (C) In introductory meetings with the new PRT Team Leader
and in other conversations, both SaD Governor Hamad Hamoud al
Shakti and Deputy Governor Abdullah Ajbarah listed
debaathification and reintegration of the former IA officers
as the province's most pressing issues. The Governor said
that thus far all reconciliation has been is "promises in the
media, without one millimeter of action."


4. (C) In subsequent side-bar conversations after his
mid-April trip to Baghdad to meet with GOI officials on
issues of import to the province, the Governor said he felt
like the province was making genuine efforts to reach out to
and be responsive to the central GOI, but that the GOI was
not responding in kind. Noting specific instances where GOI
officials had promised to take action for the province and
did not, he said authorization to hire employees for the
province's new flour mill had not been done and baby formula
and other Public Distribution System (PDS) food items remain
in Um Qasir without secure transport to the province.

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Provincial Council Chair Calls for Reconciliation
-------------- --------------

5. (C) In an April 23 security-focused conversation with
Province Council Chair Sheikh Rasheed Ossman, Sheikh Rasheed
said, "Violence will not stop in the province until
reconciliation happens." He described the province's
struggle to incorporate disaffected former Baathists and IA
officers as an achievable victory, but he underscored the
limitations mandated by the current legislation governing the
individuals.

-------------- -
Sheikhs Personalize the Reconciliation Problem
-------------- -

6. (C) At an April 24 meeting of the SaD Sheikhs' Council,
the more than 50 sheikhs assembled called for action on
debaathification reform and reintegration of the former IA.
They denounced the al Maliki administration for making
promises and not following through. Many sheikhs relayed
personal stories of friends and family members who had joined
the insurgency, or at least turned a blind eye to it, because
of the economic hardship they have suffered as a result of
debaathification and dismantling of the former IA. They also
called for elections to take place as soon as possible and
for direct election of individual candidates, rather than
through a list-based system. (septel)


7. (C) Referring to their military service under the former
regime and during the Iraq-Iran war, several sheikhs said
they and their family members "had earned their pensions" in
the service of their country and that they were entitled to
their GOI-funded benefits. At the same time, however, Sheikh
Ali Nada, head of Saddam's tribe, typified the general
sentiments of the Council by saying, "Saddam is dead, and we
must turn a new page in Iraq. There must be reconciliation."

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Comment

BAGHDAD 00001426 002 OF 002


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8. (C) The residents of Salah ad Din are not against
democracy or the political process. They, however, are
politically frustrated and discontent with the al Maliki
administration's inaction on reconciliation. This political
dissatisfaction has made a majority of SaD residents ready to
participate in the political process and to voice their
opinions through elections. However, this window of
opportunity for bringing the SaD Sunnis into the political
fold is open now. Continued inaction on reconciliation
initiatives such as debaathification reform and reintegration
of the former IA has the potential to reverse this trend
among SaD Sunnis, potentially isolating them anew and
re-fueling the insurgency. END COMMENT.


9. (U) For additional reporting from PRT Tikrit, Salah ad
Din, please see our SIPRNET Reporting Blog:
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Tikrit.
CROCKER