PRT TIKRIT: TRIBES SUBORDINATE TO PROVINCIAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001437 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/27/2017 TAGS: PGOV PINR KDEM IZ SUBJECT: PRT TIKRIT: TRIBES SUBORDINATE TO PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT IN SALAH AD DIN REF: BAGHDAD 220 Classified By: PRT Lead Steven Buckler for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) This is a PRT Tikrit, Salah ad Din cable. ¶2. (C) SUMMARY. In Salah ad Din (SaD),the provincial government is clearly the leader in policy and security, and the tribal sheikhs follow the government's lead. Representative of this relationship, ranking tribal authority and Sheikhs' Council Acting President Mohammad Hasan Attayah relinquished the Chairmanship of an April 24 SaD Sheikhs' Council meeting to SaD Governor Hamad Hamoud al Shakti upon his unannounced mid-meeting entrance. At the meeting, the Governor used the platform to promote his security initiatives and to detail his office's efforts to promote issues important to SaD with the central GOI. Prior to the Governor's arrival, the more than 50 assembled sheikhs had been describing to the new PRT Leader the importance of debaathification reform, reintegration of the former IA, and elections to furthering Iraq's reconciliation process and to bringing SaD Sunnis into the political fold. The tribal system in Salah ad Din respects the provincial government, and the provincial government uses that to its advantage to the extent that the tribal sheikhs still have influence in their areas. Tribal influence in the province varies by area, but most of our contacts assess its sway as limited because SaD's population is relatively educated and as many sheikhs are tainted by associations with the violence of the former regime. END SUMMARY. ¶3. (C) On April 24, Acting Sheikhs' Council President Mohammed Hasan Attayah al Jabouri (AKA Abu Naji) hosted the new PRT Leader at a Sheikhs' Council meeting with more than 50 sheikhs from throughout the province. (NOTE: Attayah succeeded Sheikh Ahmed Naji Ajbarah al Jabouri as leader of the Sheikhs' Council after Naji's January 8 kidnapping, reftel, and has been actively hosting meetings with tribal sheikhs in the province. He is organized and generally keeps discussions on point. END NOTE.) After a brief introduction by the PRT Leader, the assembled sheikhs brought up issues of concern for the province. -------------- -------------- Saddam's Tribal Sheikh ) Getting on with Democracy -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) Sheikh Ali Nada, tribal head for the late Saddam Hussein's tribe, said, "Saddam is dead, and we must turn a new page in Iraq." He said he wants that new page to be a democratic one, but that it seems impossible without debaathification reform and reintegration of the former Iraqi Army (IA) officers. According to Nada, the cycle of violence is continuing because the youth from families where the breadwinners were debaathified or dismissed from the IA are implanting IEDs to earn money to feed the family. Nada argued that real action on debaathification reform and reintegration of the former IA would significantly reduce violence and increase SaD Sunni participation in the political process. Several other sheikhs echoed Nada's comments, saying that the Baath Party should be included in the political process as one of many political parties. -------------- -------------- Sheikh Khamees ) Security and Elections Necessary -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) Sheikh Khamees Ahmed Hussein, son of kidnapped Sheikhs' Council President Sheikh Naji (reftel),called for improvements in security, especially along the highways were most kidnappings and terrorist acts occur. He said that tribes must remain in control of their areas in order to prevent infiltration of negative forces. He and other sheikhs questioned the al Maliki administration's seriousness about security, as it appears to be doing little to improve the situation and is, in some instances, harming it. It was mutually agreed that the construction of a wall around the Sunni area of Adhamiya in Baghdad would exacerbate sectarian tensions in the capital. ¶6. (C) The assembled sheikhs also agreed that elections should happen as soon as possible and that voting for individual candidates was universally preferred over voting for political parties in a list system. The list system, they argued, allowed "unknown individuals" to get elected. (NOTE: In Salah ad Din, the list system is perceived as the reason so many expatriated Iraqis were elected to office. SaD residents see these individuals, many of whom were in self-exile from the former regime, as the ones pushing for the continuation of the current debaathification policies and for the complete excommunication of the Baath Party. In a sense, these expatriates are seen as deserters who have come BAGHDAD 00001437 002 OF 002 back to rule Iraq's - not Saddam's - faithful. END NOTE.) -------------- Enter the Governor -------------- ¶7. (C) Unannounced and mid-way through the meeting, SaD Governor Hamad Hamoud al Shakti entered the Sheikhs' Council meeting and, in an act of clear deference, presiding tribal authority Sheikh Attayah yielded his seat to him. The Governor, using the platform to advance his initiatives, urged the sheikhs "to support the security process." He called on them "to restore security efforts, while the political process is being reviewed, by not letting terrorists and insurgents hide in (their) areas and by protecting pipelines and infrastructure on (their) lands." He also detailed the ways in which the provincial government leadership was advancing issues of import to the province by meeting with the central GOI. He talked about affecting changes in the Constitution and ensuring that the next elections saw the empowerment of individual candidates, not parties. Additionally, the Governor said that he was working to reform the debaathification laws. He said, "No one can reform the province like we can. You can either damage or re-build it. It's up to you, and we urge you to support us." He concluded by announcing that he plans to create a Tribal Reconciliation Committee to mediate inter-tribal disputes. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶8. (C) The deference accorded the Governor was a clear indication of the respect the tribal sheikhs of Salah ad Din have for the provincial government. Different from other areas in Iraq, the tribal system in Salah ad Din respects the provincial government, and the provincial government uses that to its advantage to the extent that tribal sheikhs have influence. While tribal influence in the province varies by area, most of our contacts assess its sway as limited because SaD's population is relatively educated and because many sheikhs are tainted by associations with the violence of the former regime. END SUMMARY. ¶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