LOCAL SURVEY SHOWS STRONG OPPOSITION TO ADHAMIYA

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 001506 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/03/2017 TAGS: PGOV PINS KDEM IZ SUBJECT: LOCAL SURVEY SHOWS STRONG OPPOSITION TO ADHAMIYA WALL REF: BAGHDAD 1479 Classified By: DEPUTY POLITICAL COUNSELOR CHARLES BLAHA FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) During an introductory meeting on May 3 convened by Adhamiya-Taji EPRT Team Leader, Adhamiya District Advisory Council (DAC) Deputy Chairman Dawood Aadhmi reported that he conducted a formal survey of 3,000 residents of the Adhamiya neighborhood. The survey offered respondents five options on a sliding scale, from &strongly oppose" the Adhamiya wall, to &strongly support" it. Aadhmi, the senior Sunni representative on the Adhamiya DAC, claimed that almost 99% of respondents expressed opposition to the wall. As a partial explanation for this purportedly widespread hostility, Aadhmi said, &I know the wall is temporary, but people think it,s permanent.8 ¶2. (C) Aadhmi also reported a sharp decline in the movement of people into Adhamiya District since January ¶2007. He said that from March ) December 2006 two of the district,s neighborhoods, Shamasiya and Adhamiya, experienced a rapid influx of mainly Sunni migrants displaced from formerly mixed neighborhoods in Sadr City, Shaab, Husseiniya, Huriya, and other areas. Adhamiya DAC Chairman Ali Abdul Redha Alsaade and District Council Engineer Ayad T. Hassan, both Shia, concurred that the movement of people into Adhamiya has slowed significantly. ¶3. (C) Contrary to prior reports, the Adhamiya DAC leaders stated that they have been holding regular meetings with the full council, including Shia and Sunni members. The leaders also agreed to a regular schedule of weekly meetings with the EPRT in order to coordinate reconstruction projects. SPECKHARD