IRAQ'S CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW COMMITTEE SUBMITS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001739 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/23/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM ECON IZ SUBJECT: IRAQ'S CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW COMMITTEE SUBMITS INTERIM REPORT, GAINS ADDITIONAL TIME ON SOME KEY ISSUES REF: BAGHDAD 1605 Classified By: Deputy Political Counselor Bob Gilchrist for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. On May 23 the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) submitted its interim report to the Council of Representatives (CoR). CRC Chair Humam Hammoudi (ISIC),and Deputy Chairs Fouad Ma'sum (PUK) and Ayad Sammarai (IIP) addressed the CoR to explain the progress the CRC has made. They also noted the need for additional time to prepare the final report so that "political agreements" on outstanding issues such as Article 140 (determining the final status of Kirkuk and disputed territories) and the authorities of the President can be reached. The CoR voted to give the CRC a one month extension. The interim report is significant in that it recommends federal supremacy in issues including: collection and distribution of hydrocarbons revenue, customs, civil aviation, and waterways. Furthermore, the interim report recommends changing Article 111 to state that "the federal government shall collect oil revenues and distribute" to the regions and governorates. CoR has an opportunity to debate the submissions, although it is unclear if debate will start immediately or wait until the CRC finishes the final report. The next step is to seek political consensus from party leaders on the outstanding issues and cementing support for agreements already reached, perhaps by using the Political Council for National Security (PCNS) as suggested by Hammoudi. End Summary. -------------- -------------- UNEXPECTED COMPROMISES REACHED, OLD AGREEMENTS HOLD -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) The May 23 CRC submission to CoR included last-minute compromises on critical issues surrounding shared powers between the regions and central government, and critical agreements concerning the collection and distribution of oil revenues. Most notably, the report recommends federal authority over taxation, customs, waterways, civil aviation, and collection and distribution of hydrocarbons wealth. ¶3. (C) On hydrocarbons the CRC recommended rewriting Article 111 to include the following provisions: First: Oil and gas are the property of all Iraqi people Second: The federal government shall collect oil revenues and distribute equally to all Iraqis according to the law of the state budget in a transparent and fair way that is proportional with the populations in the province. Third: The assessed share in the general budget shall flow to the regions and governorates not organized into regions automatically and in accordance with an effective and transparent mechanism. Fourth: A percentage of the revenue shall be allocated to the productive province in compensation for damages Fifth: A percentage or share shall be allocated for a specified period for the affected and deprived areas in a way that ensures balanced development for different regions of the country. Sixth: Stipulations in this article shall be regulated by a law. ¶4. (C) Agreements previously reached (reftel) including recommendations for defining the role of the judiciary, independent commissions and the federation council, remained in the report. In total the CRC's report affected approximately 50 existing articles and included recommendations to add approximately 40 new articles. (Note. Embassy's informal translation of the submitted report will be forwarded to NEA/I-Pol. End Note). -------------- -------------- ARTICLE 140, ROLE OF THE PRESIDENT TO BE RESOLVED -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) Hammoudi told CoR two key issues remain unresolved: Article 140 (determining the final status of Kirkuk and other disputed territories) and Article 73 (the authorities of the President). The recommended changes to Article 140 include delaying the referendum for three to five years, preventing Kirkuk from joining another region, and using an international arbitrator to resolve boundary, normalization, and census issues. While Kurdish leaders agree privately that meeting the current deadline (December 31, 2007) will be difficult, they remain opposed to changing the article or agreeing to a three to five year delay. ¶6. (C) Increasing the role of the President remains a critical issue for the Sunni coalition. While calls for naming the President as Commander-in-chief appear to have subsided, the Sunnis continue to push for shifting powers away from the Prime Minister and to the President. Other outstanding issues include Article 41 (the personal status BAGHDAD 00001739 002 OF 002 law). The CRC's report notes that "there is more than one formulation" for Article 41, although it is not mentioned as one of the articles the CRC will try to resolve during the one month extension. -------------- -------------- ENGAGING LEADERS TO FIND COMPROMISES, REACH CONSENSUS -------------- -------------- ¶7. (C) During his presentation to CoR Hammoudi suggested the CoR Speaker use the PCNS as the forum for reaching consensus on the remaining issues. While the CRC has demonstrated an impressive ability to work together to address difficult issues, party leaders need to endorse the final proposals. On Article 140 only the most senior of Kurdish leadership can consent to changes, while leaders from all groups will need to agree if the President's powers are to be expanded. Most importantly, the party leaders need to continue their support for the agreements presented in the CRC report, especially on the key issues of federal versus regional authority and hydrocarbons related issues. While the CRC brokered deals and compromises it remains uncertain whether the interim report has been fully approved by the party leaders. ¶8. (C) According to the constitution, CoR is allowed to debate the submitted report for an unspecified period of time. It is uncertain whether this debate will begin immediately or if CoR Speaker Mashadani and Deputy Speaker Khalid al-Attiya will delay discussions until the final report is received. There was no discussion of the report during the May 24 CoR session. Following debate, CoR will vote on the proposed recommendations and a public referendum on the changes must be held within 60 days of the vote. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶9. (C) While there remains much to be done before the constitutional review process concludes and it can be determined whether the process aided national reconciliation, the CRC's interim report offers hope that compromise is possible. For example, prior to the report's release it had been assumed that power-sharing between the central government and the regions, as well as articles pertaining to hydrocarbons, would require additional time and negotiation. Instead, the CRC demonstrated a surprising ability to find consensus on critical issues and make recommendations which enjoy at least a certain level of support. Securing senior-level support for existing proposals, as well as those suggestions not yet finalized, is the next challenge. Whether discussions between the party leaders play out in the PCNS as Hammoudi suggested or whether deals are brokered in smaller meetings, all parties will need to engage in honest dialogue and demonstrate a willingness to concede certain positions. Only then can the constitutional review process be viewed as a positive step towards reconciliation. CROCKER