KURDS EXPRESS POSITIVE SENTIMENTS TOWARD ANFAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002122 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/27/2017 TAGS: PGOV IZ SUBJECT: KURDS EXPRESS POSITIVE SENTIMENTS TOWARD ANFAL VERDICT, SOME CALL FOR TOUGHER PUNISHMENTS Classified By: MINISTER COUNSELOR FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS MARGARET SCOBEY . REASON: 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The verdict in the trial of Ali Hassan Al-Majid, aka Chemical Ali, and others accused of crimes related to the so-called "Anfal" read out on June 24 evoked the expected positive reaction from Kurdish contacts in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region, though some felt those who received life sentences escaped with a lesser punishment than they deserved. Kurds in the northern city of Halabja took the opportunity to call for a second trial for Chemical Ali specifically for the March 16, 1988 gas attacks on 5,000 Kurds in Halabja, to call for Chemical Ali's sentence to be carried out in Halabja, and to press for more support from the US and other for reconstruction in their city. END SUMMARY. -------------- Sentiment in Baghdad: Victory and Emotion -------------- ¶2. (C) Kurdish politicians in Baghdad commonly expressed positive sentiments toward the verdict in the "Anfal" trial read on June 24, though some felt the punishments were not harsh enough. Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh called the verdict "historic" (Reftel). One Kurdish CoR member called the verdict "a great victory," and others expressed similar sentiments. Deputy Council of Representatives (CoR) Speaker Arif Tayfur told Pol Counselor that the verdict shows the legal system is working, though he admitted that he thought those who received life sentences did not receive harsh enough punishments. CoR member Saadi Barzinji said that while there was celebration in Kurdistan when the verdict was read, it was also a solemn and emotional moment. No one in Kurdistan was unaffected by this tragedy, he said, himself losing 12 family members. He called on history to remember the "Anfal" as genocide. President Talabani's chief of staff Kameran Karadaghi told Poloffs the President did not release a statement after the announcement of the verdict in the trial of Saddam Hussein and did not plan to release one this time (Note: Talabani publicly opposes the death penalty). -------------- Reaction in the Kurdistan Region -------------- ¶3. (C) RRTOffs asked members of the Kurdistan National Assembly Constitutional Committee about Kurdish public reaction to the Anfal verdicts. The Committee members thought it was an equitable verdict, with the variations in the decisions from "not guilty "to "life imprisonment "to "death, "showing a Considered legal decision. They noted that if the "wishes of the people" were followed, all would have been sentenced to death. They added, however that only Chemical Ali was well known among the general populace, which makes public acceptance of the lesser punishments easier. ¶4. (C) Continuing, they noted that the decisions were especially welcome by the people of Halabja and other victims of the Anfal - if possible, agreed the interlocutors, Chemical Ali should be executed in Halabja. The trial was a unique opportunity, they said, for the Anfal victims to achieve justice and to see the legal system taking its course and delivering a fair and appropriate verdict, This was, they said, unprecedented in the Middle East, to see former rulers tried on television in a functioning court with the defendants having lawyers (and even, they said, Ramsey Clark),and everything done in a transparent way according to due process. ¶5. (C) In a separate meeting with RRTOffs, the Justice Minister for the Kurdistan Regional Government echoed the earlier respondents - that it was above all a demonstration of due process and rule of law. He said that there was general satisfaction with the verdict. ¶6. (C) Several local contacts told RRTOffs that while most Erbil residents approved of the sentences, there was no public celebration, other than some KDP members who drove around the downtown waving flags from their cars. They described the general public as accepting the decisions and moving on with their current concerns. -------------- Comments from Halabja -------------- ¶7. (C) The head of municipalities in Halabja, Khider Karim Mohammed, the Mayor of Halabja, Fouad Salah Raza, the Director of the Halabja Chemical Attack Victims Association, Lukman Abdul-Qader, and his deputy, Aras Abid, told RRTOff that local officials and community members gathered to watch BAGHDAD 00002122 002 OF 002 the televised verdict of the Anfal trial. Afterward, there was a conference in Halabja to discuss the verdict with members of political parties present (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK),Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP),Kurdistan Communist Party, Kurdistan Islamic Union, Komal Islamic Party.) ¶8. (C) They said 200-300 people in Halabja gathered for a peaceful march and visited the Anfal victims' graveyard, followed by the singing of Kurdish folk songs and dancing. In a small public rally, the residents embraced each other and offered local pastries to families of Anfal and gas attack victims. Local authorities expected a larger turn-out in Halabja given the number of families of victims. They suspected the new generation was less sensitive to the past suffering and more concerned with the current inadequate living conditions and the lack of essential services in Halabja. They discussed whether foreign governments wanted a modest turnout as part of their intent to neglect Halabja. ¶9. (C) They noted that the people of Halabja believed Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Secretary General of the PUK Barham Saleh had promised that the Anfal trials would be held in Halabja. This was a disappointment, but local officials and the Halabja community hoped that Chemical Ali's execution will take place in Halabja. They were also disappointed that Chemical Ali was not charged with two separate crimes: 1) the 1987-1988 Anfal campaign and 2) the March 16, 1988 gas attacks on 5,000 Kurds in Halabja. The people were adamant that a separate trial occur for the March 16, 1988 poison gas attacks in Halabja. Local officials previously asked Iraqi President and leader of the PUK Jalal Talabani, KRG President and leader of the KDP Massoud Barzani, and the GOI to bring two separate charges against Chemical Ali. Because there was only an Anfal trial, the people of Halabja felt that they would not receive due compensation. Some Halabja residents believe rich foreign chemical companies wanted it this way because they provided the chemicals and directly benefited from the attacks. ¶10. Finally, they said local officials in Halabja were grateful for the role the USG played in the liberation of Iraq and the Kurdish people. They reminded RRTOff, however, that several high-profile visits from Baghdad and Washington occurred in Halabja during which reconstruction projects and funds were announced, but there had been no follow-through - they specifically mentioned Secretary Powell's visit in September 2003. They asked for greater attention to the reconstruction of Halabja. CROCKER