PRT TIKRIT: PC BEGINS BUDGET OVERSIGHT, WORKS ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002345

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/14/2017
TAGS: PGOV ECON PINR KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: PRT TIKRIT: PC BEGINS BUDGET OVERSIGHT, WORKS ON
OWN LEGITIMACY

Classified By: PRT Lead Steven R. Buckler for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


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


2. (C) SUMMARY. After noting the Salah ad Din (SaD)
Provincial Council's (PC) shortcomings and questionable
legitimacy in the province in a July 2 meeting, Acting PC
Chair Nabeel Ismael has reinvigorated the PC. In the PC's
first real demonstration of oversight of the Governor's
execution of the 2007 budget, the PC held a meeting on July
5, where written financial reports on the province's budget
were presented for the first time and the Directors General
(DG) were counseled on their execution of projects. In a
second meeting on July 8, the PC hosted representatives from
the province's local councils in order to describe their role
in oversight of budget execution and to address specific
concerns. Although many SaD residents believe the PC and its
members are highly corrupt, Nabeel's aggressive outreach
plan, if continued, will do much to increase the PC's
legitimacy in the province. SaD residents want to see that
the provincial government is responding to their needs and
giving them a forum to voice their opinions, and Nabeel's
outreach will accomplish that. END SUMMARY.


3. (C) In a closed-door meeting with PRToffs on July 2,
Deputy PC Chair Nabeel Ismael (Shia, Balad),who is the
Acting Chair during Sheikh Rasheed Ossman's absence, said the
"PC has lost its direction as a social and political
representative of the people." (NOTE: Rasheed is reportedly
on vacation, though many PC members speculate he will not be
returning. They believe the reported arrest of the PC Chair
from Ninewa for corruption has caused Sheikh Rasheed, who
many believe to be very corrupt, to flee. END NOTE.) Nabeel
said he realizes that many people throughout the province do
not see the PC as a legitimate body and that the PC needs to
improve its relationship with the local councils. He also
said the PC needs to take a more active role in its
responsibility to oversee the Governor's execution of the
budget. He resolved that he would set up a series of
meetings designed to improve the PC's communication with
local councils and to take an active role in oversight of
budget execution

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Working on Budget Oversight
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4. (C) On July 5, Nabeel called together the Governor, Deputy
Governor, key PC members, and all of SaD's Directors General
(DG) to discuss budget execution. At the meeting, Nabeel and
other PC members reminded the Governor, Deputy Governor, and
DGs of the PC's oversight responsibilities. For the first
time in a public forum, a written accounting report was
handed out and explained to inform the PC about the status of
the province's financial affairs. Additionally, Assistant
Governor for Provincial Affairs Qahtan Hamada Saleh reviewed
the 2007 budget execution rules and counseled the DGs in the
areas in which they needed to do better. Nabeel later sent a
copy of CPA Order 71 on Local Governmental Powers to all of
the local councils in the province in order to inform them of
the PC's authority over the DGs.

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Reaching Out to the Local Councils
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5. (C) At a July 8 meeting with the leadership of several of
the local councils throughout the province, Nabeel and other
key PC members described the local council's responsibility
in oversight of budget execution and explained how the local
councils should be involved in the creation of the 2008
budget. Qahtan also discussed the current status of budget
execution and implored the councils for patience, as many of
the projects were larger than the provincial and local
engineers had handled before. The local council
representatives were also given the opportunity to ask
questions and address specific issues.


6. (C) The Governor and Deputy Governor later announced that
at the end of the month they will host a meeting for all of
the province's mayors in order to describe their role in the
budget execution process.

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Comment
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7. (C) Under Rasheed, the PC had reached a plateau in its
development. Rasheed was able to lead the PC through
adoption of internal rules of procedures, but he was largely
forced into the democratic reforms. Nabeel, on the other
hand, has a vision for the PC and how it should interact with
the province. His aggressive outreach plan, if continued,
will do much to increase the PC's legitimacy in the province.
Although many SaD residents see the PC and its members as

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highly corrupt, most simply want to see that the provincial
government is responding to their needs and giving them a
forum to voice their opinions, and Nabeel's outreach plan
will accomplish that. END COMMENT.


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