COR MEMBER CALLS FOR NEW LEADERSHIP, DISCUSSES

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 002500 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/28/2017 TAGS: ECON ENRG PGOV IZ SUBJECT: COR MEMBER CALLS FOR NEW LEADERSHIP, DISCUSSES LEGISLATION Classified By: Economic Minister-Counselor Daniel Weygandt for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Council of Representatives Member Yonadam Kanna (Assyrian Christian - Rafidayn) called for replacing Prime Minister Maliki with Adel Abdul Mehdi and discussed current legislation with Econoffs on July 26. A member of the Council of Representatives' (CoR) economic committee, Kenna spoke heatedly about the need to replace Maliki with Abdul Mehdi, describing the former as powerless and the latter as a "well-respected statesman with support in both Baghdad and the provinces", particularly in the south. Kanna added that Abdul Mehdi had chosen technically qualified advisors. ¶2. (C) Kanna described the debate on the framework hydrocarbon law as "a turning point in the political relationships at the Council of Representatives". He said Tawafuq and the Sadrists were against the law and the entire federal system, and while the Kurds were generally for it, divisions within the Kurdistan Regional Government have prevented the CoR from moving forward. According to Kanna, the PUK and KDP disagree on the law, with objections centering on accusations of corruption and control by the Barzani family. ¶3. (C) Kanna also discussed the effort led by CoR Member Haider Abadi to allow for voting by proxy at the Council of Representatives. "Proxy voting would be a disaster," Kanna said, "and less than 50 elected members would actually attend the session if they could vote by proxy." He considers this idea unconstitutional, and is gathering signatures from CoR members for a petition to protest against it. Kanna also said that he had objected to the pension law first submitted to the CoR because it created categories for different pension entitlements based on when employees retired (during Saddam Hussein's government or afterwards),and therefore did not treat all Iraqis equally. "We sent the law back to the government," Kanna said, "and the revised version will have a new first reading at the CoR when it is submitted to us again." BUTENIS