ANBAR REPRESENTATIVE DISCUSSES PROVINCIAL POLITICS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000253

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/24/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PINS IZ
SUBJECT: ANBAR REPRESENTATIVE DISCUSSES PROVINCIAL POLITICS

Classified By: Deputy Political Counselor Charles O. Blaha
per 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: Amr Abdulsittar, a Sunni Tawafuq bloc Council
of representatives (CoR) member from Anbar, met with Poloffs
on January 22 to discuss the situation in Anbar. He claimed
Anbaris view Al Qaeda as a tool of Iran and as in cooperation
with the United States. Abdulsittar expressed concern about
the Salvation Council headed by Sheikh Sattar Abu Risha
because he said it controls a militia. If the Salvation
Council is not dealt with officially, he warned, the problems
of its militia will remain after Al Qaeda is dealt with.
Abdulsittar said he is in contact with the Governor and
Provincial Council and urged more Coalition support for the
province,s elected leaders. END SUMMARY.

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Establishing His Bona Fides
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2. (C) Abdulsittar opened the discussion by explaining that
he represents Ramadi, although he has not lived there for
over a year. He said he maintains contact with the Anbar
Provincial Council, the city councils, and individuals there,
but it is difficult because of the security situation.
Abdulsittar said his familial ties and work as a doctor have
enabled him to establish relationships throughout the
province. (Comment: PolOffs believe Abdulsittar to be perhaps
the only CoR representative from Anbar who maintains contacts
with the province and is active in the CoR.)

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Al Qaeda: Funded By Iran, Cooperating With the US
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3. (C) Abdulsittar said security, services, the economy, and
social issues are his primary areas of concern. He said
people in Al Anbar view Al Qaeda and Jaysh al-Mehdi (JAM) as
two sides of the same coin because, people believe, they are
both Shia militias funded by Iran. Abdulsittar said Iran
funds and creates plans for Al Qaeda and JAM to marginalize
Sunni Arabs. He said Anbaris believe Iran was happy when
Sunnis boycotted politics, and now that Sunnis are involved,
Iran is using proxies to fight them. He commented that there
is much evidence showing that Iraq has become a battlefield
between Washington and Tehran. Abdulsittar said Anbaris
think Al Qaeda has American, Iranian, Syrian, and Iraqi
parts. He continued that the situation in Anbar has reached
a point where Anbaris think there is cooperation between the
Americans and Al Qaeda because the Americans have not gotten
rid of the group yet. He says that claims that the Americans
cannot beat Al Qaeda do not make sense when MNF-I captures
and then releases top Al Qaeda leaders.

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Outlines Major Problems in Anbar
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4. (C) In addition to Al Qaeda, Abdulsittar said he perceived
three major problems in Anbar: unemployment, destroyed homes,
and displaced families. He said Anbaris are poor and many
are unemployed, many houses have been destroyed by MNF-I
operations, and some 2,700 families are reportedly displaced
from inside Ramadi. Abdulsittar said that addressing these
problems would help fight Al Qaeda because their resolutions
would have resonance with the youth and others in Anbar that
feed Al Qaeda,s recruitment.

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The Salvation Council is not the Solution
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5. (C) Abdulsittar said tribal sheikhs have a place in
society and deserve respect, but they are not statesmen. He
emphasized he was not speaking specifically about Salvation
Council leader Sheikh Sattar Abu Risha but said Iraqis should
not depend on people who are thieves and bandits.
Abdulsittar then addressed Sheikh Sattar more specifically,
saying the groups related to him are militias. He said the
use of force should be the prerogative of the state and
cautioned Poloffs not to repeat the mistake of allowing
"another JAM" to develop in Anbar. Abdulsittar claimed Al
Qaeda members have joined Sheikh Sattar,s forces to get
money and weapons and to avoid capture. He relayed that he
had heard that 70 percent of the attendees at the meeting
hosted by Sheikh Sattar on January 10 were Al Qaeda members.


6. (C) Abdulsittar stressed that the Anbar Provincial Council
is an official, elected body while the Salvation Council is
an unofficial body, and yet, the GOI is more responsive to
the Salvation Council than the Provincial Council. He said
the Provincial Council permitted eight Salvation Council
members to join it. He complained that the Provincial

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Council must travel to Baghdad to visit the Ministers with
their requests and usually do not receive responses for
months, but the Salvation Council members can get things done
quickly with a couple of phone calls. Abdulsittar concluded
by saying the Salvation Council must be dealt with officially
or it will be a problem after Anbaris deal with Al Qaeda.

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Anbar Provincial Council Needs Support
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7. (C) Abdulsittar said MNF-I and the Anbar Provincial
Council need to have a strong relationship and to coordinate
with each other to root out Al Qaeda in Anbar. He said the
Provincial Council needs MNF-I protection to do many of its
projects; if there is security, people will be encouraged and
will participate. He said the relationship between American
troops and Iraqis in Habbaniyah is a good example to emulate.
Abdulsittar asked for MNF-I to trust the Provincial Council
when it requests for detainees to be released, saying these
are innocent people. He added, "We will bring you the bad
guys." Abdulsittar recommended that MNF-I should not use
group punishment, such as bombing a village where a terrorist
is residing, because this mass punishment only sparks anger
against the Americans. He told Poloffs that Anbar Provincial
Council members, who have been meeting in the Green Zone,
want badges for Green Zone access, but currently only three
members have them.


8. (C) Abdulsittar brought up the Anbar Reconstruction
Council, which was started in 2004 and is linked to the
Ministry of Industry and Minerals (MOIM). He said this
council should be linked to the Provincial Council, not the
MOIM, to be more effective. He characterized the committee
as currently holding meetings but not getting anything done.


9. (C) Abdulsittar said he has a good relationship with
Governor Mamun Sami Rashid, who he mentioned used to be the
President of the Engineer,s Association. He said he also
has a good relationship with Provincial Council Chairman
Abdalsalam Abdullah, who is a fellow doctor. Abdulsittar
added the two have familial ties as well because his cousin
is married to one of Abdalsalam,s brothers. He said he
passes requests for different projects from his constituents
to the Governor and the Provincial Council.

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Bio Note
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10. (C) Abdulsittar is an Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP) member.
He is a doctor and used to be Director General for health in
Anbar after Operation Iraqi Freedom. His grandparents are
from Ramadi, and his father is a tribal sheikh. Abdulsittar
lived in Ramadi from 1990 to 2005, but he has not returned
since October 2005 because he was put on a terrorist hit list
after appearing on television calling for people to vote in
the constitutional referendum. He understands and speaks
some English.
KHALILZAD