SNAPSHOTS OF IRAQI ARAB REACTION TO TENSIONS WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 003631

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/08/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL IZ
SUBJECT: SNAPSHOTS OF IRAQI ARAB REACTION TO TENSIONS WITH
TURKEY

Classified By: Acting Political Counselor Ellen Germain for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).

Summary
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1. (C) Anecdotal soundings taken among Iraqi Arabs of various
walks of life reveal Iraqi Arab suspicion of Kurdish
nationalist intentions and a feeling that Kurdish arrogance
and aggression toward Turkey have landed the Kurds -- and
Iraq -- in the current predicament; with a Shia CoR member
even using the Arabic word for "schadenfreude" to capture his
feelings about the current situation. Despite the anger and
resentment evinced towards Iraqi Kurds, there was widespread
feeling that they are nevertheless Iraqis, and the Kurdistan
region must be defended as part of Iraq. Some went further
and expressed a view (or hope) that the crisis with Turkey
will increase national solidarity and unity as the Kurds now
better understand their vulnerability to Turkey and their
need for GOI support and protection. End Summary.

Iraqi Arabs Shed Few Tears for Kurds
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2. (C) If the PKK was trying to highlight divisions between
Iraqi Kurds and Arabs by provoking a crisis with Turkey, it
appears to have been at least partially successful. Ordinary
non-Kurdish Baghdadis we talked to were unsparing in their
criticism of perceived Kurdish arrogance and aloofness.
Firas, a resident of the 9 Nissan District, told us "I
couldn,t care less about what is happening in the north.
Most Iraqis don,t really like Kurds . . . It wouldn,t be so
bad if they took a beating." Maha, a media NGO worker from
Baghdad, was equally blunt in stating that "ordinary Shia and
Sunni Arabs share the view that the Turkey-PKK crisis is
positive. Barzani is like Saddam and needs a kick, so he can
give up his dreams of separatism. Arabs are treated like
foreigners when they go to Kurdistan. The Kurds only want to
be part of Iraq when it suits their interests." A resident
of Rusafa District confided that "we talk about this in our
neighborhood almost every night. Everyone except for one
Fayli Kurd thinks the Turks are right to fight PKK. I would
say 80 percent of Arabs support the invasion. The Kurds are
only members of Iraq when they need us in crisis. They say,
Kurdistan is mine, but I,m your partner in Iraq., An NGO
worker from Karkh District echoed this, saying, "on the one
side, the Kurds say they,re part of Iraq; on the other, they
want their own country and to divide ours. They deserve
what,s happening to them. Most Iraqis think this." (Note:
One Baghdadi was perceptive enough to comment that while he
was suspicious of Kurdish nationalist aims, he also envied
Kurdish success, saying "A lot of Arabs feel jealousy because
Kurdistan is so peaceful and stable compared to the rest of
Iraq." End Note.)


3. (C) While Iraqi Arab mistrust of of Kurdish nationalist
intentions was summarized by a Sadr City physician's comment
that "we all know that the Kurds have a goal to make a big
Kurdistan, to unite all the Kurds in one country," there was
also some thought that the current crisis could serve to bind
Iraqi Kurds more closely to the Iraqi nation. Bassim Sherif,
Deputy CoR Bloc leader of the Shia Fadhila Party, expressed a
view that we understand is common among non-Kurdish CoR
members that Turkish threats have made or at least should
have made the Kurds realize they need the protection of being
part of a united Iraq. He said some Iraqis feel a sense of
"shamata" (the Arabic word for schadenfreude) in seeing the
Kurds, who have been "selfish" and quick to assert autonomy,
now asking Baghdad to stand up to Turkey on their behalf.

But Rallying Around the Flag
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4. (C) Whatever their feelings towards the Kurds, numerous
Sunni and Shia Iraqis alike expressed anger toward Turkey and
solidarity with their fellow Iraqi citizens. Seven mid and
low level staffers of the Independent High Electoral
Commission all agreed that the Kurdistan region must be
defended if it was invaded by Turkish forces, despite the way
(in their perception) Iraqi Kurds treat Iraqi Arabs. "They
(the Iraqi Kurds) are our brothers and we have to help them,"
said one. Sunni and Shia staff members agreed that they
would defend the Kurdistan region since it represents part of
Iraq, and pointed out that "(Iraqi) Kurds have the same
identity card we have, the same passport as we, although they
discriminate against us." Haitham Husseini, senior advisor
to Abdul Aziz Al-Hakim at the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq
(ISCI),told us his organization wants a peaceful resolution
to the crisis but is ready to defend Iraqi sovereignty. Two
Iraqiyya Party CoR members, Maysoon al-Damluji and Sheikh
Ayad Jamal al-Din, told us they "reject any aggression from
Turkey against the sovereignty of Iraq." And Sunni Awakening
leader Sheikh Ahmad Abu Risha stated that the time had come

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for Iraqis to stop thinking along sectarian lines and start
thinking like Iraqis, and that Turkish military actions
against northern Iraq should be seen as military actions
against Iraq. Saad Yousif Al Muttalibi (protect),Deputy
Minister of Dialogue and Reconciliation, described the
Turkish-PKK crisis as a "tsunami waiting to happen;" but
suggested that such a "tsunami" could nonetheless actually
have "good results" akin to the positive developments in
Aceh, Indonesia following the natural disaster and rebuilding
there.

While Criticizing Both KRG and GOI
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5. (C) Iraqi Arabs do not believe the Kurdish Regional
Government (KRG) has done much to address the PKK problem --
for example, ISCI advisor Haitham Husseini said that the
topic frequently comes up when ISCI leaders meet their
Kurdish counterparts and that "we'd like to believe them when
they tell us they are doing all they can." However, the
crisis with Turkey has highlighted dissatisfactions with the
GOI as well. When asked to assess Kurdish efforts to rein in
the PKK, one Baghdadi lamented the weakness of the Maliki
government, saying that "During Saddam,s time, Turkish
forces couldn,t do what they,re doing now. This government
is too weak to put pressure on the PKK, and too weak to keep
out the Turks." Dr. Riyadh al-Ani, an Iraqi-American who
works with NGOs, said that the Kurds are intentionally trying
to take advantage of a weak Iraqi government, and indicated
that he believes they are still working towards a greater
Kurdistan which contains portions of surrounding countries.
Dr. Mukdad, a Baghdad University Professor from the Adhamiya
District, told us "This is bad for Iraq. This could destroy
northern Iraq, and the government here in Baghdad can do
nothing to stop it."

Comment
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6. (C) The crisis with Turkey has highlighted both divisions
and unities within Iraq's multi-ethnic society. While there
is a good deal of resentment and envy of the Kurds among the
Iraqi Arab population, there is also a feeling that the Kurds
are part of the Iraqi nation. Whether the crisis ultimately
strengthens Iraqi ethnic unity or widens the divide between
Iraqi Arab and Kurd remains to be seen.

BUTENIS