DIYALA PERSPECTIVE: SUNNI COR MEMBER DISCUSSES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000416

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/06/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINS PHUM KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: DIYALA PERSPECTIVE: SUNNI COR MEMBER DISCUSSES
DIYALA'S PROBLEMS, UPCOMING CONFERENCE

REF: 2006 BAGHDAD 3971

Classified By: Political Counselor Margaret Scobey for reasons 1.4 (b)
and (d)


1. (C) Summary. Council of Representatives (CoR) member Salim
al-Jeboori (Sunni, IIP from Diyala) described a grim
situation in Diyala province during a February 6 meeting with
poloffs. The ethnically-diverse province adjacent to Baghdad
is plagued by terrorists, Sunni insurgents, Shia militias, a
lack of basic services and a non-functioning provincial
government. In order to address both the root causes of
Diyala's problems and advance solutions to improve the
situation, CoR members from Diyala, are hosting a conference
in Baghdad on February 8. End Summary.


2. (C) According to al-Jeboori, Sunnis comprise roughly 65%
of Diyala's population although they occupy only 14 out of 41
provincial council seats. Furthermore, the Diyala chiefs of
police, army and intelligence are Shia. The most senior
Sunni officials, al-Jeboori said, are the Deputy Governor and
the Assistant Governor for Administration. Diyala, a
microcosm of Iraqi society with Sunni Arabs, Shia Arabs,
Kurds, Turkmen and Christians living together, has long
suffered from sectarian violence and terrorist activities.
Al-Jeboori described the lack of basic services, the exodus
of province professionals and noted that attendance at
universities and schools is limited due to the security
concerns. Diagnosing Diyala's security problems, al-Jeboori
identified three main causes: Sunni extremists moving from
Salah ad Din province to Diyala; Shia militias receiving
support, training and materials from Iran; and sectarian and
incompetent Iraqi Security Forces. The ISF commanders,
specifically Iraqi Army (IA) chief, General Shakir, the
former Iraqi Police (IP) commander, Ghassan, and new IP
commander, General Ghanam al-Quraeshy exacerbate this last
problem through their personal sectarian agendas, al-Jeboori
concluded.


3. (C) In September 2006 Tawafuq representatives met with
SCIRI officials and agreed to work together to decrease
violence within the province (reftel),Al-Jeboori stated.
However, he said, SCIRI has not cooperated fully and the
security situation continues to deteriorate. Al-Jeboori
commented that Tawafuq has recently reached out to Dawa which
has agreed to form a committee to discuss political, social,
economic, and security issues within the province. Most
importantly, a conference on Diyala, organized and hosted by
CoR members, has been scheduled for February 8. Diyala's
Governor, Provincial Council (PC) Chair, security commanders,
and both Sunni and Shia CoR members from Diyala were invited
and several senior Diyala provincial officials are expected
to attend. Among the issues to be discussed, al-Jeboori
said, are the root causes of violence in Diyala and the role
of ISF in the province.


4. (C) Al-Jeboori emphasized that Sunnis in Diyala do not
view ISF as trustworthy partners and that this issue will
need to be addressed if tribal and political leaders are to
work together. CF, he said, have played a role in creating
Diyala's current situation by inflicting collective
punishment on Diyala's Sunni residents. Al-Jeboori argued
that these actions only serve the terrorists. The only way
to fight al-Qaida, he continued, is to win over those who
live in neighborhoods al-Qaida has invaded. The solution to
Diyala's problems, al-Jeboori concluded, is quite clear:
make the ISF more professional and less sectarian; use local
knowledge to identify where the terrorists and criminals are;
and rely on tribal leaders ) who want to help ) to fight
terrorists who have infiltrated Diyala's communities.


5. (C) Comment: Diyala province, adjacent to Baghdad, has
witnessed a marked increase in violence over the past few
months as terrorists, Sunni insurgents and Shia militias
compete for domination. The February 8 conference mentioned
by al-Jeboori will not resolve the systemic problems within
Diyala. However, the fact that the conference is a
cross-sectarian, Iraqi initiative instigated by Diyala
natives deeply concerned that their province has been
hijacked by foreign agendas is a positive sign. Al-Jeboori
implied that this conference would be followed by a gathering
of both Sunni and Shia tribal leaders who have made overtures
that they willing to work together to decrease violence.
Ultimately, tribal leaders and GOI officials, both provincial
and national, are the critical components for lasting
stability and this conference is a positive step on the path
to dialogue and eventually reconciliation. End Comment.


6. (C) Bio Note: Al-Jaboori is the deputy chair of CoR's
legal committee and a lawyer by training. He enjoys good
working relations with Sadrist legal committee chair Baha
Al-Ariji. A long-time member of the IIP, al-Jeboori is the

BAGHDAD 00000416 002 OF 002


party's official spokesperson. He has been identified by IIP
leadership as the principal interlocutor for critical
legislation, most recently the IIP-drafted de-Baathification
law, and the constitutional review process. Jabbouri was one
of the few Sunnis on the Constitutional drafting committee.
He was born in 1971 in Diyala province, and was a law
professor at Diyala University until he became a CoR member.
KHALILZAD