S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 000609

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR INR/B AND NEA/I-POL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/16/2017
TAGS: PGOV PINR ECON KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: PRT TIKRIT: SAMARRA'S LOCAL POLITICS, DFI AND
MOSQUE RECONSTRUCTION KEY ISSUES

REF: 06 BAGHDAD 4544

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meetings in Baghdad and Amman. With the recent publicity,
the CCP has attempted (with little success) to become the
city's sole interlocutor on the project, using his GOI
contacts for invitations to the discussions.


8. (C) After recent meetings with UNESCO and the GOI
reconstruction committee, the Mayor began working to garner
support among Samarra residents for the project. According
to the Mayor, Abdel Aziz al Hakem has agreed to back
revitalization of the marketplace around the mosque and to
construct a school, medical clinic, and smaller mosque as
part of the larger Golden Dome Mosque reconstruction project.
The Mayor has also been working on security provisions with
the Ministry of Interior representative and Samarra native
General Adnan Thabit, who is charged of security during the
reconstruction. General Adnan has reportedly said that he
plans to bolster security forces throughout the city. The
Mayor also says that while in Amman he opened discussions
with UNDP to secure funding for essential services in the
city.

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DFI Update
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9. (C) Working with Samarra's governance structures, the PRT
has been assisting the city in obtaining its Development Fund
for Iraq (DFI) monies, as a method of developing a functional
relationship between the Samarra city government and the
provincial government as well as between the provincial
government and the central government. Through the extensive
DFI process, which required claim submissions from over 1,000
of the city's residents, many have become expectant of the
promised compensation money. Continual delays in receipt of
the funding is eroding the city leaders' already tenuous
mandate, thus r

educing their ability to affect change in the
city. Additionally, the DFI holdups are exacerbating the
city's tensions with the central government, which most
residents see as Shia-dominated and revenge-seeking for the
bombing of the Golden Dome Mosque, a Shia shrine.


10. (C) Samarra's total DFI package is USD 25 million. It
will be used in three sectors: USD 10 million for
compensation monies for battle damage with oversight from the
Ministry of Water Resources, USD 11 million for
reconstruction projects with oversight from the Ministry of
Public Works, and USD 4 million for electrical grid
refurbishment with oversight from the Ministry of
Electricity.


11. (C) At present, the compensation funds of USD 10 million
are in an account at the Ministry of Water Resources. Before
distribution of the compensation monies can begin, the
Ministry of Water Resources must make the final approval and
transfer the funds from Baghdad to Tikrit. The Ministry of
Electricity is in the final stages of approving contracts to
complete the electrical grid refurbishment; the Ministry has
set up accounts, but is still waiting for the funds to be
transferred. The Ministry of Public Works has released USD
600,000 and will begin projects over the coming months.
However, significant follow-up is still required to ensure
that the DFI funding makes it to the people of Samarra.

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Security Issues
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12. (S) In June 2006, the CF considered Samarra a model
example of reclaiming a small city from AIF control. Attacks
were diminished to tribal disputes and CF handed security
over to the ISF. Atmospheric reporting suggested confidence
was growing in ISF. However, through strategic targeting,
AQIZ used tribal rifts to destabilize the security situation.
By August 2006, the ISF's new found confidence was
diminished, and intimidation and attacks took the ISF off the
streets. With the further exacerbation of tribal tensions,
some tribes began aligning themselves with AQIZ. Fighting
continues between the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and
terrorists, and the city remains laden with AIF. Al Qaeda's
(AQIZ) Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) exerts some influence in
the area. According to CF atmospherics reporting, ISI has
forced several outlying villages to implement Sharia customs,
such as requiring women to be veiled and banning smoking in
public. Other reporting continues to indicate AQIZ presence
and operations around the city.

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Comment
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13. (C) Ensuring near-term disbursement of DFI funds,
especially the compensation payments, will likely help
assuage some tensions among Samarra's residents and add a
measure of legitimacy to the city's leadership. By
demonstrating that the GOI is interested in Sunni concerns in
Samarra and will deliver on its promises, it will also assist
in combating AQIZ's attempts to undermine the GOI and to
strengthen the Islamic State of Iraq's (ISI) influence around
the city. The task of rebuilding the Golden Dome Mosque,
however, remains contentious. Without coordination from the
city's leaders, its reconstruction has the potential to be
divisive in the city. Additionally, given the mosque's
symbolic importance and the public interest throughout Iraq,
a smooth reconstruction process will be important for
reconciliation efforts. END COMMENT.
KHALILZAD