NINEWA GOVERNOR ON FUEL SHORTAGE, ARAB-KURD

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000884

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/13/2017
TAGS: PGOV IZ
SUBJECT: NINEWA GOVERNOR ON FUEL SHORTAGE, ARAB-KURD
RELATIONS, AND ARTICLE 140 PROCESS

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Daniel Speckhard per 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: Ninewa Governor Duraid Kashmoula told the
Ambassador on March 8 that Ninewa is in dire need of fuel and
asked the Ambassador to urge Iraq's neighbors to increase
fuel imports. He said the Kurds are not taking over Mosul
and it is the Sunni Arabs in the area who are causing
problems. Kashmoula opined that provincial elections would
be problematic until security improved and the issue of
internally displaced persons (IDPs) was resolved. He thought
that Article 140 would give some land to the Kurdistan
Regional Government (KRG) and some to Mosul if it were
implemented correctly. Kashmoula also noted he warned the PM
that many guards at Badush Prison sympathized with terrorists
well before the March 6 jailbreak there. END SUMMARY.

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Ninewa in Dire Need of Fuel
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2. (C) Governor Kashmoula said Ninewa is in dire need of
fuel. He said all of the government's efforts in
reconstruction, agriculture, and security operations are
frozen because there is not enough fuel in the province.
Kashmoula added that electricity is almost always shut off.
He said that citizens will not cooperate with the government
if the government does not provide basic services. Kashmoula
said he has spoken with multiple GOI officials, to include
the Minister of Oil and Minister of Interior, but less than
fifty percent of the problems has been solved.


3. (C) The Ambassador noted that Iraq was not receiving
enough fuel imports as it needed and said he hoped the
neighbors' conference on March 10 could establish a working
group to examine the problems of fuel imports and
electricity. The Ambassador also said the central government
has put forward a new plan for securing the Bayji refinery
and for securing oil pipelines with Coalition assistance.
The results from this plan, however, will not be immediate.
Kashmoula asked for US assistance in pressing Iraq's
neighbors to increase their fuel exports to Iraq, but said he
did not need assistance in resolving outstanding issues he
had with the central government.

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Kashmoula Says Kurds Not Taking Over Mosul
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4. (C) The Ambassador inquired about the relationship between
the Kurds and Arabs, particularly near Mosul, saying he has
heard different stories of who is at fault for the tensions
between the groups. Kashmoula said he is a Sunni Arab but
was going to speak honestly. He said Kurdish families have
resettled into the villages they were forced to leave as part
of Saddam Hussein's Arabization program. The fault, he
continued, lies with the Sunni Arabs, who have settled in
Mosul but act as if they have a right to the lands the Kurds
reclaimed. Kashmoula said the Arabs are creating the
problems, particularly the new politicians who are exploiting
the situation and falsely claiming that the Kurds are taking
over Mosul. Kashmoula said the Kurds were the only group who
stood by the Provincial Council and him on November 11, 2004
when insurgents staged coordinated attacks on the city and
many of Mosul,s police officers deserted their posts.
Kashmoula stated that the Iraqi police and National Guard
left, but the Kurdish forces set up checkpoints and
controlled the roads to Mosul. He concluded by saying the
Kurds have never interfered with his government.

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Security, IDPs Make Provincial Elections Unwise
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5. (C) Kashmoula said that political parties in Ninewa know
how much influence they have in the province and the smaller
parties are spreading rumors to try to increase their
popularity. He said that if security does not improve and
the issue of IDPs is not resolved, he thought provincial
elections would be an unwise idea. He clarified that he
would want elections "today, rather than tomorrow," except
that the issues of security and IDPs make elections
problematic.

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Impact of Article 140
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6. (C) Kashmoula said that if Article 140 is implemented
correctly, areas of Mosul will go to the KRG and areas of the
KRG will go to Mosul. For example, he said Makhmour should
go to the KRG, and three subdistricts of Shakan should go to
Mosul because they lie outside the Green Line and yet are

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currently part of the KRG. Kashmoula noted that there are
two committees formed to deal with the Article 140 issue, one
in Kirkuk and one in Sinjar. He said he was largely involved
with the issue because it was something for the committees
and the central government to deal with.

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Badush Prison Jailbreak
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7. (C) The Ambasador inquired about the raid on March 6 at
Badush Prison in Mosul that freed some 70 prisoners.
Kashmoula said he told the central government about two
months ago that approximately half of the guards at Badush
Prison were infiltrated by terrorists. He said that he and
the Provincial Police Chief (who was at the meeting with the
Ambassador) gave the Director General for Prisons and the
Prime Minister a list of names of guards they wanted
transferred. The Ambassador said the Prime Minister had
given these names to the Minister of Justice and is upset
that the guards were not removed per his orders. Kashmoula
responded that the PM is a good man, but his hands are tied
and no one does what he says.
SPECKHARD