Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07BAGHDAD978
2007-03-20 13:50:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Baghdad
Cable title:  

ASSYRIAN PATRIOTIC PARTY WANTS HOMELAND

Tags:  PGOV PREF PHUM IZ 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO0209
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHGB #0978/01 0791350
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 201350Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0281
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 000978 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/17/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREF PHUM IZ
SUBJECT: ASSYRIAN PATRIOTIC PARTY WANTS HOMELAND

REF: A. A) KIRKUK 004

B. B) BAGHDAD 559

Classified By: PRT LEADER JIM BIGUS FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) and (D)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 000978

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/17/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREF PHUM IZ
SUBJECT: ASSYRIAN PATRIOTIC PARTY WANTS HOMELAND

REF: A. A) KIRKUK 004

B. B) BAGHDAD 559

Classified By: PRT LEADER JIM BIGUS FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) and (D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: IPAO recently met with three members of the
Assyrian Patriotic Party (APP),to discuss the Party's
program, especially their proposal for an Assyrian Homeland
in Ninewa Province. One APP rep said the Party differs in
"all subjects" from the larger Assyrian Democratic Movement
(ADM),and said the APP is more willing to form alliances
with a wide range of other parties. The APP is satisfied
with Article 140's progress and expects it to help correct
the ethnic situation in Ninewa, where a large Assyrian
population lives. The APP wants an "Assyrian Homeland" that
provides for autonomous rule and is linked to the KRG.
Assyrian Christians would only be truly safe, they said,
under a democratic secular government such as that in
Kurdistan. They have received an especially positive
reception, they said, from the Kurdistan Democratic Party
(KDP). The APP reps say that their homeland would protect
the rights of all minorities in the area, including Yezidis
and other minorities, and would include non-contiguous
villages and towns within the existing KRG, which would give
these communities autonomous status and "guarantees" of their
rights. The APP proposal mirrors Kurdish proposals described
in REFTEL to annex portions of Ninewa Province to the KRG.
END SUMMARY.

-------------- -
BACKGROUND ON THE ASSYRIAN PATRIOTIC PARTY
-------------- -

2. (SBU) IPAO met with members of the Assyrian Patriotic
Party (APP) leadership, including Manuel Khoshaba from the
APP,s Irbil office, Mary Hashim an Assyrian-American, and
Albert Geiso who is the APP's Kirkuk director. Manuel
described the origins of the APP, saying that after its
founding in 1973, it spent its early years as an underground
organization in Baghdad. Later, it became more focused on
the Assyrian expatriate community with headquarters moved in
the 1990s to the Kurdistan autonomous region. In 2003, the
APP became a formal political party and became a player in
Iraqi politics. The party has one member in the Ninewa
Provincial Council and one, Sylvana Bouya Nasir, in the

Kirkuk Provincial Council. In the KRG, an APP member is the
Minister of Tourism, but the party holds no seats in the KRG
Assembly. Manuel said that the APP's general program calls
for changes in the Iraqi Constitution, specifically
guarantees of Assyrian rights, the right to "autonomous
governing," and additional guarantees of Women,s Rights.

--------------
DIFFERENCES WITH ASSYRIAN DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT
--------------

3. (SBU) Khoshaba noted that the APP "differed in all
subjects" from the Assyrian Democratic Movement (ADM) (For
information on ADM see reftel A)the . Manuel claimed that
the APP "stands in the middle of everything"8 and can make a
partnership with Kurds, Arabs or Turkomans. "We accept the
others and we talk with others," said Manuel, adding that the
ADM "doesn't do this." The ADM, he said, &talks one way"
with you PRTreps but "a different way with Iraqis." Manuel
stated that the APP can build partnerships with "all parties
in Iraq, but we need friends."

-------------- --------------
SUPPORT FOR ARTICLE 140 PROCESS AS WAY TO ADDRESS PAST WRONGS
-------------- --------------

4. (SBU) Concerning Article 140, Manuel said that the APP
views it as a "constitutional process, approved by a
referendum of the people." In addressing the Arabization
Program, Manuel asserted that it must be addressed, but noted
"it will take time", to reverse these mistakes. When asked
whether the APP believes the Article 140 process is moving in
the right direction, Manuel responded that in terms of
normalization, the current steps are correct and will help to
correct the situation in "our part of the country," (the
Ninewa Plains) where a large concentration of Assyrians live.
He said that this area has the same issues as Kirkuk,
specifically various types of displaced people and property
claims.

--------------
ASSYRIAN HOMELAND LINKED TO KRG
--------------

5. (C) Manuel was asked about the proposal for an "Assyrian
Homeland" and what it would constitute. Because Assyrians
occupy a unique position as a small Christian group in an
overwhelmingly Muslim country, he said, only a secular
society would be "supportive for us.8 This sort of
"democratic secular picture" is present in Kurdistan, he
said. He emphasized the Assyrian demand that those areas of
the Ninewa plains that are predominantly Assyrian be linked

BAGHDAD 00000978 002 OF 003


to Kurdistan. Five Assyrian political groups have endorsed
this program, he said, and its details have been sent to the
US Secretary of State. Until now, however, he noted, "we
haven,t heard from anyone other than the Kurds about
creating an autonomous area or homeland." This link of the
Assyrian plains to Kurdistan "would give us a chance to be
ourselves and protect our rights."


6. (C) Manuel said that the "five-sided agreement"
submitted to the Secretary of State was signed by the APP,
the Chaldean Cultural Community, the Chaldean-Assyrian
Organizaiton, the Democratic Party, and the "Democratic
Chaldean Stage." The proposal had been discussed with the
Kurds: officially with the Kurdistan Democratic Party
leadership, and unofficially with the PUK and the Kurdistan
Communist Party. Manuel noted that the APP has received
considerable encouragement from the KDP concerning the
homeland proposal, but there was still "no official plan."
He added that they hope to meet with Barzani soon to further
discuss the matter.


7. (C) Concerning the Ninewa portion of this "Homeland,"
Manuel said that this would be an area east of the Tigris
River currently constituting two districts with villages and
agricultural land controlled by Assyrians. Other parts of
what would become the Assyrian Homeland are various villages
and smaller areas in the KRG. These, however, he said, are
not geographically contiguous. The APP is not asking, he
said, for complete control of the Assyrian villages currently
in the KRG, but wants guarantees concerning respect for
Assyrian traditions and other specific rights.


8. (C ) Asked if creation of the Ninewa Homeland would mean
seceding from Ninewa Province, Manuel responded that Iraqi
Constitution provides for autonomous governing for certain
ethnic groups. The APP would like to see a new
administrative system for local government that would provide
autonomy for the Assyrians and other such groups. He again
stressed the need to "link" to Kurdistan because the "the
religious political parties" that dominate the rest of Iraq
will not guarantee Assyrian rights like Kurdistan will.

--------------
NUMBERS OF ASSYRIANS
--------------

9. (SBU) Manuel described the Assyrian community in Iraq as
about 500,000 people, of whom just 6000 to 7000 are in
Kirkuk. He noted that as many as 5000 Assyrian families have
settled in Ninewa Province in the last year (NOTE:
Representatives of the Assyrian Democratic Movement have
given us a similar figure, see REFTEL A. END NOTE),and, he
added, "we believe that our people in neighboring countries
would return here" if an Assyrian homeland was established.

--------------
HOW TO ESTABLISH A "HOMELAND"
--------------

10. (C) Manuel was asked about whether the creation of this
homeland would come under the aegis of the Article 140
boundary adjustment process. He did not give a clear answer,
only noting that no matter how the Homeland was established,
it would require "discussions" with and an okay from the GOI
to attach the Ninewa districts to the KRG. He added that it
would also be necessary to convince the Kurds to allow these
districts to "associate" with the KRG. (NOTE: Baghdad 559
indicates that the Kurds may not take much convincing. This
program seems to be part of ) or plays into ) a KDP program
to expand the KRG's borders. END NOTE). Manuel noted that
the people to be included in the Homeland area, even where
they are not Assyrians, are non-Arabs, "more than 90
percent." "Our plan," he said, "can be called a proposal
giving rights to all minorities in the area, including
Yezidis" (NOTE: there may be problems convincing Yezidis
that association with the KRG is in their best interests.
See REFTEL B. END NOTE).


11. (C) Asked if the Ninewa Provincial government would
cooperate with the Homeland proposal, Manuel said that the
APP had not yet officially submitted this plan to the Ninewa
authorities. They have had unofficial discussions with the
Ninewa PC and, he claimed, the APP had presented the concept
to the Department of State in Washington (apparently through
Assyrian expatriates).

--------------
MORE DIFFERENCES WITH THE ADM
--------------

12. (C) Manuel criticized the Assyrian Democratic Movement's
position on the homeland proposal, saying that the ADM was
not interested in the homeland proposal and wanted to
maintain the status quo, with strong links to the GOI in
Baghdad. The ADM, said Manuel, "reflects abnormal political
ideas" supported by "other" political parties.8 Manuel

BAGHDAD 00000978 003 OF 003


accused the ADM's leader and Council of Representatives
member, Yonadam Kanna, of links with Baathist intelligence
services and alluded to questionable aspects of ADM's
financing.

--------------
APP AND KIRKUK PC
--------------

13. (SBU) Asked about the APP's role in Kirkuk, Manuel said
that their representative on the PC, Sylvana Nasir, was
elected under the auspices of the Kirkuk Brotherhood List,
the Kurdish-affiliated list, in the last election. This
was, he said, the only way that the APP could get a
representative on the Council in an election that was
dominated by ethnic politics.


14. (C) COMMENT: Manuel, the head of the APP's Irbil office,
dominated the meeting. Given that the meeting's two other
attendees, Hashim and Geiso, represent the APP,s Kirkuk
branch, this perhaps indicates the Kurdocentric position of
this party and its minimal role in Kirkuk. There appears to
be a clear difference in the position of the APP, and the
Assyrian Democratic Movement (ADM),with the ADM showing
little apparent interest in the idea of a homeland linked
with Kurdistan. The APP's description of its
Assyrian/Ninewa proposals is in some ways a mirror image of
the KRG expansion moves in Ninewa outlined in REFTEL (B). It
seems likely that the relationship between the APP and the
Kurds, especially with the KDP, is closely than what Khoshaba
described to us. END COMMENT.
KHALILZAD