KARBALA: PC CHAIRMAN YASIRI IN TROUBLE

S E C R E T BAGHDAD 002316 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/24/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINS IZ SUBJECT: KARBALA: PC CHAIRMAN YASIRI IN TROUBLE Classified By: PRT Team Leader Don Cooke for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) This is a PRT Karbala reporting cable. ¶2. (S) Summary: Widely disliked Acting Provincial Council (PC) Chairman Abd al-Al al-Yasiri may be removed from his position shortly. On July 24, a majority of PC members signed a petition demanding al-Yasiri's ouster, setting the stage for a removal vote. PC Member Mohsen al-Kenani delayed a vote on the matter, however, arguing that a vote to replace the Deputy Governor -- a job to which he aspires -- should occur first. Al-Kenani is in a strong position to become the new Deputy Governor. The elevation of Al-Kenani to DG would likely be positive for both the province and the PRT. End Summary. Showdown at the PC -------------- ¶3. (S) At the weekly PC meeting on July 24, 22 of the PC's 36 members (the other five members of the 41-member body hold leadership or executive positions) signed a document demanding the ouster of Acting Chairman Abd al-Al al-Yasiri. The petition places Al-Yasiri on thin ice since the PC Chairman can be removed in a PC vote by a simple majority. Al-Yasiri, an independent originally elevated to his position in late 2007, is widely disliked in Karbala and viewed by virtually all of our contacts as venal and incompetent. Some here allege that al-Yasiri is in the pay of Iran. ¶4. (S) A vote on the motion to remove al-Yasiri from his position was delayed by a surprising source: Mohsen al-Kenani. A well-respected, independent member of the PC, al-Kenani has been as supportive of the PRT and its endeavors as al-Yasiri has been a hindrance. Although he currently shares his colleagues' dim view of the Acting PC Chairman, al-Kenani was once close to al-Yasiri. Frustration with partisan politics in Karbala led al-Kenani to criticize and distance himself from his erstwhile ally, but apparently not so far that he is unable to use al-Yasiri to win a political prize: the Deputy Governorship. A New Number Two -------------- ¶5. (S) Contacts tell us that the PC may vote as early as July 31 on the replacement of long-absent Deputy Governor Jawad Kadhum Husayn al-Hasnawi. A Sadrist who fled to Baghdad in the wake of last year's Shabaniyah clashes, al-Hasnawi has not relinquished his office. We surmise that al-Kenani needs al-Yasiri to remain in place through the vote to replace al-Hasnawi. Besides al-Kenani, the other leading candidate for the Deputy Governor job is PC Member Mohammad Hamad Hashim, a Dawa member, according to our contacts. ¶6. (S) Hashim reportedly is a friend of police commander MG Ra'd Shakir Jawdat and supported by the Iraqi Police. However, he is not popular within the PC and, in fact, rarely attends its sessions. Moreover, Governor Akeel Mahmoud al-Khazali's Dawa affiliation makes it unlikely that PC members will approve of a deputy coming from the same party, thus giving al-Kenani's candidacy a strong shot. Al-Yasiri for the time being is on what PC contacts tell us is "probation" pending a vote on his future. Based on his behavior to date, we suspect he will seek to attach his name and image to all manner of projects here in an attempt to shore up his crumbling credibility. ¶7. (S) Comment: The unpredictability of politics here makes us hesitant to forecast the outcome for al-Yasiri. However, we are not loath to say that his ouster would remove a large thorn from the PRT's side. He, more than any other individual or institution, is responsible for Karbala lagging behind other provinces in efforts to rebuild and reconcile. Al-Kenani's elevation, by contrast, could prove a boon for us. Already a good contact who supports our efforts, as Deputy Governor he would be in a strong position to remove bureaucratic and political impediments from our path. End Comment. CROCKER