(C) PRT SALAH AD DIN: ANTI-KURD SENTIMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 002503 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2018 TAGS: PGOV IZ SUBJECT: (C) PRT SALAH AD DIN: ANTI-KURD SENTIMENT INCREASES AMONG S-A-D ARABS Classified By: PolOff John G. Fox for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (U) This is a PRT Salah ad Din reporting cable. Summary -------------- ¶2. (C) Disappointment in the stalled elections process and increased resentment among Salah-ad-Din (SaD) Arabs toward the Kurds spurred a sheik-led demonstration march in SaD on August 7 to call for elections. SaD Arabs also voiced concern for the welfare of fellow tribe members in Kirkuk and are fearful that, if Kirkuk is annexed by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG),the Kurds will next seek to annex the SaD city of Tuz, which was part of Kirkuk prior to 1976 and is home to a large number of Kurds. END SUMMARY. POLLS SHOW FEAR OF KURDISH ACTIONS -------------- ¶3. (U) According to the Director of SaD TV station, Mr. Dawlat Dahash, the station conducted a poll asking SaD residents their reaction to the CoR,s failure to pass an elections law. There were two common responses: 1) In general, SaD residents are comfortable with the CoR,s failure to pass an elections law, as they believe this will prevents the Kurds from annexing Kirkuk; 2) SaD residents feel strongly that the Kurds bear full responsibility for the elections impasse because of their desire to divide Iraq. They also believe that Iraq,s central government is still too weak to oppose the separatist designs of Kurdish leaders. Poll results show that SaD residents largely support the Arab-Turcomen proposal to divide Kirkuk,s administration among Kurds, Turkomen and Arabs, with each getting 32 percent and the remaining four percent going to small minorities. SAD TRIBAL CONNECTION TO KIRKUK HEIGHTENS ARAB FEARS -------------- ¶4. (U) Many leading SaD officials, a large number of whom belong to the Al-Jouburi tribe, are especially sensitive to the Kirkuk issue because of the large number of fellow tribe members who live in the Hawija area of Kirkuk. Al-Jouburi tribals held a peaceful march on August 7 in Tikrit, calling for elections and opposing the possible annexation of Kirkuk. They were joined by fellow tribe members who traveled from Hawija to Tikrit to voice their concerns. While no threats were made against the Kurds, SaD Arabs were also quick to point out that they will not stand idly by if their fellow Arabs in Kirkuk are persecuted by the Kurds. SaD Deputy Governor Abdullah Hussein al-Jubara (who also belongs to the Al-Jouburi Tribe) voiced this sentiment to PRT members on August 7. He said that SaD Arabs will support their brother Arabs and fellow tribe members in Kirkuk, and cautioned that the conflict between Arabs and Kurds in the region could escalate at any time with more bitterness than the Sunni-Shia conflict. ¶5. (C) The Deputy Governor also shared his warning about a possible escalation of the Arab-Kurd conflict in private conversation with senior CF commanders at COB Speicher. His repeated warnings to US officials suggests he is attempting to gain US support for pressure on the Kurds. He did not acknowledge that the Kurds have any reason to fear SaD Arabs. In private conversation with PRT members, individual SaD residents have expressed great disappointment at the CoR,s failure to pass an elections law, but still retain hope that a compromise can be reached that will allow elections to be held in the near future. "KIRKUK TODAY, TUZ TOMORROW8 -------------- ¶6. (C) In private discussions with PRT members, Dr. Amer Al-Jubouri, the Dean of Tikrit University Law School, said that he fears the Kurds will take &Kirkuk today, and Tuz tomorrow.8 Many SaD Arabs share this concern, which has its origin in the area,s history: Tuz (short for Tuz-Kharmato, a district of Salah-ad-Din),belonged to Kirkuk until it was annexed to SaD Province in 1976. It is the SaD city closest to Kirkuk; the area has been marked by ethnic tensions among a highly diverse population of Kurds, Turkomen and Arabs. In a move designed to keep tempers in Tuz cool, a CF commander there called all political parties to a meeting on 7 August and asked them to show restrain in the aftermath of recent troubles in Kirkuk. A PRT member in attendance reported that, although emotions were high, all parties contained themselves. At one point in the meeting, a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) gave an emotional speech declaring Kirkuk to be a Kurdish city, but also called for all parties to respect the rule of law and show tolerance for all ethnic groups. CROCKER