DIWANIYAH: DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE SHEIKHS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002868 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/06/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV IZ SUBJECT: DIWANIYAH: DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE SHEIKHS Classified By: Team Leader Robert Pitre for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). This is a PRT Diwayniyah reporting cable. ¶1. (C) Summary: Sheikh Hussein al-Shaalan, arguably the most influential tribal sheikh in Diwaniyah and a member of the Council of Representatives (CoR),met with the PRT on September 3. Shaalan was critical of both his Kurdish colleagues for disrupting the passage of the elections law and of Prime Minister Maliki for his not-so-subtle attempts to influence sheikhs through the Tribal Support Council initiative, which Shaalan claims he originally pitched to U.S. policymakers during a trip to Washington in June. End summary. An Unnecessary Kurdish Distraction -------------- ¶2. (C) An independent Shi'a member who voted with the July 22 bloc on the elections law, Shaalan noted that the CoR will return to session next week. The uproar regarding the status of Kirkuk and the recent tension in Khanaqin in Diyala complicates the electoral discussions, he said. Like many of our contacts, including Governor Khudari (ISCI),Shaalan believes that the Kurds get more than their fair share of central government resources. He stated that the Kurds are guaranteed 17% of the central budget, while, in his view, they should only receive about 13% based on population figures (which is the budgetary mechanism used for all the provinces outside of the Kurdish region). Shaalan also lamented the fact that the Kurds are experienced lobbyists of their foreign contacts (i.e. the U.S.) and he asked that we use our influence to exert pressure on the Kurds to resolve the issues complicating passage of the elections law. Tribal Councils Hijacked -------------- ¶3. (C) Shaalan credits U.S. pressure on Prime Minister Maliki to coordinate with local leaders as the impetus for establishing tribal councils. (Shaalan further claimed that he originally pitched the idea to high-level policymakers in Washington during a visit in June as part of an International Visitor Leadership Program delegation.) However, he believes that the councils have been hijacked by the Prime Minister's office as a vehicle for his political party. As a result, they don,t function as they were intended - as fora for tribal leader engagement with provincial and national government. Shaalan maintains that the current tribal support council in Diwaniyah doesn,t include any of the most influential sheikhs, which reduces its effectiveness and relevancy. While ISCI and Dawa are coalition partners on the national level, a dispute between the two has led to Dawa offering monetary inducements to members of the Diwaniyah tribal support council to affiliate with Dawa. In response, Khudari recently declared the support council illegal. ¶4. (C) Shaalan maintains that for the councils to function effectively, tribal sheikhs must establish a council free from political party influence. The resulting council could then solve disputes that arise between sheikhs without governmental "interference" and could provide advice and direction to the Provincial Council. Overall, Shaalan believes that a more inclusive process, through an effective tribal council, would benefit provincial decision making. Finally, as a plug for the Sons of Iraq program, Shaalan claimed that tribes have an important role to play in helping to maintain security in the province and recommended that tribal members be incorporated into the provincial security forces. (Diwaniyah Province has slightly over 2,000 SOI members.) ¶5. (C) Seemingly as a warning to us, Shaalan mused that the Prime Minister and other politicians, as part of the democratic process, will eventually leave office, but tribal sheikhs remain tribal leaders until they die. Therefore, it is important that we continue our tribal engagement and he requests U.S. assistance in making the tribal councils function independently. Comment -------------- ¶6. (C) Coming off his recent trip to the U.S., Shaalan was disappointed that he has not had more engagement with U.S. officials. We pledged to him that the PRT will continue our efforts to remain in close contact to discuss initiatives that support the people of Diwaniyah and improve living conditions in the province. As a CoR member, Shaalan is clearly disgusted with the one-upmanship between Dawa and ISCI in their bid for tribal support. However, it,s important to keep in mind that Shaalan,s base of support is the tribes. If the major parties usurp some of that support, Shaalan will lose power and influence. His warning that politicians like Maliki or Khudari come and go, but sheikhs are here forever is a valid point. On the other hand, Shaalan has always claimed he is a true independent and that the only party he would align himself with is a party of BAGHDAD 00002868 002 OF 002 tribal leaders. In ISCI-run Diwaniyah, their voices and concerns are not being heard or taken into account and Shaalan wants that to change. End comment. CROCKER