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
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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
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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
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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

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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