BASRA RELIGIOUS AND ETHNIC MINORITIES SHARE COMMON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 003922 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/11/2018 TAGS: KIRF PGOV KDEM IZ SUBJECT: BASRA RELIGIOUS AND ETHNIC MINORITIES SHARE COMMON CONCERNS AND OPTIMISM REF: BAGHDAD 2242 BAGHDAD 00003922 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Classified By: Deputy Pol Counselor John G. Fox for reas ons 1.4 (b) and (d). ////////////////////////////ZFR////////////// ///ZFR///////////ZFR// ////////ZFR////////ZFR////////////ZFR//////// ////////ZFR/////////// ////////////CANCEL THIS CABLE////////CANCEL THIS CABLE///////////// ///////////////////////////////////////////// ////////////////////// /////////////NEW CABLE WILL BE RETRANS UNDER DIFFERENT MRN///////// BAGHDAD 00003922 002 OF 002 could gain as many as three seats. Father Emad applauded the adoption of Article 50 of the Provincial Elections Law, which reserves a Christian seat on the Basrawi Provincial Council. Obadi lamented his party,s lack of funds and described its alliance with the Sunni National Dialogue Front (NDF) as financially motivated. IFM will post eight candidates on the NDF ballot, with the leading IFM candidate listed third on the NDF list. Obadi hopes the move will draw attention to his cause. Ultimately, IFM hopes to gain a seat in government by means of a quota system. ¶7. (C) Jasim predicted relative success for Fadhilah, ISCI, SAS, and Sadrist parties. He explained that the public is turning away from parties with Iranian links and that parties such as ISCI and SAS were making efforts to mask their associations ) efforts that would likely prove successful. Jasim fears corruption and malfeasance, and praised Basra,s Law Support Council Committee for eliciting commitments from all parties to free and fair elections. Obadi strongly criticized foreign political intervention, especially from Iran, and accused some IHEC members of accepting bribes. ¶8. (SBU) Comment: Although various, these minority groups show remarkably similar concerns ) jobs, fear of a &super-region8 under Shi,a control from Najaf, election fraud, and Iranian influence. It is significant that job creation, not discrimination, was the leaders, primary concern. In fact, the leaders presented very few contemporary accounts of discrimination and related mostly historical anecdotes. In Basra, there are real signs of tolerance and religious/ethnic mixing ) the vast majority of students in Father Emad,s Christian school are Muslim; one of the IFM representatives was Sunni, the other Shi,a; and most Black Baswaris live in mixed-race neighborhoods. In a province with an approximate 60 percent jobless rate, unemployment is not unique to minority groups. ¶9. (C) Comment continued: Regional identity appears to supersede sectarian and ethnic tensions in Basra. All three leaders admitted the possiblility of supporting a region in the future, although further discussion revealed a lack of basic knowledge on the issue. The one certainty is that they do not approve of a multi-province region ) fearing Shi,a control or power abuse. Finally, concern over security was notably absent from all three leaders, which may confirm much improved security since Charge-of-the-Knights, and a new confidence in the Iraqi Security Forces. End comment. CROCKER