RRT ERBIL: DOHUK PROVINCIAL COUNCIL CHAIRMAN ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 000881 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/23/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL IZ SUBJECT: RRT ERBIL: DOHUK PROVINCIAL COUNCIL CHAIRMAN ON FUTURE OF KRG-BASED COUNCILS Classified By: Classified By Jess Baily, Regional Coordinator for reaso ns 1.4 (b) and (d). This is an Erbil Regional Reconstruction Team message. ¶1. (C) RRTOff met with the Chairman of Dohuk's Provincial Council (PC),Dr. Fadl Omar, on March 19 in Dohuk City, in order to discuss the March 17 meeting in Erbil among the Chairmen of the three Kurdish PCs (i.e. Erbil, Sulaimaniyah and Dohuk). At that meeting, the Kurdish PC leaders agreed to establish a committee to coordinate the efforts of the Kurdish Region's three PCs. According to Dr. Omar, the newly established Kurdish PC committee will hold frequent discussions with officials from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Kurdistan National Assembly (KNA). The Kurdish PC committee will facilitate and influence the drafting and enactment of an "appropriate" Kurdish region law governing the powers granted to the region's three provincial councils. Dr. Omar said, "the KRG will wait until a national provincial powers law is passed, in order to examine the powers granted to each province's PC. The KNA will then pass a regional Provincial Council Law that grants less power to the three Kurdish PCs, compared with the national law." He said this would be appropriate, given the necessity to "subordinate the PCs respective powers to those of the KRG." (Note: A senior representative from the Dohuk Governor's office, Hameed Salih, attended our meeting with Dohuk's PC Chairman, although neither the Dohuk PC Chairman nor RRTOff invited him. End note.) ¶2. (C) Dr. Omar described the importance of each PC receiving "sufficient authority on finance and personnel" decisions, especially with regard to the activities of the governorates' various Directors General. He said "personnel power" over the DGs -- presumably to include appointments and terminations -- should be taken from the KRG ministries in Erbil and given to the PC Chairmen in Dohuk, Sulaimaniyah and Erbil. With regard to spending authority at the provincial level, he recommended that Dohuk be given a lump sum of Iraqi government money to spend under its own authority, based on Dohuk's own analysis of its needs. He said, "Baghdad and Erbil should not decide Dohuk's government spending priorities." ¶3. (C) Comment: Two years ago, the Kurdistan Region's three PCs submitted a draft PC law to the KNA. The law has languished at the KNA, with officials there presumably waiting for the Council of Representatives to enact the national provincial powers law. An effective provincial powers law in the region will empower and energize the PCs in each Kurdistan Region governorate, while helping them mitigate the tendency of ministries in Erbil to emulate the centralism of Baghdad. ¶4. (C) Comment, cont.: The PCs in Erbil and Dohuk have been fairly passive while waiting for passage of the regional provincial powers law. They have enjoyed the support of their respective governors and will likely become much more active following enactment of the national and regional provincial powers laws. The PC in Sulaimaniyah has been comparatively active, if a bit rudderless at times, while also enjoying strong support from Sulaimaniyah's governor. The chairman of Sulaimaniyah's PC told RRTOff that the province's governor has refrained from unduly using his influence with regard to the PC's activities. The future regional provincial powers law might also likely address concerns frequently voiced in Sulaimaniyah that the long pending merger of the Ministries of Finance in Erbil and Sulaimaniyah (they are still divided between the KDP and PUK) will mean less money for Sulaimaniyah. End Comment. CROCKER