NAJAF TRIBAL LEADERS CAUTION AGAINST ANBAR MODEL

C O N F I D E N T I A L HILLAH 000013

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/27/2018
TAGS: IZ PGOV ECON
SUBJECT: NAJAF TRIBAL LEADERS CAUTION AGAINST ANBAR MODEL

REF: HILLAH 00002

CLASSIFIED BY: SIMMONSAT, TEAM LEADER, PRT DIWANIYAH , DOS.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



Classiefied by PRT Najaf Leader Angus T. Simmons. REASON: 1.4
(b) and (d).


1. (U) This is a PRT Najaf cable.


2. (C) SUMMARY: In a January 17 meeting, Najaf tribal
representatives cautioned Najaf PRT Team Leader that the USG
should not try to replicate Anbar-style Awakening Councils in
the south central region. While praising the Najaf provincial
government, the tribal leaders stressed that the south central
tribes are unified and are committed to promoting development
and reconstruction in the province. The representatives
requested USG support for a number of local projects. END
SUMMARY.


3. (C) In a January 17 meeting at the Regional Embassy Office in
al-Hillah, seven Najaf tribal leaders, including the Najaf
Governor's Tribal Representative, Chasib Abdul Ridha Aziz,
cautioned Najaf PRT Team Leader that Anbar-style Awakening
Councils are not suitable for the south central region, where
the tribes are unified and where Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) violence
is absent. Comment: The USG is not pursuing any efforts similar
to Al-Anbar in Najaf (or Karbala). End Comment. The seven
tribal representatives who attended the meeting were hand-picked
by the Governor of Najaf, and the meeting was designed to serve
as a precursor for a requested, larger meeting with the AMB in
Baghdad (reftel). The tribal leaders were receptive to the
notion of tribal political mobilization, but insisted that the
tribes should not be armed and should resolutely support the
provincial authorities in the imposition of the rule of law. The
tribal leaders were also effusive in the praise for the USG and
the Najaf provincial government. . They pledged to oppose any
militia that attempted to operate in the region, and insisted
that they were opposed to attempts to impose Iranian hegemony in
south central Iraq.



4. (SBU) The representatives insisted that the role of the
tribes in Najaf should be to support reconstruction and
development by monitoring projects throughout the province.
Several representatives stressed the urgent need to increase
electricity generation in the province, citing the harmful
effects of only six hours of electricity per day on rice
production and the economy as a whole. They urged the USG to
fund the construction of a new power station, offering that it
would be named the "George Washington Power Station." The
tribal leaders also asked for USG support to complete the
construction of the Najaf Airport, reopen the local tire
factory, construct a new oil refinery, build a new athletic
stadium, construct agricultural infrastructure and distribute
agricultural equipment and inputs such as fertilizer and
pesticide.



5. (C) The representatives supported tribal empowerment in
Najaf. They pointed out the need to have a direct line of
communication with Baghdad, as opposed to working through the
provincial government exclusively. They voiced their support
for the creation of a second national legislative body that
would be comprised of tribal leaders and serve a role similar to
that of the House of Lords in the United Kingdom. On the
ground, they supported the creation of a new organization to
monitor development in the province, but uniformly rejected the
notion of Awakening Councils.



6. (C) COMMENT: The attendees all were coordinated by the Najaf
Governor's Tribal Affairs Representative sheikh Chasib so
presumably their views, while not scripted, would be within the
range of what ISCI would be willing to discuss with tribal
leaders.. Nonetheless, the sheikhs were lively in their
discussion and complaints about inadequate services such as
electricity, support for agriculture, and education. They were
also authentic tribal leaders, including Sheikh Azziz al Wahid
whose grandfather played a prominent role in the Council of
Lords in the 1920s. Some of their suggestions were sound, and
if implemented deftly, could serve as a model of how to mobilize
and channel tribal elements in the south central region. END
COMMENT.

SIMMONS