DIYALA: PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT FORMED DESPITE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001011 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR IZ SUBJECT: DIYALA: PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT FORMED DESPITE OPPOSITION WALKOUT AND THREATS OF ARREST REF: BAGHDAD 981 Classified By: PRT Diyala Leader George White for reasons 1.4 (b) and ( d). ¶1. (U) This is a Diyala PRT reporting cable. -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶2. (C) In a tense atmosphere, with the threat of arrest looming over several members of the Tawafuq bloc, the newly-formed Diyala Provincial Council convened the third meeting of its first session on April 11 and elected its Chairman, Deputy Chairman, the Governor and one of his two deputies. Although all 29 members attended the opening of the session, when it became apparent that the Tawafuq-led coalition would have a majority of the votes and be able to form the next government, the 12 members of an opposition coalition walked out. The meeting proceeded anyway and elected: PC Chairman Abd-al-Talib Muhammad Hasan (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan); PC Deputy Chair Sadiq Ja,far Abdullah Muhammad (Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, ISCI); Governor Dr. Abd-al-Nasr al-Muntsir Billah (Independent, Tawafuq); and First Deputy Governor Furat Muhammad (ISCI). The second deputy governor position was left to be offered to the opposition parties. The PC has adjourned until April 19. END SUMMARY. ¶3. (C) As reported reftel, the first meeting of the Provincial Council (PC) on April 6 was disrupted by the arrival of Iraqi Police with warrants for the arrest of three members of the Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP),which would have left the coalition consisting of Tawafuq, the Kurdish Coalition and the Islamic Supreme Council with too few votes to form Diyala,s next government. The arrests were called off by the national government, but the April 6 meeting was quickly brought to a close. Afterward, the Embassy informed the Diyala PRT that the Prime Minister had issued assurances that the arrest warrants would not be served. The PC reconvened on April 9 and, although there was a quorum (24 of 29),members agreed to recess until April 11 in order to ensure that all members could be present for the selection of officers. ¶4. (C) On April 11, the PC duly reconvened with all 29 members present. After the five Shiite members that had not attended previous meetings were administrated the oath of office, the Council recessed to give the parties additional time for negotiations. After almost two hours, with the members of the majority demanding that the election of top officials begin, members representing the Iraqi national Project List (al-Mutluk,s group),Iraqi National List (Allawi,s party),State of Law Coalition (Maliki) and National Reform Trend (former Prime Minister Jaafari,s party) walked out. Nominations and voting began. All positions were won by unopposed candidates who won unanimously with 17 votes on secret ballots cast by a coalition of Tawafuq, Kurds, and ISCI. ¶5. (U) Abd-al-Talib Muhammad Hasan, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK),was selected Chairman of the Provincial Council. He described himself as a 1973 graduate of Khanaquin High school. He was arrested in 1980 for membership in the PUK and sentenced to ten years confinement. In 2006, he was selected as the director of operations office for the PUK. He stated that he has 27 years of administrative experience as a manager of agencies in Khanaquin. ¶6. (U) Sadiq Ja,far Adullah Muhammad (ISCI) is the new Deputy Chairman of the PC. He described himself as being born in 1976 and from Khalis. He noted that when he was five years old his father was executed for political reasons and for that reason he opposed sectarianism and pledged to work for all people of the province. Qfor all people of the province. ¶7. (U) Abd-al-Nasr al-Muntesir Billah was elected governor. He stated that he had come at the request of the Tawafuq Party, but that he was personally independent of any party affiliation. He is a professor of Arabic literature at Diyala University and holds a Master's and Doctorate in Arabic literature. Abdul Nassir was arrested in 1980 for political reasons, sentenced to life, but received amnesty in ¶1986. He served in the Army from 1986 to 1990, leaving after the invasion of Kuwait. ¶8. (U) Furak Muhammad (ISCI)was picked to be the First Deputy Governor. He is from Balad Ruz and stated that he had been involved in a number of national reconciliation efforts through his cousin Sheik Blassim. ¶9. (U) The Council agreed to reconvene on Sunday, April 19 to elect the Second Deputy Governor, a position they might offer to the opposition parties. COMMENT -------------- ¶10. (C) The Provincial Council has formed a government in accordance with the requirements of the Provincial Powers Act. There could be a number of reasons why the opposition BAGHDAD 00001011 002 OF 002 coalition sought to delay proceedings. They might have been stalling in the hope that the arrest warrants would be executed. They might also have been surprised when the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) member and the two ISCI members sided with the Tawafuq-led coalition (former governor Abdullah al Jabouri, the opposition coalition's lead candidate for governor, had told us previously that he had the support of these two parties). Al Jabouri, who led the walk-out, might have been seeking time to try to win back the KDP and ISCI members or to contact their leaders in Baghdad. ¶11. (C) We hope that holding the second Deputy Governor position open reflects a continuing desire by the majority to accommodate the opposition. Our contacts in Tawafuq had previously stressed their desire to include the Shia parties in the government in order to smooth relations with Baghdad and to help tame continuing serious sectarian tensions in Diyala. ¶12. (C) The threat of arrests has reshaped the political dynamics and balance of power in Diyala. ISCI did remarkably well by receiving two of the top four positions, despite having only two elected members of the Provincial Council. In addition, the Kurdish Democratic Party, which had hoped to win the first deputy governor position, will now probably receive only an assistant governor position. End Comment. BUTENIS