RRT ERBIL: KRG ELECTIONS: NAWSHIRWAN SAYS KDP AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001473

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM IZ IR
SUBJECT: RRT ERBIL: KRG ELECTIONS: NAWSHIRWAN SAYS KDP AND
PUK (THROUGH IRAN) SEPARATELY PRESSURE HIM TO WITHDRAW HIS
CANDIDACY

REF: BAGHDAD 1170

Classified By: Acting Political Counselor John G. Fox; reasons 1.4(d)

This is an Erbil Regional Reconstruction Team (RRT) cable.


1. (C) Summary. Nawshirwan Mustafa, leader of the PUK
breakaway &Change8 list in Sulaimaniyah Province, informed
RRTOff that KRG President Masoud Barzani sent an emissary on
two successive days to persuade him to withdraw from the
upcoming elections for the Iraqi Kurdistan Parliament (IKP).
Immediately after that, Nawshirwan reported, two senior
Iranian intelligence officers visited him to make a similar
appeal. The Iranians told Nawshirwan they came at the behest
of President Jalal Talabani. Against a backdrop of continued
intimidation and harassment of Change list supporters, these
recent visits have made Nawshirwan feel increasingly worried
for his safety. End Summary.

- - - - - - -
Masoud Barzani Sends Emissary to Nawshirwan
- - - - - - -


2. (C) RRTOff met with PUK Change List leader Nawshirwan
Mustafa and his brother-in-law Mohammed Tawfiq on May 26 to
discuss the Change list campaign. According to Nawshirwan
and Tawfiq, Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan
Regional Government (KRG),sent a representative of the
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) to visit them on two
successive days, May 16 and 17. The representative, Jamal
Qasim, is a member of the KDP,s Central Committee, the
leadership body that ranks just below the KDP Politburo.


3. (C) According to Nawshirwan, on May 16, Qasim told him
that it was totally wrong to run a separate list in the
elections because to do so was against the interests of the
people. Nawshirwan reported that Qasim said that President
Barzani was willing to find a way to bring together both
wings of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) ) those
loyal to PUK Secretary General Jalal Talabani and those
aligned with the reformers ) so that they would run together
in the elections and not form separate lists. Qasim added
that Barzani was willing to do whatever it took to bring the
reformers back into the fold. Nawshirwan replied that the
reformers did not have a new list of demands; they wanted the
same things they have been asking for all along.
Furthermore, he continued, Talabani would never do what the
reformers have been asking for. As a result, Nawshirwan said
that the reformers would continue to run a separate electoral
list.


4. (C) According to Nawshirwan, Qasim returned the following
day in another attempt to persuade Nawshirwan to give up
running. He repeated the same message as the day before, but
this time his tone was less friendly, using tougher language,
and was delivered as a warning. The emphasis was no longer
on the request but on the consequences. Qasim said that the
separate list would result in a serious split, not only in
the PUK but in the Kurdish movement as a whole, and that this
split would not be in the interests of the Kurdish people,
but only of their enemies. Qasim concluded by saying that
Barzani was seriously asking Nawshirwan to give up running
the separate list because the consequences would be dangerous
for everyone: for the KDP, the PUK . . . and the reformers.

- - - - - - -
Talabani Sends Senior Iranian Intelligence Officers?
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5. (C) Nawshirwan told RRTOff that two Iranian officials paid
him a visit on May 18, calling shortly before they arrived to
let him know they were coming to see him. The sole topic of
Qlet him know they were coming to see him. The sole topic of
the meeting was the upcoming election. Besides Nawshirwan
and the two Iranian officials, Mohammad Tawfiq was the only
other person present at the meeting.


6. (C) Tawfiq claimed that the two Iranian officials were
General Majidi and General Mohamadi. Tawfiq described
General Majidi as the Deputy to IGRC Quds Force Commander
Qasim Soleimani, who oversees the KRG file in the Italaat,
the Iranian intelligence agency. Tawfiq claimed that General
Mohamadi is a deputy of General Jafari, who is the head of
the Revolutionary Guards, intelligence agency, the Qarada
Ramadan. According to Tawfiq, (who created the PUK,s
intelligence agency, the Zanyari, in 1992 at the direction of
Talabani) the Qarada Ramadan is responsible for dealing with
the Kurdistan Region, and Mohamadi is specifically
responsible for Sulaimaniyah Province.


BAGHDAD 00001473 002 OF 002



7. (C) According to Nawshirwan, the Iranian officials came at
the request of Jalal Talabani, who asked them to try to
persuade Nawshirwan to abandon his candidacy. He reported
that they said that the Government of Iran believes
Nawshirwan is not doing the correct thing, and should not
stand against Talabani. They advised him to give Talabani
more time to come up with a solution to the problems between
the PUK leadership and the reformers.


8. (C) Nawshirwan said that the Iranians said that Iran
supported Talabani and would not give up on him. They
referred to Talabani by his official title ) President
Talabani ) rather than Mam Jalal. (Mam Jalal means Uncle
Jalal; it is Talabani,s customary title.) Nawshirwan
believes they used the title &President8 on this occasion
to emphasize Talabani,s importance.


9. (C) According to Tawfiq, the Iranians spoke &as smooth as
silk.8 Yet while they never resorted to harsh language,
their words &cut as sharply as a blade.8 The Iranians
repeated the word &danger8 several times, as in: &What you
are doing is dangerous,8 and &The situation might become
very dangerous.8


10. (C) Nawshirwan and Tawfiq said that this meeting was
extremely unusual. Since the two men resigned from the
senior ranks of the PUK leadership at the end of 2006, they
had not received such high ranking Iranian officials.
Moreover, they were struck by the manner in which their
visitors had addressed them, and by the fact that the
visitors told them that they had come at the request of
Talabani himself.

- - - - - - -
Comment
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11. (C) These two recent visits by a KDP emissary and the
Government of Iran have made Nawshirwan and Tawfiq feel
increasingly worried for their safety. The PUK has publicly
stated that the Change List has a very limited appeal and
will win fewer than ten seats. However, the degree to which
the PUK is intimidating supporters of the Change List (see
reftel),indicates that perhaps privately, the party
leadership might be much more concerned than it lets on. In
addition, we continue to hear reports from various government
officials (including teachers) that have been dismissed for
supporting the Change list. The fact that now the KDP is
involved could indicate it is concerned about Nawshirwan,s
chances in the election, or that it is responding to a PUK
request. Talabani maintains close ties to the Iranians,
whereas Barzani remains extremely suspicious of them. A
contested election, possible protests and violence over
election results, and any resulting civil disorder could
serve Iranian interests, provide cover for espionage and
undercutting Kurdish autonomy.

HILL