DISPUTED INTERNAL BOUNDARIES: UNAMI ARAB-KURD

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001595 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/18/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL IZ SUBJECT: DISPUTED INTERNAL BOUNDARIES: UNAMI ARAB-KURD TASK FORCE MEETS AGAIN! REF: BAGHDAD 1531 Classified By: Political Counselor John Fox for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) . ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: UNAMI's Arab Kurd High-Level Task Force (HLTF) met again on Tuesday, June 16. UNAMI staff reports that discussions were polite and, at times, jovial. Arab and Kurd negotiators agreed to ground-rules for the negotiations, and to meet again next week on Tuesday, June 23. Both sides agreed to discuss the disposition of Aqrah district (Ninewa) based on UNAMI's Disputed Internal Boundaries (DIBs) report of the area. Negotiations on Makhmur (Ninewa),Hamdaniya (Ninewa),and Mandali (Diyala) will follow. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) GOI and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) representatives met jointly with UNAMI on Tuesday, June 16 for the second time in the context of UNAMI's HLTF to discuss disputed territories in northern Iraq. All parties were on time and present throughout the meeting (Reftel). (NOTE: Saadi Barzinji has been removed from the KRG negotiating side. END NOTE). Safa Al Din Al Safi and Farouk Abdallah represented the GOI, Mohammed Ihsan and Khalid Schwani represented KRG. Andrew Gilmour (Acting Special Representative of the UN Secretary General (SRSG)),Birgitta Alani (Acting Deputy SRSG),and Adam Hinds (UNAMI poloff) represented UNAMI. The meeting lasted two hours; UNAMI staff described the mood as polite, even jovial at times, as the GOI and KRG sides joked with one other about each others' familiarity with the UNAMI reports and the nature (disputed or not) of some DIBs territories. ¶3. (C) UNAMI staff outlined principles and ground rules for the negotiations, to which both GOI and KRG sides agreed. (NOTE: The text of the Agreement of Principles is below at para 7. END NOTE). They also agreed to meet again next week on Tuesday, June 23, at 1500 at the SRSG villa. At that meeting, the parties will discuss the disposition of Ninewa's Aqrah district. ¶4. (C) The discussion of heavily-Kurdish Aqrah will be based on the UNAMI DIBs report covering that district. The KRG initially objected to the characterization of Aqrah as a disputed territory, believing that its status as part of the KRG had already been settled. (COMMENT: The KRG may also not want to have Aqrah as part of the negotiation because they want to avoid having to make concessions to GOI on other territory in exchange for Aqrah. END COMMENT). Gilmour noted that UNAMI chose to research areas in the DIBs reports for a variety of reasons not limited to disputed status. Al Safi (GOI) suggested that both sides defer to UNAMI's guidance on setting the agenda. Ultimately the Kurds agreed. ¶5. (C) Additional territories queued up for negotiation on June 23 and beyond are Makhmur (Ninewa),Hamdaniya (Ninewa and Mandali (Diyala). As part of the discussion, UNAMI proposes to have confidence-building measures available to facilitate negotiation if obstacles arise. UNAMI staff do not believe that the sides will conclude negotiations over Aqrah next week. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶6. (C) A second consecutive meeting (and a first joint meeting) between the GOI and KRG on disputed territories is a success in itself (Reftel). That the meeting occurred without rancor, and with an agreement to begin discussing specific territories so quickly, are considerable additional achievements for UNAMI. However, it may be that part of the reason both sides were so genial is that neither side has had to consider concessions yet. The real proof of each side's commitment to the talks will begin to reveal itself next week Qcommitment to the talks will begin to reveal itself next week with actual discussions of specific territories. We do not expect progress to be rapid. END COMMENT. -------------- AGREEMENT OF PRINCIPLES -------------- ¶7. (C) The text of UNAMI's Agreement of Principles, to which both the GOI and KRG negotiators agreed, follows below. Agreement of Principles -------------- The representatives of the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government have agreed to join the "Task Force for Dialogue on the UNAMI Reports." In joining the Task Force, the parties underscore the importance of BAGHDAD 00001595 002 OF 002 resolving disputed internal boundaries and reconfirm the following principles and follow-up actions: -- The territorial integrity and unity of Iraq; -- Full respect for the Iraqi Constitution; -- The purpose of the Task Force is to promote trust, prevent conflict, and advance justice for all while bringing communities together, not separating them; -- Full recognition of the suffering and hardship experienced as a result of deliberate policies and practices that targeted communities; -- Every community and individual in Iraq enjoys basic civil, human, and political rights, regardless of religion, sect, or ethnicity, or the administrative boundaries in which they live; -- The security of the residents of the areas in question, the Kurdistan region, and all of Iraq remains a priority concern; -- Facilitate the provision of services including, inter alia, education and health care for all communities; -- Implement confidence building measures to promote trust, clarify administrative functions, address development needs, or facilitate an appropriate security posture; -- Define the administrative boundaries, and corresponding responsibilities, between the Kurdistan Regional Government and adjoining governorates; -- The UNAMI reports on "Disputed Internal Boundaries" provide the basis for discussion. -- To achieve the above principles, both sides agree to the following: --- Attend a weekly Task Force meeting hosted by UNAMI in Baghdad at 1500 hours every Tuesday. The Task Force will meet provided at least one member of each delegation is present. --- Avoid making public statements on the content of the meetings. --- UNAMI will provide the Secretariat support for the Task Force that will include preparing the agenda of the meetings in consultation with the two sides, prepare and distribute notes on the meetings, and facilitate discussion as necessary. FORD