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.

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COMMENT
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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.

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AGREEMENT OF PRINCIPLES
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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

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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