KRG PRESIDENT BARZANI WILLING TO COOPERATE ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 002896

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/24/2024
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PHUM IZ
SUBJECT: KRG PRESIDENT BARZANI WILLING TO COOPERATE ON
ELECTION LAW

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Gray Grappo for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary. In a meeting with the Ambassador's Senior
Advisor for Northern Iraq, Kurdistan Regional President (KRG)
Masoud Barzani expressed his commitment to working with the
U.S. and the GOI on a draft election law. He pledged
flexibility regarding the terms, but firmly expressed his
disapproval of an arrangement involving a proportional
allocation of seats for Kirkuk, which he deemed
"unconstitutional." He dismissed allegations that the KRG had
relocated 600,000 Kurds to the province of Kirkuk to effect
demographic change (a charge commonly made by Kirkuki Arabs
and Turkomans),and said he would welcome a parliamentary
delegation to Erbil to discuss the election law. Barzani
was cordial in emphasizing shared goals and a willingness to
cooperate, and firm in pushing back against seat allocation,
but stopped short of saying the KRG would not discuss or
consider it. The Embassy will maintain close contact with
Barzani as we work to facilitate an acceptable election law.
End Summary.


2. (C) The Ambassador's Senior Advisor for Northern Iraq,
Alan Misenheimer, met with KRG President Masoud Barzani in
Erbil on October 24. Barzani reiterated his commitment to
closely coordinate with the Kurdish Alliance List (KAL) bloc
in Parliament and stressed his desire to work with the U.S.
in achieving an acceptable compromise on an election law. He
is willing to accept a proposal calling for the establishment
of special committees to review voter registration lists, so
long as it is an "honest" process and the committee's work is
not limited to Kirkuk alone. (Note: KAL members have raised
concerns about unusually large increases in the number of
registered voters in Ninewa, Diyala, Anbar, Karbala and
Basra. End note.) Barzani said the KRG would welcome any
inquiry into allegations of abuse in Kirkuk by Kurdish
Assayesh or Peshmerga forces. Claiming that it would "be
impossible to conceal even 600,000 swallows in Kirkuk, much
less people," he dismissed claims by Arabs and Turkomans that
the KRG had moved hundreds of thousands of Kurds into Kirkuk
to effect demographic change.


3. (C) Barzani rejected a proposal to negotiate an
allocation of parliamentary seats along ethnic lines for
Kirkuk with some emotion. Such an approach, he argued, would
infringe on the voters' right to choose candidates and
parties, was unconstitutional and "creates a new problem
instead of solving an old one." He reiterated several times
the familiar view that it is the Sunni Arab groups who insist
on seat allocation as a means to foreclose possibility of
compromise on an election law and forestall the election. The
Senior Advisor underscored several times the need for maximum
flexibility on the modalities of the election law. Barzani
said he wanted to keep in direct contact with the U.S. as
debate over the law progresses in the Political Council for
National Security (PCNS). (Note: The PCNS met late October 25
and decided to refer the election law to the Presidency
Council, which comprises the president, the two vice
presidents, the Prime Minister, the two deputy prime
ministers, the Speaker of the Parliament and his two deputy
speakers. End note.) While expressing skepticism that the
Arabs would accept compromise, he carefully avoided saying
the Kurdish side would not discuss seat allocation at all.


4. (C) The Senior Advisor appealed to Barzani to send a
Q4. (C) The Senior Advisor appealed to Barzani to send a
Kurdish delegation to Baghdad to keep the channels of
dialogue open with the U.S. and the GOI. On the question of
a COR delegation to visit Kurdistan, Barzani said he was
puzzled by the telegram he received from the Deputy House
Speaker informing him that House Speaker Ayad al-Samarra'ie
"has the intention" to send a delegation to discuss the
election law with him. Barzani said that the telegram did
not indicate when the delegation would come. Barzani
commented that he found the vague communication odd, and
clearly doubted that any delegation will come, but also
stressed that he would welcome a discussion of the issue with
any delegation.


5. (C) Comment: With Barzani's Kurdish Alliance List
partner, President Talabani, in Baghdad to chair the PCNS,
the Kurds have positioned themselves well to shape ongoing
negotiations over the election law. Barzani studiously
avoided rejecting altogether the possibility of a compromise
involving a seat allocation component; however, his message
and demeanor suggested that getting him to accept such a
formulation would require significant pressure - and possibly
tangible inducements. End Comment.
HILL