PRT DIYALA: DIYALA'S IRAQ NATIONAL PROJECT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000645

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/12/2019
TAGS: PGOV KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: PRT DIYALA: DIYALA'S IRAQ NATIONAL PROJECT
GATHERING PARTY REPRESENTATIVES

Classified By: PRT Diyala Leader George White for reasons 1.4 (b) and (
d)


1. (U) This is a PRT Diyala Reporting Cable


2. (C) SUMMARY: PRT Diyala recently met local
representatives from the Iraqi National Project Gathering
(INPG) list, which tied for second in Diyala's provincial
elections. INPG representatives articulated a vision for
improving Diyala that focused on the province's economy,
higher education, security, and rooting out corruption. They
also, however, seemed interested in settling scores with
outgoing provincial council members. The group did not
address how the party might work effectively in a council
with seven different parties holding seats. END SUMMARY.

--------------
THE DIYALA NATIONAL DIALOGUE
--------------


3. (SBU) The INPG is a Sunni Arab secular party which won
six of the twenty-nine seats in the recent Diyala provincial
council (PC) elections, tying for second with the Kurdistan
Alliance in Diyala. The party is affiliated with Saleh Al
Mutlaq's National Dialogue Front (Hewar) party. On February
18th, PRT Diyala met with Ra'ad Daliki, Ali Hadi, Rasem
Ismael Hamoud, and Bassem al Zubaideya of the INPG at the
PRT. Ra'ad, an attorney, also serves as the Head of the
Ba'aqubah Municipal Council. Rasem is an urban planner and
researcher, Ali is a physical education teacher, and Bassem
is the INPG's Human Rights Chief. They discussed election
results, their campaign program, and their goals for the new
PC.

--------------
THE PC CAMPAIGN AND ELECTION RESULTS
--------------


4. SBU The INPG representatives were disappointed in the
election results, having expected to win eight to ten seats.
They suggested that they might have been victims of
vote-rigging, but did not elaborate. They did not suggest
that they were going to register a complaint against the
election results.


5. (SBU) Rasem described the three elements of the party's
platform: agricultural development, easing unemployment,
especially for college graduates, and increasing income. The
INPG considered its platform pragmatic, supporting the Iraqi
national interest while denouncing sectarianism and
tribalism. They claimed that their candidates spent less
than $3,000 each on the campaign, with the national Hewar
headquarters contributing a similar or lesser amount. Ra'ad
and the others joked that the party borrowed its slogan of
"change" from President Obama's campaign.

--------------
GOVERNING PROGRAM
--------------


6. (SBU) Rasem declared INPG's governing agenda to be
improving security, living standards, and health in Diyala.
Ra'ad thought that security and stability are essential for
providing the underlying framework for economic and other
development. Rasem also stressed the importance of unbiased,
professional institutions. The group consider health broadly
defined, including not only medicine, but also basic services
as water, sewage, and electricity.

--------------
ECONOMIC PROGRAM
--------------


7. (SBU) Ra'ad believed that, to improve living standards,
the next PC would have to improve the economic sector so that
it adds jobs and increases both income and revenue. He said
that provincial government should create a strategy and
framework that would encourage private enterprise, rather
than develop a large public sector. The group maintained
that the government can counter the mentality that a
government job is the only source of financial security by
providing a social safety net. They also want to develop
Qproviding a social safety net. They also want to develop
policies to encourage both investment and the return of
skilled professionals who have left Diyala. While expressing
interest in developing the energy sector in Diyala, e.g. in
Khanaqin Qada, they identified agriculture and light industry
related to processing agricultural goods as the best avenues
to diversify from an oil-based economy.

--------------
EDUCATION
--------------

BAGHDAD 00000645 002 OF 002




8. (SBU) Hadi, a teacher, stressed the importance of
upgrading vocational training by improving educational
facilities, but considered the main challenge to be
encouraging the return of university-level educators who fled
Diyala. In order to counterbalance the low salaries that
professors receive, he proposed building subsidized housing
for them, and providing them with favorable loans and other
financial incentives.

--------------
LAW AND ORDER
--------------


9. (SBU) Ra'ad believes that positions in security and
intelligence should be awarded on merit and not monopolized
by a single group ) a pointed reference to Diyala's police
and army, which are around 98 per cent Shi'a. The INPG is
keenly interested in releasing detainees who have been
detained on but not convicted of questionable charges. They
considered obtaining the release of many detained but
apparently falsely charged individuals to be one of Hewar's
successes at the national level.

--------------
FIGHTING CORRUPTION
--------------


10. (C) Fighting corruption held great importance for the
INPG; they ruefully noted that Iraq has been described as the
most corrupt country in the world. They made it clear that
they intended to act quickly to install transparent
government and to settle scores from the past. Ra'ad said
"an official yesterday will be questioned today;" Bassem
asked for U.S. assistance to prevent current Diyala
government officials from leaving the province for the next
ninety days - to allow time to investigate them.

--------------
EXPERIENCE WITH AMERICANS
--------------


11. (C) Bassem remarked that much of the Iraqi public
thought that USG encouraged corruption in Iraq; he relayed a
story in which current Diyala Governor Ra'ad Tamimi, when
confronted with discrepancies in the province's finances,
suggested that U.S. contractors were siphoning money from
Diyala projects. Bassem added further that rampant
corruption in Iraq during the USG presence here had tarnished
the U.S. reputation for promoting transparency. Rasem blamed
USG for the "quick transition" from pre- to post-invasion
governance that left Iraqis confused and unprepared for life
after Saddam, claiming this led to increased violence.
Bassem suggested that only Iran benefited from U.S.
interference in Iraqi affairs, while both the U.S. and Iraq
suffered. However, he stated that the U.S.' neutrality
during the provincial elections had been constructive.
Separately, he complained that previous meetings with the PRT
had led to no concrete results.

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


12. (C) The PRT is concerned that INPG's interest in
investigating corruption in the previous (Shi'a-Arab) led PC
might have political or sectarian overtones. We also found
their lack of comment on potential coalition partners
puzzling: although Ra'ad mentioned that the various winning
lists were discussing possible coalitions together, he did
not address specific power-sharing arrangements in the new
PC. Ra'ad did state that decisions will need to be
consensual rather than based on a single group's interests
since several parties will share representation in the new
PC.


13. (SBU) This initial meeting with the party provided the
PRT an excellent opportunity to establish a good initial
working relationship with INPG leaders. After initial
reserve, their approach to us quickly became friendly. They
expressed interest in working with the PRT, and agreed to a
follow-up meeting that would discuss PRT-INPG cooperation,
particularly in support of anti-corruption measures. END
Qparticularly in support of anti-corruption measures. END
COMMENT.
BUTENIS