UNAMI REP ON DA'WA, FEDERALISM AND UNIVERSITY ATTITUDES

UNCLAS HILLAH 000016

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SUBJECT: UNAMI REP ON DA'WA, FEDERALISM AND UNIVERSITY ATTITUDES

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1. (SBU) Summary: PRT Babil officers met February 7 with Dr.
Ala'a al-Enezy, UNAMI's representative for Babil Province and a
law professor at Babylon University, and fellow law professor
Dr. Hadi al-Keby. The professors expected a Da'wa governor to
emerge in Babil province through a coalition in the Provincial
Council formed primarily between Da'wa and the Sadrists. They
expected such a coalition would foster less federalism than if
an ISCI-dominated council and governor were to emerge. Al-Enezy
and al-Keby said the popularity of religious political figures
such as Moqtada al-Sadr had waned at Babylon University over the
last two years. End Summary.



SKEPTICAL OF GREATER FEDERALISM

UNDER A DA'WA-SADRIST PC

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2. (SBU) PRT Babil Rule of Law Advisor and Econoff met February
7 with Dr. Ala'a al-Enezy, UNAMI's representative for Babil
Province and a law professor at Babylon University, and fellow
law professor Dr. Hadi al-Keby. Al-Enezy and al-Keby expected a
Da'wa governor to be elected from a Provincial Council coalition
formed between Da'wa and Sadrist factions. Al-Enezy said a PC
led by Da'wa and the Sadrists, rather than ISCI, would augur
difficulties for developing provincial and local governance in
Babil Province. A further complication, al-Enezy and al-Keby
opined, was the issue of the Support Councils established by
Prime Minister Maliki. They said these councils were likely to
gain authority relative to Qadas (District Councils) and Nahias
(sub-district councils) under a Da'wa-Sadrist coalition.
Al-Enezy and al-Keby said most members of local councils,
particularly at the district and sub-district level, viewed
their positions as stepping-stones to higher offices rather than
worthwhile in their own right.



BABIL UNIVERSITY OBSERVATIONS

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3. (SBU) Asked to speculate on how their students might have
voted, Al-Enezy and al-Keby said the majority of students at
Babylon University gravitated toward religious parties, but that
roughly one-third keep an open mind. They said the youth at
their university were less religiously zealous than at other
universities or among non-students in the same age-bracket.
Al-Keby noted that, whereas two years ago many of their students
had pictures of Moqtada al-Sadr on their notebooks, today Arab
pop stars were more likely to grace their covers.



COMMENT

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4. (SBU) In addition to being the UNAMI representative for
Babil, al-Enezy worked with the second phase of USAID's Local
Governance Program (LGP) and is slated to continue with the
upcoming LGP III. A large component of LGP III will involve
supporting the efforts of district council and sub-district
council members to exercise their rights and responsibilities
under the Provincial Powers Law. While the composition of the
PC, and its impact on the implementation of the Provincial
Powers Law, still remain to be seen, we are encouraged to have a
respected Iraqi partner so acutely aware of the motivations of
local elected officials, as well as the potential tensions
between provincial governing entities and the Prime Minister's
Support Councils.

HILLAS