"INDEPENDENT" BABIL GOVERNOR ON A SHORT DA'WA LEASH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HILLAH 000041

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 5/29/2019
TAGS: PGOV PINR IZ
SUBJECT: "INDEPENDENT" BABIL GOVERNOR ON A SHORT DA'WA LEASH

HILLAH 00000041 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Kenneth Hillas, PRT Leader, Babil PRT, Dept of
State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. (C) SUMMARY: Newly elected and nominally independent Babil
Governor Salman Nasir Zargany has begun his official duties with
a flourish, but there is speculation in Al-Hillah that he is
keeping the governor's seat warm until Da'wa Chairman Abu Ahmed
al-Basri can replace him. Even though Da'wa is keeping Zargany
on a short leash, the governor has no love lost for ISCI and
former governor al-Muslimawi. The former governor is widely
believed to have been responsible for the allegations of sexual
harassment and corruption that forced Al-Zargany from his
position two years ago as Babil's Director of Sewage. Poised to
show that he can make a difference as Governor, Zargany is eager
to cooperate with the PRT/USG, especially in light of the
province's budget shortfall this year and its limited ability to
fund projects. He also shares our concern about the recent
uptick in violence in the province directed at US personnel.
Zargany is perceived as competent and honest. His focus is
strongly on improving public services, and he has taken an
aggressive stand on corruption. END SUMMARY.

PLUCKED FROM OBSCURITY,
WITH FEW KNOWN ALLIES
--------------


2. (SBU) Outside of government circles, Salman Nasir Zargany was
largely unknown until Da'wa elevated him to the governorship.
He was born in 1967 to a poor family in the Thawra neighborhood
of Hillah and later received a degree in engineering from
Baghdad University. Married with three children, Zargany is one
of five brothers, who are for the most part working class: Jasim
Nasir (deceased),who had been an admiral in the Iraqi Navy and
contender for Babil governor in 2003; Dakhil Nasir, a chemistry
professor at Babylon University; Jaleel Nasir, the owner of a
flour factory; and Hamza Nasir, who runs a trucking business.


3. (C) Zargany served as Babil's Director for Sewage until 2007
when he was suspended for six months and sent to Karbala after,
it is widely believed, former governor al-Muslimawi and others
in ISCI lodged accusations against him of sexual harassment and
corruption. Al-Zargany's supporters contend the charges were
false and resulted from Zargany's opposition to ISCI's attempts
to manipulate the placement of public works projects for
political gain. Aside from the time of his banishment to
Karbala, Zargany lived in his modest family home until he was
elected governor.


4. (C) Despite having been rescued from his Karbala exile by
Da'wa, Zargany has no political base of his own, and is heavily
reliant on Da'wa to maintain his position. He was picked by
Da'wa because he was viewed as a competent, independent
technocrat. Da'wa party leader Abu Ahmed al-Basri told us that
al-Zargany signed an undated letter of resignation, which Da'wa
has retained should it wish to replace him. In a sign of the
limits of his independence, Zargany is waiting to be informed by
the governing Da'wa-led coalition about who will fill the
advisor and assistant positions in the governor's office -- key
chits for Da'wa to buy political allies in the Provincial
Council. According to Zargany's assistant, the governor fears
being replaced within a year by al-Basri, whose educational
qualifications have thus far disqualified him from eligibility
for the governorship, according to the Provincial Powers Law.
Al-Basri expects to receive in early June his bachelor's degree
in education at al-Kahara University.

COOPERATIVE ON SECURITY,
BUT TRYING TO AVOID STICKY POLITICS
--------------


5. (C) Zargany has signaled his intent that political
maneuvering not interfere with Babil's security, and his desire
to work closely with the U.S. Like a majority of PC members,
Zargany signed a letter requesting the release from U.S. custody
of Ehsan Talib Hassan, a JAM deputy brigade commander who is
also the husband of a Sadrist PC member. However, Zargany
concurred in our decision to take this question off the table in
the current security environment, so as not to send the wrong
signal to JAM/SG. Zargany is cautious about dealing on his own
with sensitive political issues like this one, and he generally
follows the lead of Da'wa on such matters. His instincts on
security issues are solid. Within an hour of the arrest
recently of a Special Groups (SG) operative caught red-handed
emplacing an IED on a road, the Governor called from his convoy
into a radio show to praise the police officer who made the
arrest, offering him a letter of commendation and an award.
Zargany said he did this immediately after the arrest in order
to preempt any political entities from trying to exert pressure
on the IP to release the detainee.


HILLAH 00000041 002.2 OF 002



6. (C) The governor has expressed concern that, in the run-up to
parliamentary elections, those who lost the provincial election,
i.e. ISCI/Badr, would try to manipulate Special Groups to show
that the new provincial government is not as able to maintain
security as the previous one led by ISCI. He has also proposed
consultations with us on the aims of the JAM/SG forces operating
in Babil, with a particular focus on the role/influence of a
"foreign power" (i.e. Iran). He has expressed uncertainty about
Iran's aims, which he believes may also be to intimidate
moderate Sadrist leaders in order to maintain Iranian influence.



7. (C) Al-Zargany is most comfortable immersing himself in
technocratic issues related to essential services - his obvious
strong suit. At a PRT briefing on past and current projects,
al-Zargany zeroed in on master plans for Babil's water and
sewage systems. He showed comparatively less interest in other
PRT projects and programs related to governance, economic
development or the rule of law. He has stressed his desire to
work closely with the PRT -- noting in his first conversation
after his election that he "trusts" the PRT, based on its record
in the province -- and that our work be coordinated directly
with his office, rather than the various committees of the
Provincial Council.

COMMENT: ANTI-CORRUPTION AGENDA WILL TEST GOVERNOR'S
EARLY RETICENCE TO WADE INTO POLITICAL WATERS
-------------- --------------


8. (C) The governor's desire to stay out of thorny political
issues may be compromised if he pursues his stated objective of
aggressively pursuing corruption in the province. This strategy
appears to be coming at the behest of Da'wa, which has
identified anti-corruption as a key pole in its strategy in the
run-up to parliamentary elections. In public pronouncements and
private discussions with the PRT, al-Zargany has voiced his
commitment to combating corruption, particularly in the
government contracting process. The decisions of the previous
ISCI government -- which obligated all of this year's and
probably most of next year's budget -- are likely to be an
object of great scrutiny in any anti-corruption campaign. After
being banished to Karbala as a DG, Zargany seems ready to
investigate ISCI's contracting practices, and Da'wa is not
likely to restrain him.
HILLAS