PRT MAYSAN: MAYSANI PC MEMBERS ATTEND IRI

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 000343 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/09/2020 TAGS: PGOV KCOR IZ SUBJECT: PRT MAYSAN: MAYSANI PC MEMBERS ATTEND IRI FORUM-ERBIL (C-IA9-01240) REF: A. 09 BAGHDAD 2789 ¶B. 09 STATE 125733 Classified By: PRT Team Leader Stephen B. Banks for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (U) This is a Maysan PRT reporting cable. ¶2. (C) SUMMARY AND COMMENT: Maysan PRTOffs accompanied Maysan Provincial Council (PC) members, including PC Chair Abd Al-Rathah Reesan (ISCI),to the International Republican Institute,s (IRI) National Forum of Iraqi Provincial Leaders in Erbil, January 13-14, 2010. PC members from across the country identified the need for clarification of distribution of powers under the Provincial Powers Law, especially in regard to investment, as key for local government. That failure could adversely affect the success of the State of Law coalition at election time in Maysan. With national parliamentary elections just weeks away, Maysan PC members heard from other provincial council members from throughout the country, most vocally from the provinces of Babil and Basrah, that the central government seems incapable of delegating authority from Baghdad to the benefit of the provinces. END SUMMARY AND COMMENT. Maysan PC Members express interest in U.S. programs - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶3. (C) During conversations with PRToffs, Maysan PC Chair Abd Hussain Abd Al-Rathah Reesan (ISCI) complimented the work of previous Team Leaders (TLs) and said he was looking forward to working with the new TL. PRTOffs mentioned that Maysan Governor Shi'a (SLA/Da'wa) was working on a comprehensive list of brick and mortar projects for PRT consideration. Abd Al-Rathah suggested that the PRT would have greater success if he and other PC members had increased input on the selection of contractors. PRTOffs understood this to mean that Abd Al-Rathah and his cohorts should be given PRT-CERP funded construction contracts. When PRTOffs mentioned that the PRT had access to USG-sponsored visitor programs, Abd Al-Rathah said he would be interested in participating in U.S. conferences related to investment and asked the USG to pay for his and his group,s travel costs. Abd Al-Rathah is still annoyed that the Prime Minister invited Governor Shi'a to the October 2009 Iraqi Investor,s Conference in Washington and not him. (Reftel A) ¶4. (C) The Maysan delegation included four other PC members: Sa,ad Auaid Hariz Hassan (INA/National Reform Trend- NRT),Culture Committee chair; Mouhsin Mousa Karam Abdullah (INA/ISCI),Investment; Yousra Naji Thamad Mohsin (INA/NRT), Human Rights; and fourth wife of the PC Chair Abd Al-Rathah. Maysan PC members did not ask any questions during the Forum and did not attend any afternoon sessions. When speaking to PRToffs during breaks in the conference, they were more concerned about local Maysani affairs and refrained from commenting on issues related to the Forum. By contrast, Dhi Qar PC member Ahmed Taha frequently offered opinions that related to the Shi'a south. Taha advocated examining the Kurdish trials and successes more closely as a solution to the problems between central and provincial governments. Taha argued that central and provincial government problems went beyond traditional distribution of powers concerns, and were exacerbated by political blocs jockeying for power. PC Members seek better central government relationship - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶5. (C) Overall, PC members voiced their belief that the central government does not understand the roles of provincial councils as established in the provincial powers law resulting in the marginalization of PC power. The PCs are pleading for a clarification of the laws, especially in Qare pleading for a clarification of the laws, especially in areas related to investment as it is a key to improving living standards in the provinces. BIO NOTE - - - - ¶6. (C) (Reftel B) Provincial Council (PC) Chairman Abd Hussain Abd Al-Rathah Reesan (ISCI) won election to the Maysan Provincial Council in 2005. Abd Al-Rathah (as of January 2010) has four wives and his fourth wife, Yousra Naji Thamad Mohsin (National Reform Trend),is also a member of the PC. In the January 2009 PC elections he built on his base as a member of the Al-Saedi Tribe and received the highest vote total (over 6,000) of PC members in that open list election. Returning from Iran after the fall of Saddam Hussein, Abd Al-Rathah worked as an education supervisor. He does not appear to have an academic background. In politics, he is known as a very social man of the people. Many average citizens claim to know him personally. He is very well connected among tribal groups. He is a member of ISCI-Shaheed Al-Mihrab. He is reputedly popular in the province and as a result of his social skills and political power is frequently invited as a guest of honor to weddings in Maysan Province. Abd Al-Rathah comes across as a populist "machine" politician; he has great interpersonal skills. He frequently gripes that the Governor and other provincial executive branch officials usurp the PC,s prerogatives, but the PRT,s project implementation experience has been that the PC Chairman is not effective at achieving results. COMMENT - - - - ¶7. (C) This conference offered Maysan PRTOffs a great opportunity to cultivate the PRT's young relationship with the PC Chairman, and won us a hoped-for offer to observe a PC session. Direct access of this type has been challenging in Maysan, where the Sadrists continue to attract support -- despite getting decisively turned out of provincial government one year ago -- and even non-Sadrists tend to be careful to avoid seeming "too close" to the Americans. While the PC Chairman may be the better glad-hander and perhaps have a larger popular following, the more reserved and more professional Governor wields more influence, and may be more committed to doing the hard work of governing. HILL