CORRECTED COPY: PRT KARBALA: ANTI-BA'ATH SENTIMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 000394

SIPDIS
NOFORN

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/I

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/13/2020
TAGS: KDEM PREL PGOV IZ
SUBJECT: CORRECTED COPY: PRT KARBALA: ANTI-BA'ATH SENTIMENT
RUNS HIGH AS ELECTION SEASON KICKS OFF

REF: A. BAGHDAD 0365

B. BAGHDAD 0338

Classified By: Classified by PRT Karbala Team Leader John Kincannon for
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. This is a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Karbala
report.


2. (C/NF) SUMMARY AND COMMENT: Karbala Governor Amal al-Din
al-Hir (State of Law) told PRToffs on February 11 that the
United States had suffered a "loss of prestige" from its
perceived efforts to "return Ba'athists to power" and warned
of increased resentment against the Unites States. The
Governor claimed there are two thousand Ba'athists working
and living in Karbala after post-Saddam de-Ba'athification
efforts. While he stated that those Ba'athists had never
faced repercussions, he cited no tolerance for Ba'athists
with "blood on their hands." On February 11, Karbala's
Provincial Council formed a provincial Accountability and
Justice Committee (PAJC) "to keep Ba'athists away from the
governmental departments." Anti-Ba'athist sentiment
continues to grow in Karbala, with local incumbents having
discovered a convenient political hot button issue to divert
political attention from the issue of public service
delivery. End Summary and Comment.


3. (C/NF) Karbala's Governor Amal al-Din al-Hir (State of
Law) told PRToffs on February 11 that the United States had
suffered a loss of prestige in southern Iraq from its
perceived efforts to "restore Ba'athists to power." He
warned PRToffs of increased resentment against the U.S.
following Arba'in attacks in Karbala by alleged Ba'athist
elements, which combined with continued media reports of U.S.
"interference" in the AJC controversy could result in blame
of the U.S. for pre-election violence (refs A-B). PRT Team
Leader restated the United States' opposition to the Ba,ath
party and support for the independence and integrity of
Iraq's political and judicial institutions, and asked the
governor to help clarify USG policy on the matter. Amal did
not appear to be interested in doing so, focusing instead on
what he characterized as Ba'athist crimes.


4. (C/NF) The Governor asserted that there are two thousand
Ba'athists still working and living in Karbala even after
post-Saddam de-Ba'athification efforts. He stated that
nearly 99 percent of ISF officers in Karbala served the
former regime, but Karbalans accept them because the officers
want to serve their country. However, he cited no tolerance
for Ba'athists with "blood on their hands," and complained
that Ba'athists still have the money, assets and support of
Gulf countries ) all the basis for their previous power,
querying "How can Shi'a compete with that?"


5. (U) A PRT local employee reported on February 10 that
Karbala's PC was planning to initiate a de-Ba'athification
process within local government using the PC Committee on
Anti-Corruption, chaired by PM Maliki's cousin, Ali Mohammad
Sharif al-Maliki. Media reports indicated that Deputy PC
Chairman Nassif Jassim Mohammad al-Khotabi (State of Law)
said February 11 that "The provincial committee will study
all Ba'athist files to keep them away from the governmental
departments," and attributed responsibility for the Arba,in
attacks to unnamed Ba'athists.


6. (C/NF) COMMENT: In PRT's February 11 meeting with the
Governor, he signaled a "live and let live" note on former
Ba'athists in the province despite his hardline support for
the actions of the AJC in Baghdad. He may have been
disingenuous or he may not be on the same page as his
political coalition partners Khotabi and Mohammad Hamid
Qpolitical coalition partners Khotabi and Mohammad Hamid
al-Musawi (Sadrist Trend). Musawi, in particular, enjoys a
reputation from his earliest days in office seeking to
dismiss competent provincial technocrats and replacing them
with unqualified members of his extended clan. Certainly,
one attraction of the Ba'athist issue is that it allows local
political incumbents to focus political dialogue on the issue
of preventing the return of the hated "Ba'athists" and away
from the issue of public service delivery, on which they are
politically vulnerable. It remains to be seen whether this
is just merely heated rhetoric or whether this will devolve
into a provincial witch hunt. End comment.
FORD