US embassy cable - 05BAGHDAD2463

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002463 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/10/2025 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, MOPS, PTER, IZ 
SUBJECT: FALLUJAH CITY COUNCIL SELECTS MAYOR 
 
Classified By: Acting Political Counselor Henry S. 
Ensher.  Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY.  The Fallujah City Council selected 
Sheikh Dhari Abd Alhadi Yousif al-Ersan as mayor in a 
June 7 session.  Four candidates put their names 
forward for the job (two were absent from the 
meeting); Sheikh Dhari received 16 of 17 council votes 
cast by secret ballot.  The selection process led to 
complaints (and a subsequent walk-out) of four 
Fallujah residents who complained that the new mayor 
should be directly elected by the people, not by its 
council members.  The city council also welcomed 
Brigadier General Salah (Deputy Commander, Public 
Order Brigade) in his new role as City Police Chief, 
and noted that the weekly Ministry of Industry and 
Minerals-led Monday reconstruction meetings would be 
merged with the regularly scheduled city council 
sessions.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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MAYOR OF FALLUJAH:  SHEIKH DHARI 
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2.  (C) In a well-organized and succinct city council 
session, members elected Sheikh Dhari Abd Alhadi 
Yousif al-Ersan as mayor.  Four candidates put their 
name forward for the city's top job.  The council's 
Vice-Chairman, Qassem Mohammed Abdulsttar al-Jassem, 
opened the meeting by speaking to the issue of 
democracy as a principle of governance.  He noted that 
the term democracy was a Greek word, which meant that 
people were responsible; "they are in charge."  Iraq's 
citizens had suffered greatly "under the darkness" 
during the last years, but now needed to work toward 
unity.  They could not have separate parts of Iraq, he 
declared, "we are a whole."  Qassem made the following 
points: 
 
--Fallujah is part of Iraq.  It cannot be divided from 
the country. 
 
--The city had suffered considerably in the past, but 
there was now an opportunity for the city to take 
advantage of the new situation:  "we must fight 
against all forms of corruption, crime and bad works." 
 
--Fallujans needed to work toward freeing many 
detainees. 
 
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CANDIDATES MAKE SPEECHES 
------------------------ 
 
3.  (C) Qassem, in his capacity as Vice-Chairman of 
the council, oversaw the mayoral election process. 
The four candidates' names had been listed on a nearby 
board; the two present -- Sheikh Dhari and Engineer 
Farouq Abdu Mohammed -- were offered the floor.  Dhari 
spoke only briefly, flagging his background as Colonel 
in the Iraqi Army.  Dhari also stated that he came 
from a main tribe in the region, the Zobai (Al- 
Zawbaa). 
 
4.  (C) Farouq Abdu Mohammed, in contrast, spoke at 
length.  He highlighted that he had graduated from 
university in Baghdad with a chemistry degree, served 
as a lieutenant in the Iraqi army, and now was as a 
businessman.  Farouq offered a lengthy set of 
additional points on his civic priorities:  security 
as top concern; police from the area; more jobs; 
sewer, hospital and school repairs.  He stressed that 
Fallujah could serve as a bridge to the rest of Iraq 
as a "model city." 
 
5.  (C) The other two candidates (Samir Rasheed and 
Jassem Mohamed Abid Al-Subayhe) did not attend the 
session; Qassem read a short biography on each.  Four 
residents in the audience interjected that Fallujah's 
mayor should be elected by the people of the city, not 
selected by the council.  This would represent real 
democracy.  Qassem reiterated that the stated 
selection process by council members would stand; the 
objecting residents then quietly left the room in 
protest. 
 
6.  (C) Council members, numbering 17 present, cast 
secret ballots on slips of paper.  Sheikh Dhari 
 
SIPDIS 
received 16 votes, Farouq Abdu Mohammed one vote.  The 
new mayor spoke briefly, thanking those present for 
their trust in him.  He said he did not want to talk a 
lot about himself but looked forward to working with 
the city and enjoying success in all areas. 
 
7.  (C) The mayor's position in Fallujah has been 
vacant since Operation Al-Fajr (November 2004). 
Filling this vacuum in city governance constitutes an 
important step toward moving Fallujah into a more 
sustainable self-governance and reconstruction mode. 
In private conversations with PolOff, several local 
residents have expressed support for Sheikh Dhari. 
 
8.  (C) Comment:  The Coalition's interaction with 
Sheikh Dhari has been limited.  He only recently 
became active in city governance issues with his 
selection in April as one of the tribal 
representatives on the council.  His transparent 
selection in an open session should help bestow 
legitimacy among city residents.  The new mayor has a 
big job ahead of him in Fallujah's challenging 
security and reconstruction environment.  This effort 
will require not only local support and political 
swagger, but also personal stamina.  Effective 
interaction with the Provincial Council in Ramadi will 
also be key to Sheikh Dhari's long-term success, 
changing Fallujans' traditional go-it-alone mindset. 
 
9.  (U) REO HILLA, REO BASRA, REO MOSUL, and REO 
KIRKUK, minimize considered. 
 
 
 
Jeffrey