US embassy cable - 05BAGHDAD2863

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 002863 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
 
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, IZ, National Assembly 
SUBJECT: KIRKUK: US, UK ENGAGE KIRKUK ETHNIC GROUPS TO 
ACHIEVE CONSENSUS GOVERNMENT 
 
Ref:  Baghdad 2746 
 
Baghdad 2860 
 
This is a REO Kirkuk cable. 
 
1.  (SBU) SUMMARY.  U.S. Kirkuk Regional Embassy 
Office Coordinator (RC) and UK Acting Consul General 
called on Arab, Turkmen, and Kurdish blocs of the 
Kirkuk Provincial Council July 3 and 4 to urge them to 
form a consensus government.  The Turkmen and Arab 
blocs say they will remain engaged in the political 
process if they obtain four key government posts -- 
deputy governor, mayor, appointments committee 
chairman, and reconstruction committee chairman, and 
have a say in balancing appointments to the director 
generalships.  While emotions ran high, all agreed to 
meet again July 7.  Separately, the Kirkuk Provincial 
Council met July 4; they and delayed elections on a 
deputy governor until July 18 and sharply criticized 
Iraq's Prime Minister for recent statements on Kirkuk. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
Kurdish, Turkmen, and Arab Blocs 
Meet for First Time in Months 
-------------------------------- 
 
2.  (SBU) Kirkuk REO -- together with UK Acting Consul 
General and U.S. 116BCT team government commander -- 
initiated the first face-to-face meeting of Turkmen, 
Arab and Kurdish political leaders since January 
elections to discuss provincial government on July 3. 
A second session was held July 4.  Attendees are 
listed in para 14.  RC told the group that the U.S. 
seeks consensus in appointments for both cabinet and 
the constitutional committee.  Excluding core 
constituencies in this fragile phase of democracy 
could dampen faith in the process and embolden 
insurgents.  We expected this effort would pay off 
soon agreement to include 15 new Sunnis in the 
constitutional committee in Baghdad. 
 
3.  (SBU) RC said the U.S. had similar hopes for 
Kirkuk, also a sensitive issue that needed broad 
consensus to preserve its unique ethnic identity.  RC 
stressed that this same message had been delivered by 
Embassy Baghdad to senior Kurdish leaders (ref A). 
She told the group that if it could arrive at 
agreements, the U.S. would do what it could to back 
them up at all levels and with all players who had 
shown an interest in the future of this province. 
 
Myriad Complaints Lobbed, No One Injured 
---------------------------------------- 
 
4.  (SBU) All participants thanked the U.S. for 
bringing them together and agreed that consensus is 
required to move ahead in Kirkuk.  Mohammad Kamal 
(KDP) complained that 28 meetings had failed to 
produce results from Turkmen and Arabs.  Anwar 
Biraqdar (Turkmen Justice Party) said consensus would 
not be possible with only one leadership post (deputy 
governor) being offered to the combined list of 
Turkmen and Arab blocs. 
 
5.  (SBU) Zhala Younis (Iraqi Turkmen Front) argued 
that the Kurds had reached agreement last week with 
the Turkmen but the Kurds had told them they might 
veto individual nominees.  Several participants 
complained that the KBL was "vetting" candidates to 
see if they supported Kirkuk's inclusion into 
Kurdistan.  Rizgar Ali Hamjan (PUK) told the group 
that the KBL had not levied this condition, and said 
press accounts to the contrary (ref B) were false. 
 
6.  (SBU) Ahmed Mohamed Al-Zubaydi (Iraqi National 
Gathering) questioned the Kurds' interest in 
consensus, as they now encumbered all key government 
posts in the province, leaving only five unimportant 
directorates to the Arabs.  (Comment:  Zubaydi 
overlooked the Northern Oil Company directorship, 
which does provide significant employment for Arabs, 
even if oil revenues do not accrue to provincial 
coffers.) 
 
Arabs Claim Talabani Reneged on 2004 Agreement 
to Rotate Governor Job Among Ethnic Groups 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
7.  (SBU) Ahmed Hameed Al-Ubaydi (Iraqi Republican 
Gathering, Sunni Arab) and Hussein al-Jabouri (Arab 
Consultative Council) said Kirkuk should rotate the 
governorship among its three main communities.  He 
said the principle was accepted by PUK leader Jalal 
Talabani in an agreement signed February 2004.  (Note: 
On July 5, Shwan Qliasani, a former senior official of 
the PUK, told RC that there was such an agreement; we 
will try to get a copy.) 
 
Turkmen and Arab Bloc Want Four Key Posts 
----------------------------------------- 
 
8.  (SBU) The Turkmen and Arabs relayed that they 
would return to government if given four slots to 
divide between them:  deputy governor; Kirkuk mayor; 
reconstruction committee chairman; and appointments 
committee chair.  Ubaydi pointed out that the 
provincial council had no right to elect the city 
mayor (ref B) and said this should provide cover for 
his removal.  The Turkmen also requested that Kirkuk 
directorates be distributed fairly among blocs. 
 
Council Chairman Condemns Ja'aferi on Article 58 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
9.  (SBU) The Provincial Council also met July 4. 
Kirkuk Brotherhood List (KBL) members voted to delay 
elections for the deputy governor until July 18. 
Council Chairman Hamajan alleged that PM Ja'afari had 
said that the Transitional National Assembly (TNA) 
will not "approve" Article 58.  He asserted this 
proved the PM had succumbed to the wishes of foreign 
powers, and warned against intervention by Turkey and 
Iran in Iraq's internal affairs. Kamal (KDP) added 
that any Iraqi leader who does not abide by the TAL 
should be removed from office.  The Council also 
discussed committees but deferred substantive action. 
(Note.  In an interview with the al Sharq al Awsat 
newpaper on June 28, Prime Minister Jaffari actually 
said that the TAL had solved the Kirkuk issue, but 
that "we should give sufficient time and delay action 
until the question of its mixed population is 
resolved".  He listed Kirkuk's various ethnic, 
sectarian and religious groups and noted "even Turkey 
is worried about the Turkman there, and this means the 
issue has taken on a regional significance." 
Ja'fari's comments are in line with Article 58(C) of 
the TAL which provides that the "permanent resolution 
of disputed territories, including Kirkuk, shall be 
deferred until after these measures [i.e. IPCC claims 
adjudications and recommendations on administrative 
boundaries] are completed, a fair and transparent 
census has been conducted and the permanent 
constitution has been ratified." Nonetheless, the 
reaction on the ground has been overwhelmingly 
negative.  End Note.) 
 
Difficult Dynamics 
------------------ 
 
10.  (SBU) This was the first serious meeting among 
the three bloc leaders; dynamics were difficult. 
Hamajan (PUK) said he had only one hour for the 
meeting, declined to dine with the others, then 
interrupted their meal and tried to leave mid-stream 
to attend "more important" events.  Kamal insisted on 
speaking Kurdish; RC succeeded in keeping with Arabic, 
the only common language, to save time for Hamajan. 
The Turkman Younis blamed all failed negotiations on 
Kamal personally.  The Governor (who as the only Kurd 
in the July 3 meeting was quite conciliatory), turned 
to stone in the presence of PUK and KDP 
representatives on July 4. 
 
11.  (SBU) When the Kurds refused to meet July 5, and 
Jabouri snorted that the situation did not bear 
further delay.  Both Kurds and Turkmen objected to the 
Kurds' suggestion that further negotiations be limited 
to exchange of written proposals.  All parties urged 
the U.S. to attend future meetings, to keep order. 
Finally, they agreed to meet again July 7. 
 
12.  (SBU) Comment:  We will try to keep dialog going, 
but the window for progress will close soon without 
further engagement with KDP and PUK presidents. 
 
13.  (U) Participants in July 3 and 4 Meetings: 
 
Kurdish Leaders (and Kirkuk Brotherhood List members) 
--------------- 
Governor Abdulrahman Mustafa (independent) 
Council Chairman Rizgar Ali (PUK)(July 4 only) 
Council Member Mohammad Kamal (KDP)(July 4 only) 
Turkmen leaders 
--------------- 
Younis Biraqdar (Turkmen Council Chairman) 
Anwar Biraqdar (Turkmen Justice Party General 
Secretary) Council Member Zhala Younis (Iraqi Turkmen 
 
SIPDIS 
Front (ITF)) 
 
Arab leaders 
------------ 
Ahmed Hameed al-Ubaydi (Iraqi Republican Gathering, 
Kirkuk Office Head) 
Ahmed Mohamed al-Zubaydi (Iraqi National Gathering 
Kirkuk Office Head) 
Hussein al-Jaburi (Arab Consultative Council Head)