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PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHIHL
DE RUEHKUK #0126/01 1961438
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P R 151438Z JUL 06
FM REO KIRKUK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0683
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 0645
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RUEHKUK/REO KIRKUK 0711

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KIRKUK 000126 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  7/15/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PINS PNAT PREF PREL KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: (C) KDP-PUK UNITED FRONT AFTER DOKAN MEETINGS 
 
KIRKUK 00000126  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Tim Uselmann, Political Officer, IPAO, Department 
of State. 
REASON: 1.4 (a), (d) 
 
 
 
¶1. (C) Summary. KRG Prime Minister Nechirwan Barzani and PUK 
party 
leader Noshirwan Mustafa informed IPAO in separate meetings on 
July 2 
and 1 respectively that the KDP and PUK politburos had agreed to 
end 
direct party interference in government affairs; delay 
appointment of 
deputy ministers; base new appointments on merit; establish a 
joint 
committee within each KRG ministry to unite laws; and encourage 
Iraqi-Arab scientists from the south to move their research to 
the more 
secure KRG.  Both had attended the meeting and were optimistic 
about the 
outcome. End Summary. 
 
(C) KDP-PUK Politburos Find Compromise 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶2. (C) According to Prime Minister Barzani the joint meeting of 
the KDP 
and PUK politburos in Lake Dokan last month was the first of many 
regular meetings to come.  Mustafa said they reached several 
agreements 
including: 
 
a. To end direct party interference in government affairs by 
creating a 
party liaison office within the Council of Ministers.  The new 
office, 
made up of three individuals appointed by the prime minister and 
his 
deputy, would review all party requests.  Barzani said this 
office did 
not yet have a name. 
 
b. To ban party nepotism - the practice of linking employment to 
party 
membership - by basing director generals appointments on merit 
not party 
affiliation.  The prime minister and his deputy would make 
selections 
from lists provided by the KDP and PUK. 
 
c. To delay appointment of deputy ministers indefinitely to allow 
Barzani and his deputy Omar Fattah to work more effectively with 
the new 
ministers. 
 
c. To establish a joint committee within each ministry to 
reconcile 
Erbil and Sulaymaniyah laws, beginning with the Ministry of 
Justice. 
Barzani added that all ministries needed new legislation.  New 
ministries needed to start at the beginning, old ministries 
needed 
review, and merged ministries needed their legal frameworks 
united. 
 
d. To encourage Arab-Iraqi scientists affected by the security 
situation 
in the south to re-locate to Kurdistan.  The KRG would provide 
labs, 
houses, salaries, and facilities.  Mustafa said this could help 
reverse 
the exodus of talent out of Iraq. 
 
¶3. (C) Barzani said the Ministry of Justice was given top 
priority; a 
newly established special commission was expected to achieve full 
unification in 2 - 3 months.  U.S. assistance was particularly 
welcome 
to develop the judicial system, train judges, and keep the 
Ministry of 
Justice independent.  The Supreme Court was also to be revamped 
with new 
talent. 
 
(C) PM: Unified PUK and KDP Best for Unified KRG 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶4. (C) Barzani expected the KRG would be a strong, unified 
government by 
the end of the year.  Both political parties had strong wills 
for the 
 
KIRKUK 00000126  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
KRG to succeed.  He preferred the unification to come in slow, 
solid 
steps, to avoid the possibility of retrogression.  The first 
task was to 
build confidence within the party memberships and ministers. 
 
¶5. (C) The PUK and KDP needed to move forward together.  One 
party 
should not feel swallowed up by the other, but both sides should 
psychologically feel part of one team.  Barzani said it was more 
difficult for the PUK because they had many voices.  He held 
bi-weekly 
meetings with the PUK to discuss issues and find out where they 
stood on 
issues. 
 
(C) Mustafa: Unified KRG Needed in Baghdad 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶6. (C) Mustafa said the Kurdish parties needed to work together 
within 
the INA as new laws were drafted for foreign investment, foreign 
ownership, banking, and taxation.  Coordination was also needed 
to force 
implementation of constitutional provisions such as printing 
both Arabic 
and Kurdish on national currency and passports. 
 
¶7. (C) Mustafa believed the newly unified KRG leadership worked 
well 
together.  He felt Prime Minister Nechirwan Barzani and the PUK 
ministers had a good relationship.  The KDP was also united, 
with the 
Prime Minister and his uncle President Masud Barzani supporting 
each 
other.  Masrur Barzani, the president's son, and Nechirwan held 
different jobs within the KDP and appeared congenial.  Mustafa 
added, 
however, that the "Barzani house is tight.  I don't know what 
goes on 
inside it." 
 
¶8. (C) Mustafa said succession of the KRG presidency was not an 
issue. 
Unlike in the U.S., the KRG President shared some of his 
responsibilities with the Vice President.  The secession order 
went from 
President, Vice President, Parliament Speaker, and then the Prime 
Minister.  In reality, Prime Minister Nechirwan Barzani was 
obviously 
more powerful than Parliament Speaker Adnan Mufti. 
 
(C) COMMENT: 
---------------- 
 
¶9. (C) The joint meeting of the party politburos is a very 
positive 
sign, though the parties continue to disagree on many 
fundamentals.  The 
decision to not appoint deputy ministers is probably more out of 
a 
disagreement over who to appoint, than a gift to help Barzani 
and Omar 
Fattah make work more efficiently. Party stalwarts are all 
saying the 
right things, but it would be naive to think a new era of 
cooperation is 
firmly upon us.  In this regard, Barzani and Fattah could 
benefit from 
increased U.S. support - both moral and technical.  End Comment. 
JBIGUS