VZCZCXRO0300
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHIHL
DE RUEHKUK #0134/01 2061216
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P R 251216Z JUL 06
FM REO KIRKUK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0698
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 0660
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 0046
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RUEHKUK/REO KIRKUK 0726

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KIRKUK 000134 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
BAGHDAD FOR POL, NCT 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  7/25/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PINS PTER PNAT PREF KDEM IZ TU
SUBJECT: (C/NF) KDSP LEADERS ON KRG'S CLOSURE OF KDSP OFFICES 
 
REF: KIRKUK 00000133 
 
KIRKUK 00000134  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Jim Bigus, PRT Leader, POL, Department of State. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
 
 
(C/NF) INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY:  Kurdistan Democratic Solution 
Party (KDSP) representatives claim the Kurdistan Regional 
Government (KRG) framed the KDSP to justify closing the KDSP 
Erbil and Dahuk offices.  They said the KRG has not granted the 
KDSP any legal status as a party.  KDSP leaders insist their 
party has no connection with terrorist organizations, is 
becoming increasingly popular, supports the democratic process, 
and is a strong advocate of women in Iraqi politics.  They want 
Kirkuk to become autonomous, but oppose holding a referendum on 
its future.  Attending the meetings were three KDSP leaders, 
Faiq Mohammad Ahmed (KDSP Secretary General), Sabah Nuri (Dahuk 
Office), and Najiba Omer Ahmed (Kirkuk Office).  END 
INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY. 
 
(C) KRG CLOSES KDSP OFFICES 
--------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C/NF) IPAO on July 11, 2006, met with KDSP members to 
discuss the alleged KRG closure of KDSP party headquarters.  The 
KDSP leaders claimed KRG security forces attacked the KDSP 
office in Dahuk in April and imprisoned the head of the office 
for 13 days.  KRG security forces also allegedly closed the KDSP 
headquarters in Erbil.  KDSP leaders argued the KRG had 
justified the action by claiming the KDSP had planned a 
terrorist attack by planting a bomb in a fire extinguisher.  The 
KDSP leaders asserted that the KDP created the scenarios in 
order to attack the Erbil office and that the two police 
officers accused of planting the bomb are not associated with 
the KDSP.  KRG security forces only held KDSP members from 
Erbil, releasing the other 5 of 7 arrested, leading KDSP members 
to conclude the KDP intended to handicap the Erbil office 
because this branch had been particularly active. (Note: 
Although Erbil and Sulaymaniyah have merged their KRG 
administrations officially, the separate security services are 
not expected to merge until sometime next year; Erbil's service 
remains under KDP control.  End note.)  The Erbil Ministry of 
Interior (MOI) allegedly did not let these two prisoners see 
their lawyer, and when the KDSP leaders tried to check into the 
arrests, they were informed that a judge, Umad Shay, had ordered 
the offices to be closed.  When the KDSP queried the judge, he 
reportedly insisted he never gave such an order, and said the 
Erbil MOI  shut down the KDSP office, which the members claimed 
now functioned as an Asayish HQ.  The KDSP leaders said that 
poor security in south and central Iraq was causing human rights 
to be ignored in northern areas, where intellectuals and media 
professionals increasingly are victims.  The representatives 
asserted the KDP and PUK were systematically repressing the KDSP 
because the two parties know the KDSP is increasingly popular 
among Iraqi Kurds.  KDSP offices remain open in Mosul, Kirkuk, 
Baghdad, and Sulaymaniyah, although the leaders feared 
Sulaymaniyah would be closed next. 
 
(C) DENYING ASSOCIATION WITH TERRORISM 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (C/NF) The KDSP leaders asserted the party does not support 
terrorism and has no connections with terrorist groups. 
However, the representatives noted the KDSP does share the same 
agenda with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK, formerly Kongra 
Gel/KGK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran, since they 
are secular parties "struggling for Kurdish freedom and national 
unity."  KDSP leaders said that most of the KDSP funding of 
approximately 13,000-15,000 USD comes from offices and members 
abroad, especially in Europe and eastern Turkey. 
 
(C) KDSP STRUCTURE AND GOALS 
---------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C/NF) The leaders organized the KDSP four years ago and in 
2004 submitted a request to the KRG to register legally as a 
political party, but to date the KRG has not granted the KDSP 
any legal status.  The KDSP leaders claimed their party is a 
secular, democratic party that supports the democratic process 
and U.S. goals in the Middle East.  The KDSP recently joined 
with four other Iraqi Kurdish parties to form a bloc to enable 
smaller parties participating in government to oppose and 
possibly influence the two main Kurdish parties (Ref. Kirkuk 
00000133).  A 17-member Central Committee and a 6-member 
Politburo lead the KDSP.  The representatives claimed the KDSP 
has 2050 members, and that the party is popular among women and 
intellectuals, especially students. 
 
 
KIRKUK 00000134  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
(C) HIGH PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN 
---------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (C/NF) Najiba Omer Ahmed, Head of the KDSP Womens' Affairs 
Office, claimed that women constitute 40 percent of the party's 
membership; she argued that was higher than any other Kurdish 
party, and another reason the PUK and KDP oppose the KDSP. 
Ahmed said that 7 members of the Central Committee and 2 members 
of the Politburo are women.  In addition, she said the KDSP has 
been active in criticizing the KRG for not having enough women 
in the Kurdistan National Assembly. 
 
(C) POSITION ON KIRKUK, ARTICLE 140 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (C/NF) The leaders said the KDSP supports Art. 140, but the 
KDP and PUK are pursuing this along ideological lines.  They 
argued Kirkuk is like Jerusalem for the Jews and the Arabs. 
They said the best solution for Kirkuk is a confederated 
province with autonomous relations with Baghdad, the KRG, and 
other provinces.  (Note:  This position does not match that 
proposed by the new Kurdish opposition bloc, of which the KDSP 
is a member. End note.)  The KDSP leaders asserted that Kirkuk 
should have a separate judicial system and government elected by 
the people of Kirkuk every 1 to 2 years and that a referendum 
could not determine the status and destiny of Kirkuk. 
 
(C) BIOGRPAHIC NOTES 
-------------------- 
 
¶7.   (C) Dr. Faiq Mohammad Ahmed is from Halabjah, and formerly 
was a surgeon in Sulaymaniyah and a PUK member of parliament 
(Ref. Kirkuk 00000133).  Sabah Nuri is from Kalar and studied at 
Salah ad-Din University, but did not complete his studies for 
economic reasons.  Najiba Omer Ahmed is from Sulaymaniyah and 
holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics and Business 
Administration from Sulaymaniyah University. 
 
(U) NOTE 
-------- 
 
¶8.  (C/NF) This meeting took place before post knew that USG 
policy is to avoid meeting with the KDSP. 
JBIGUS