VZCZCXRO5359
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHIHL
DE RUEHKUK #0141/01 2321708
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P R 201708Z AUG 06
FM REO KIRKUK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0713
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 0675
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RUEHKUK/REO KIRKUK 0741

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KIRKUK 000141 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
BAGHDAD FOR POL, POLMIL, NCT, IRMO 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  8/20/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PINS PNAT IZ KDEM
SUBJECT: READOUT OF RECENT PROTESTS IN KURDISTAN SULAYMANIYAH REGION 
 
KIRKUK 00000141  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Jim Bigus, PRT Leader, POL, Department of State. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Jim Bigus, PRT Leader, POL, Department of State. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
 
 
¶1.      (C) INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY:  Several participants and 
organizers of the recent protests in the Chamchamal 
sub-districts of Sulaymaniyah Province said on August 17 poor 
services in the water, electricity, and fuel sectors had 
prompted growing calls for government reform in the Kurdistan 
region.  Previous appeals for improvement of services and 
government reform had yielded no results and they predicted 
future protests would be even more violent and widespread.  The 
recent protests were different because local police and 
Peshmerga were among the participants arrested by Asayish 
security forces.  The attending representatives claimed the 
Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Sulaymaniyah had 
defaulted on projects that would have resolved regional water 
and electricity shortages.  They cited the Chamchamal-Goptapa 
Water Project and the Chamchamal Electricity Station as two 
examples and claimed tangible progress on these projects could 
prevent future protests.   Chamachamal was being ignored they 
claimed because Baghdad considered it part of the KRG, while the 
KRG treated it as part of Kirkuk and thus under federal control. 
 END INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY. 
 
(C) ARRESTED PARTICIPANTS INCLUDED PESHMERGA AND POLICE 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶2. (C)  Participants and organizers of recent protests in the 
Chamchamal sub-district of Sulaymaniyah told IPAO on August 17 
that ongoing poor services in the water, electricity, and fuel 
sectors, as well as unemployment concerned, had led to recent 
violent protests in the Kurdistan region.  The representatives 
claimed the government did not respond to peaceful 
demonstrations and to a previous memo demanding an improvement 
of services.  They claimed that, of the approximately 2000 
protestors, local Peshmerga and 28 police were among those 
arrested by Asayish security forces, which marked a new 
development in relations between the Kurdish public and their 
government.  They said eight government workers also 
participated in the protests.  (Note:  The representatives 
presented post with a list of 17 remaining detained protestors, 
which included one police officer and five Peshmerga.  The other 
detainees were listed as students and local workers.  End note.) 
 
(C) LAST ELECTIONS "NOT CLEAN" 
------------------------------ 
 
¶3.  (C) The attending representatives said that political 
corruption was another root cause of the protests.  They said 
the last elections "were not clean" and that the party appointed 
technocrats who did not bother to get out into the people to 
understand their concerns.  The attendees claimed the parties 
controlled all the press and this was the reason the protests 
were reported as against poor municipal services alone, without 
reference to political reform.  They said contrary to press, 
lack of inclusiveness in government was a primary cause and that 
after the protests turned violent, electricity increased to 12 
hours per day from the previous 3 hours the general public 
usually received.  (Note:  Post has received several reports 
that it is routine for KRG officials, their families, and 
associates to receive 24-hour electricity service, but that 
there has been talk recently of ending or limiting this perk. 
End note.)  They also claimed that an order was received from 
the PUK government to retire anyone over 68 years of age, but 
that nothing had been done because no one wants to retire and 
because senior salaries averaged 500 USD per month compared with 
100 to 150 USD per month for newly hired employees. 
 
(C) TWO FAILED PROJECTS CITED AS KEY FACTORS 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶4.  (C) The participants said the KRG promises to improve 
services had gone unfulfilled.  The attendees cited the 
Chamchamal Electricity Station and the Chamchamal-Goptapa Water 
Project as two halted projects originally started by NGOs from 
the U.S. that were designed to alleviate water and electricity 
services on a large scale.  The participants claimed future 
protests in the area could be prevented if the KRG demonstrated 
tangible progress on these two projects.  (Note: Post has 
received reports that residents of Sulaymaniyah in the city 
itself were digging private wells due to poor water services. 
End note.) 
 
 
KIRKUK 00000141  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
(C) CHAMCHAMAL - PART OF SULAYMANIYAH OR KIRKUK? 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶5. (C) The representatives claimed one of the main political 
problems was that the central government did not control 
Chamchaml because Baghdad considered it part of the KRG, while 
the KRG ignored the area because it considered Chamchamal part 
of Kirkuk Province.  In addition, they claimed encouraging the 
rule of law in Chamchamal and limiting PUK influence, where it 
currently dominated local government, would help the situation. 
 
(C) BACKGROUND ON CHAMCHAMAL-GOPTAPA WATER PROJECT 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶6.   (C) A private NGO source told IPAO on August 18 that 
several projects being funded by U.S. and British NGOs were 
halted due to excessive overhead costs, including the 
Chamchamal-Goptapa water project and one planned to service 
Halabja.  At a separate meeting on the new Kurdistan "Investment 
Law" post learned Kurdish investors themselves were concerned 
that sub-contracting, and sub-sub-contracting based on 
connections often dried up investment monies before ground was 
ever broken on new projects.  According to one account, the KRG 
took responsibility from NGOs for building the 
Chamchamal-Goptapa water project after it was halted.  For all 
contractors bidding for this project, post learned, there were 
no design drawings, and no clarifications on power supply issues 
or massive standby generators.  The result was that bidding 
varied widely and the contract was never awarded. 
 
 
(U) COMMENT 
----------- 
 
¶9. (C)  Although it appears water services are poor throughout 
Sulaymaniyah Province, ignoring the Chamchamal sub-district in 
particular could be a deliberate attempt on the part of the KRG 
to force the central government to address the issue of 
re-attaching Chamchamal to Kirkuk Province, a long-standing 
Kurdish demand, and as a way of pushing the Article 140 timeline 
forward. 
JBIGUS