VZCZCXRO0953
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK
DE RUEHKU #3535/01 2421400
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 301400Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6518
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 003535 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/IR AND NEA/ARP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/30/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINS IR KU KUWAIT IRAN RELATIONS
SUBJECT: KUWAIT BASED ARAB-IRANIAN ACTIVIST DESCRIBES 
AHWAZI OPPOSITION GROUPS 
 
REF: A. KUWAIT 2266 
     ¶B. KUWAIT 1622 
     ¶C. FBIS GMP20060415700012 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1.  (S/NF) Summary and comment: During an August 27 meeting 
with Poloff, Khalil Delavi, an Iranian Ahwazi (Arab) activist 
and member of the Democratic Solidarity Party of Al-Ahwaz 
(DSPA), outlined the basic characteristics of a number of 
Ahwazi opposition groups operating outside of Iran.  (Note: 
Arab-Iranians call themselves Ahwazis after Ahwaz, the former 
Arabic name of the province of Khuzestan in western Iran, 
which has a large Arab population.  End note.)  According to 
Delavi, Ahwazi opposition groups fall into two categories: 
those that support a separate, independent Ahwazi state and 
those like the DSPA and its affiliates that support a largely 
self-governing Ahwazi province within a democratic, 
federalist Iran (ref B).  When pressed, however, Delavi 
admitted that all Ahwazi opposition groups share the ultimate 
goal of an independent Ahwazi state, somewhat blurring his 
own distinction between the organizations.  Delavi also 
reported that the Kuwaiti government (GOK) had taken a more 
active interest in Ahwazi issues and now regularly met with 
Ahwazi activists in Kuwait, including himself.  (Note: Delavi 
claims Ahwazis account for "60-65% of the 50,000-60,000 
Iranians living in Kuwait," the largest Ahwazi community 
outside Iran.  End note.) 
 
¶2.  (S/NF) Comment: Delavi sometimes comes across as 
self-important and somewhat impatient with USG policy on 
Iran.  He has repeatedly asked for more information on Iran 
democracy funds and outlined a laundry list of Ahwazi needs, 
ranging from new computers and cell phones to funding for an 
Arabic-language Ahwazi satellite station.  Poloff provided 
basic information on the Iran democracy programs from the 
MEPI website, but advised that the USG would not provide 
funds to any group that advocated the use of violence or the 
division of Iran into separate states.  Post was unable to 
independently verify the accuracy of Delavi's information on 
Ahwazi opposition groups.  Nonetheless, open source reporting 
seems to corroborate -- or at least not contradict -- much of 
his information.  End summary and comment. 
 
¶3.  (C/NF) Poloff met August 27 with Khalil Delavi (aka. 
Abdulkhaligh Delavi), an Ahwazi activist who has lived in 
Kuwait for more than 30 years.  (Comment: Delavi has 
requested several such meetings to discuss the plight of 
Arab-Iranians in Khuzestan.  Although he claims to have 
regular access to sources in Iran, most of Delavi's 
information seems to come from Iranian opposition websites. 
End comment.)  During the meeting, Delavi described a number 
of prominent Ahwazi opposition groups, including: 
 
-- The National Liberation Movement of Ahwaz 
(www.al-ahwaz.com and www.al-ahwaz.net): A Canada-based 
separatist organization led by father and son Hussein 
Taliqany and Hashim Taliqany (alt. Taliqani).  Delavi said 
Hussein and Hashim, who claim to be Sayids (descendants of 
Prophet Mohammed), were deported from Kuwait in 1998.  He 
characterized this group as "ex-Ba'athist" and claimed they 
were affiliated with the (Arab) Al-Nima tribe in Khuzestan. 
Delavi dismissed the group, however, as "nothing more than a 
website."  (Comment: According to www.al-ahwaz.net, the 
website is operated by the Ahwaz Internet Network, which 
"supervises the management of the Ahwazi Arab Info Center, 
one of the media organizations" of the NLMA.  The website 
lists Khaza'l Al-Hashemi as the Secretary-General of the 
NLMA; Sayed Taher Al-Sayed Nima as the Deputy Director and 
the Director of Interior Affairs; and Nasser Ahmed Al-Sheikh 
Khaz'l as the Official Spokesman.  Based on his name, Nasser 
Al-Sheikh Khaz'l could be a descendant of Sheikh Khaz'l Khan, 
the last Arab ruler of Khuzestan.  We were unable to find any 
reference to either Hussein or Hashim Taliqany on the 
website.  End comment.) 
 
-- Ahwazi Arab People's Popular Democratic Front 
(www.alahwaz.org): A London-based separatist organization led 
by Mahmoud Ahmed Il Ziyara (Al-Ahwazi).  Delavi said Ziyara 
founded the group after his brothers Ahmed and Shaye Mazra', 
both members of the Shah's intelligence agency SAVAK, were 
executed by revolutionary courts in 1979.  Delavi 
characterized the group as "left-wing" and "socialist" and 
claimed they had "some activities" inside Iran.  He said the 
AAPPDF is affiliated with the Mazra' family in Khuzestan, 
centered in the village of "Abu Homatha," but dismissed the 
organization as "a family-run business." 
 
-- Arab Ahwaz Renaissance Party (Alt. Uprising Party) 
 
KUWAIT 00003535  002 OF 003 
 
 
(www.al-mohamra.nu): A militant separatist group based in 
Canada and led by Sayid Sabah Al-Musawi.  According to 
Delavi, this is the "only (Ahwazi) separatist organization 
with a publicly announced armed faction."  He said the AARP 
had "good relations with Sunni Islamists in Kuwait," who he 
claimed were "planning to fund a Sunni satellite station to 
be broadcast in (Khuzestan)."  Delavi specifically mentioned 
Khalid Al-Osaimi, the brother of Kuwaiti tribal MP Walid 
Al-Osaimi, as being involved in this project.  (Note: 
According to a FBIS translation of an April 14, 2006 
interview with Al-Musawi published in Ilaf (London-based 
Arabic electronic daily), AARP was established in August 2002 
as a "revolutionary ideological organization that believes in 
the correlation between Arabism and Islam and aims to expel 
the Persian usurper and establish a free Arab society in 
Al-Ahwaz" (ref C).  End note.) 
 
-- The (Islamic) Al-Wefagh Party (possible website: 
www.al-vefagh.com): Until it was banned "two years ago," this 
was the only Ahwazi political organization in Khuzestan 
tolerated by the Iranian government.  Al-Wefagh is led by 
Jassem (Shadeed Zada) Al-Tamimi, a former member of the 
Iranian Parliament and the provincial government of 
Khuzestan.  Delavi said Iranian officials confiscated 
Al-Tamimi's passport "one month ago" and prohibited him from 
traveling until further notice.  Delavi claimed Al-Wefagh is 
very popular in Khuzestan, particularly because of the Arabic 
poetry and cultural events it organized. 
 
-- The Democratic Solidarity Party of Al-Ahwaz 
(www.alahwaz.info):  A London-based Ahwazi opposition group 
that supports the creation of a democratic, federalist 
government in Iran under which Iran's diverse ethnic groups 
would be given considerable autonomy in governing their own 
affairs.  Delavi said the DSPA was rumored to be "the 
international front for the Al-Wefagh Party," but he would 
neither confirm nor deny this fact.  The DSPA is one of seven 
ethno-nationalist organizations in the recently-formed 
Iranian Federal Congress (see www.iranfederal.org for more 
information on the IFC).  Delavi named "Mansour Al-Ahwazi, 
Hussein Al-Ahwazi, Abu Tariq (from the Al-Sari family), and 
Abu Farouq" as part of the DSPA's leadership group.  He added 
that the organization was in "direct contact" with Jassem 
Al-Tamimi.  Delavi claimed the DSPA had a "large following," 
particularly among Ahwazi expats living in Kuwait.  A number 
of other Ahwazi groups are closely affiliated with the DSPA. 
Delavi explained that the DSPA "coordinates activities" 
between these groups and added that their members were also 
members of the DSPA.  These DSPA affiliate groups are: 
 
- The British Ahwaz Friendship Society (www.ahwaz.org.uk): A 
London-based organization led by Daniel Brett.  Delavi 
believed this organization was created by the British 
government in order to maintain close ties with Ahwazi 
opposition groups. 
 
- The Ahwaz Human Rights Organization (AHRO): A 
Virginia-based organization that seeks to promote human 
rights for Arab-Iranians in Khuzestan.  The AHRO is run by 
Dr. Karim Abdian, "an Ahwazi activist and American citizen 
who has worked as a project manager for the Department of 
Defense for the past 20 years." 
 
- The Ahwaz Education and Human Rights Foundation (AEHRF): A 
sister organization of AHRO, also based in Virginia and run 
by Dr. Karim Abdian.  AEHRF seeks to promote research on 
Ahwaz issues and fund scholarships for Ahwazi students. 
 
- The Ahwaz Study Center (www.ahwazstudies.org): An 
organization affiliated with Yousef Azizi, a leading Ahwazi 
intellectual and writer in Khuzestan. 
 
Fuzzy Line Between Federalist and Separatist 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C/NF) When pressed, Delavi admitted that all Ahwazi 
opposition groups share the ultimate goal of creating an 
independent Ahwazi state, somewhat blurring his own 
distinction between the groups.  "Ninety-nine percent of 
Ahwazis support separation (from Iran)," he claimed.  The 
groups differ, however, over whether violence should be used 
to achieve this objective.  According to Delavi, the DSPA 
rejects using violent methods to create a federal government 
in Iran, but ultimately believes this federalist system will 
devolve into several independent states divided on ethnic 
lines.  Asked what sort of timeframe he envisioned for this 
process to take place, Delavi responded, "Like Iraq today 
(which he believed was in the process of separating into 
three separate states)," suggesting a relatively short 
 
KUWAIT 00003535  003 OF 003 
 
 
transition from federalism to full independence. 
 
Kuwaiti Government Now Interested 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (C/NF) In a previous meeting, Delavi voiced concern that 
Iran might pressure the Kuwaiti government (GOK) to deport 
Ahwazi activists residing in Kuwait and complained that he 
had no contact or leverage with the GOK on this issue (ref 
B).  On this occasion, however, he reported that he was now 
in contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Kuwait 
State Security and that they were "very interested" in 
hearing what he had to say.  He believed this change was due 
to growing Kuwaiti concern about Iran and the fact that the 
GOK did not want to "ostracize an important Iranian group." 
 
********************************************* * 
For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s 
 
Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ 
********************************************* * 
LeBaron