VZCZCXRO3900
PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHGB #0261 0291313
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 291313Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5470
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS BAGHDAD 000261 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SBU 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR PTER POL PINR
SUBJECT: DHI QAR PRT: SHAYKH DECRIES ISLAMIC PARTIES, WANTS 
PRT HELP 
 
¶1.  (SBU) The information in this cable is sensitive but 
unclassified.  Please protect accordingly. 
 
SIPDIS 
 
¶2.  (SBU) This is a PRT Dhi Qar reporting cable. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Summary: On January 23 Dhi Qar IPAO met with Shaykh 
Alwan Hakim al-Hamaid.  Alwan claimed that his tribe has been 
ignored by the U.S. and the 'Islamic parties' that run the 
governorate.  A member of the Council of Southern Tribes, he 
asked for PRT project assistance and emphasized the need to 
provide employment opportunities for young men in his tribe. 
End Summary. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Shaykh Alwan said he was the official 
representative of the al-Rikab tribe and a member of the 
Council of Southern Tribes.  He claimed that the al-Rikab is 
one fo the bigger tribes in Iraq, stretching from Basrah to 
al-Qud.  The tribe, with approximately 250,000 members, is 
centered in Nasiriyah, with urban concentrations in Basrah 
and Baghdad. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Alwan complained that the political and economic 
situation in Dhi Qar is dominated by the 'Islamic parties,' 
including Da'wa, Office of the Matyr Sadr (OMS), and ISCI. 
He claimed that these parties have prevented the tribal 
shaykhs from participating in public life or benefiting from 
development projects.  According to Alwan, local politics are 
open to only shaykhs that "sign their life away to one of 
those parties" or enjoy close ties to Iran.  Alwan made it 
clear that he has no sympathy for any Islamic party and, as a 
result, finds himself without much of a public role. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Alwan claimed that the Rikab tribe has suffered 
from neglect under the current political system and in dire 
need of employment generation and economic development 
projects.  At present, he complained, the young men of the 
tribe have little or no employment opportunities and are 
provide a ready pool for recruiters from the Iraqi army and 
police as well as Islamic parties looking for additional 
gunmen.  He emphasized his desire to halt this phenomenon by 
providing better work opportunities. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Alwan asked for direct help from the PRT, saying 
that while the Rikab tribe has always supported the Americans 
it has received nothing in return. Alwan emphasized that the 
best projects for his region would be in the areas of 
agriculture, health and education.  High priorities include 
irrigation projects for tribal farmers, water purification 
plants, and assistance in wheat and date production. 
BUTENIS