VZCZCXRO4307
RR RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHKUK
DE RUEHIHL #0016 0481424
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171424Z FEB 09
FM REO HILLAH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1149
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RUEHIHL/REO HILLAH 1222

UNCLAS HILLAH 000016 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PINR IZ
SUBJECT: UNAMI REP ON DA'WA, FEDERALISM AND UNIVERSITY ATTITUDES 
 
(U)  This message is Sensitive but Unclassified:  handle 
accordingly; not for distribution on the Internet 
 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: PRT Babil officers met February 7 with Dr. 
Ala'a al-Enezy, UNAMI's representative for Babil Province and a 
law professor at Babylon University, and fellow law professor 
Dr. Hadi al-Keby.  The professors expected a Da'wa governor to 
emerge in Babil province through a coalition in the Provincial 
Council formed primarily between Da'wa and the Sadrists.  They 
expected such a coalition would foster less federalism than if 
an ISCI-dominated council and governor were to emerge.  Al-Enezy 
and al-Keby said the popularity of religious political figures 
such as Moqtada al-Sadr had waned at Babylon University over the 
last two years.  End Summary. 
 
 
 
SKEPTICAL OF GREATER FEDERALISM 
 
UNDER A DA'WA-SADRIST PC 
 
------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶2. (SBU) PRT Babil Rule of Law Advisor and Econoff met February 
7 with Dr. Ala'a al-Enezy, UNAMI's representative for Babil 
Province and a law professor at Babylon University, and fellow 
law professor Dr. Hadi al-Keby.  Al-Enezy and al-Keby expected a 
Da'wa governor to be elected from a Provincial Council coalition 
formed between Da'wa and Sadrist factions.  Al-Enezy said a PC 
led by Da'wa and the Sadrists, rather than ISCI, would augur 
difficulties for developing provincial and local governance in 
Babil Province.  A further complication, al-Enezy and al-Keby 
opined, was the issue of the Support Councils established by 
Prime Minister Maliki.  They said these councils were likely to 
gain authority relative to Qadas (District Councils) and Nahias 
(sub-district councils) under a Da'wa-Sadrist coalition. 
Al-Enezy and al-Keby said most members of local councils, 
particularly at the district and sub-district level, viewed 
their positions as stepping-stones to higher offices rather than 
worthwhile in their own right. 
 
 
 
BABIL UNIVERSITY OBSERVATIONS 
 
----------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Asked to speculate on how their students might have 
voted, Al-Enezy and al-Keby said the majority of students at 
Babylon University gravitated toward religious parties, but that 
roughly one-third keep an open mind.  They said the youth at 
their university were less religiously zealous than at other 
universities or among non-students in the same age-bracket. 
Al-Keby noted that, whereas two years ago many of their students 
had pictures of Moqtada al-Sadr on their notebooks, today Arab 
pop stars were more likely to grace their covers. 
 
 
 
COMMENT 
 
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¶4. (SBU) In addition to being the UNAMI representative for 
Babil, al-Enezy worked with the second phase of USAID's Local 
Governance Program (LGP) and is slated to continue with the 
upcoming LGP III.  A large component of LGP III will involve 
supporting the efforts of district council and sub-district 
council members to exercise their rights and responsibilities 
under the Provincial Powers Law.  While the composition of the 
PC, and its impact on the implementation of the Provincial 
Powers Law, still remain to be seen, we are encouraged to have a 
respected Iraqi partner so acutely aware of the motivations of 
local elected officials, as well as the potential tensions 
between provincial governing entities and the Prime Minister's 
Support Councils. 
 
HILLAS