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Amid the WikiLeaks-released US diplomatic papers printed in the London-based
Guardian Monday, a communiqué from the American Embassy in Baghdad dated
November 2009, describes the Iraqi Kurds as a key player in assuring “a pro-Iranian Shia
victory” in Iraq’s general election.
The leaked document focusing on Iran’s influence on Iraqi politics refers to “historic ties”
between Iran and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) led by the Iraqi President Jalal
Talabani, and “to a lesser extent” with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) led by
Kurdistan regional President Massoud Barzani, assuring a Shia victory in the country’s
polls.
Describing Kurdish leaders Talabani and Barzani as “seasoned masters of the Iraqi
political chessboard”, the 2009 communiqué predicts they would provide an “important
swing vote” but “unlikely to reveal their true coalition intentions until after the election”.
“Kurdish leaders such as Talabani and Barzani will likely exploit their political strength
among Shia/Sunni counterparts to protect and expand Kurdish influence in a future
government,” the document reads.
Officials from the Shia-dominated Iraqi National Alliance (INA) are described in the paper
as “confident that the Kurds will join their coalition”, thus guaranteeing their victory.
One element described in the US embassy document as an “unknown factor” is the
Kurdish opposition, the Gorran List, led by the former PUK secretary Gen. Nawshirwan
Mustafa, which is “committed to unseating the PUK (and Talabani) in Suleymaniyah
province”.
The paper goes on to speculate that Iran could provide Gorran with the financial support
necessary to “ensure its long-term viability in the KRG (Kurdistan Regional Government)
and national politics”, but describes the consequential undermining of Iran’s relations
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