TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE: BURNS STAFFER PROPOSES

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 000388

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/13/2014
TAGS: ECPS EAID KPAO JO
SUBJECT: TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE: BURNS STAFFER PROPOSES
TRC-HOSTED TRAINING SESSION FOR IRAQI REGULATORS TO
JUMP-START REGIONAL TELECOM TRAINING CENTER

REF: 03 AMMAN 5798

Classified By: Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT) staffer Myron
Nordquist and Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC)
CEO Muna Nijem discussed a possible training session for
Iraqi regulators to be held in Amman soon. The proposed
training session could further Nijem's goal of establishing a
regional telecom training center in Jordan, although funding
will be an issue. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) Visiting Burns staffer Nordquist met Nijem January
14 to address two dovetailing concerns. First, Nordquist
told Nijem that CPA has focused on the issue of
telecommunications regulation, will identify Iraqi telecom
regulators, and is ready to make specific training requests
and to provide the funding necessary to make that training
possible. They would like such training to take place by
next month, if possible. Training could potentially take
place in Jordan, Egypt, or Dubai. Second, Norquist said Sen.
Burns still would like to see a Middle East regional
telecommunications training center established in Jordan on
the model of Montana State University,s Burns Telecom
Center. If Jordan were to train CPA-designated Iraqis, the
training session could serve as a "small start" to a regional
training center.


3. (SBU) Nijem said that TRC was willing and could be ready
within the month to provide such training, although she
thought (and Nordquist agreed) that it might be better for
exposure and cost/benefit reasons if such training were
concurrent with the meetings of the Arab Telecommunications
Regulators Network (ATRN - Reftel) that will be held in Amman
the week of March 20. This being the case, the training
would also be available to the delegations attending the ATRN
conference. Nordquist recommended that the TRC talk to the
U.S. Telecommunications Training Institute to find
instructors for the session, which Nijem felt could be
effectively taught in as little as two weeks.


4. (C) Nijem and Nordquist also discussed how such a session
would be funded. In the long term, Nordquist would like for
the startup costs of a center to be funded by USAID.
However, given the urgent need for training of Iraqi telecom
regulators, Nordquist thought that it might be possible to
work with CPA to establish a "fast track" process involving a
U.S. minority-owned (section "8A") subcontractor. This
U.S.-based subcontractor would work directly with TRC paying
costs directly and obviating the need for a CPA-TRC
relationship that could be more complex and time-consuming to
establish.


5. (C) This also suited Nijem, who asked that the CPA's
involvement in the funding for this transaction be completely
hidden, as the alternative would mean that the plan would
have to be cleared by the Ministry of Planning. She also
asked that Nordquist and Ja,afer Al-Hassan (the DCM of the
Jordanian Embassy in Washington, who accompanied and took
notes) say nothing about any of this to ICT Minister Fawaz
Al-Zou'bi or Jordanian Ambassador to the U.S. Karim Kawar,
respectively. Nijem asked instead that Nordquist send her a
confidential letter laying out his (and, by extension,

SIPDIS
Burns,) commitment to implement the agreement outlined
above. He plans to do so and to get the process moving -
will brief Sen. Burns and expects the Pentagon and CPA to
move ahead along these lines.


7. (C) COMMENT: Nijem is a skillful and effective regulator.
However, her professed desire to cut out key GOJ figures,
such as Minister Zou,bi, who support her goals, is an
example of why she has trouble building alliances.
Nonetheless, the plan discussed in her meeting with Nordquist
seems likely to serve both the short-term necessity of
training Iraqi telecom regulators and the longer-term plan to
stand up a regional telecommunications training institute in
Jordan. Nijem also reiterated her interest in including a
telecom component in an upcoming visit to the U.S. by a
Jordanian parliamentary delegation. Post is including this
interest in planning for such a program.


8. Nordquist did not have an opportunity to review this
message before its transmission.
GNEHM