IRAQ: UNAMI CHIEF ON AVIAN FLU THREAT,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 008466 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/26/2015 TAGS: PREL PGOV EAGR KHIV ECON IZ JO UN UNESCO SUBJECT: IRAQ: UNAMI CHIEF ON AVIAN FLU THREAT, OUT-OF-COUNTRY VOTING REF: BAGHDAD 4384 Classified By: DAVID HALE, CHARGE D'AFFAIRES, REASONS: 1.4 (B &D) Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Amman-based UNAMI chief Staffan de Mistura raised concerns over the impending threat of an Avian Flu and/or cholera outbreak in Iraq during a wide-ranging meeting with Emboff. Mistura noted that insufficient security protection continues to hamper U.N. international staff activities in Basra and Erbil, and stressed the U.N.,s need for at least one dedicated fixed-wing aircraft to support its Iraq operations. He discussed his recent meeting with the UNESCO Director General in Paris, in which they discussed a possible UNESCO initiative to assist in retraining and placement of Iraqi WMD scientists. De Mistura also related new Iraq reconstruction and election support commitments from the EU and a new university fellowship initiative for Iraqis by the Italian Olympic Committee. De Mistura discussed the murky state of December election out-of-country voting preparations, and provided a list of ten UN "quick impact" Iraq reconstruction projects to be implemented within the next 90 days. End Summary. Threat of Avian Flu, Cholera Outbreaks -------------- ¶2. (C) Emboff met with United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) chief Staffan de Mistura at his Amman office on October 24. De Mistura had just come from an emergency meeting with World Health Organization (WHO) staff on the threat of an Avian flu and/or cholera epidemic in Iraq. According to De Mistura, although Avian Flu has not yet been detected, "thousands of birds" are dying in Erbil, Basra, and Bakuba for causes unknown, and large flocks of migratory birds are currently heading into the North and to the Basra marshlands, having passed through infected areas of Turkey. De Mistura explained that the UN will be urging the Iraqi authorities to call for a ban on bird hunting as a "first step," while continuing regular monitoring of the situation. He also urged that USG assistance organizations "put this on their radar screens" (see reftel). ¶3. (C) De Mistura also claimed that a severe cholera outbreak has occurred in Iran, and expressed fear that the disease will spread to Iraq without continued active counter measures. He noted that the WHO is initiating a program aimed at improving preparedness and response to the threatened cholera outbreak (see paragraph #8 below). UN "Security Ring" Needs in Basra and Erbil -------------- ¶4. (C) De Mistura again raised concern over the lack of an adequate "security ring" for UN international employees in Basra and Erbil. He noted that in response to USG urging, the UN has maintained a few international staff in these cities full time since last summer, but complained that they are operating as "prisoners in their offices" due to lack of adequate security protection. He said that the problem is particularly acute in Erbil, as the Korean contingent there is "uninterested" in providing security protection for any but visiting VIP,s. ¶5. (C) He acknowledged that UN policy is not to accept any security protection from Iraqi forces (whether military, police, or Peshmerga),and expressed hope that a solution to this operational problem, perhaps involving a notional Mongolian contingent, will soon be found. He also noted the continued UN need for a dedicated fixed-wing aircraft. According to De Mistura, the UN has six such member-provided aircraft in the Congo, but none in Iraq. He said that U.N. headquarters in New York is seeking U.S. Department of Defense assistance in obtaining such a dedicated aircraft, but is not optimistic on getting one from this source. If no plane is provided by the USG, De Mistura opined that the UN's next step will be to seek assistance from the Spanish, Italian, and/or Belgian Ministries of Defense. Possible UNESCO Program for Retraining Iraqi Scientists -------------- ¶6. (C) De Mistura noted that while in Paris last week on his way back to Amman, he met with UNESCO Director General Matsumura, whom he urged to get more involved in the reconstruction of Iraq. He outlined for Matsumura one possible program whereby UNESCO would work with the USG and others in re-training and finding work for up to 132 Iraqi scientists previously engaged in nuclear and chemical warfare research. De Mistura said that this could be done via UNESCO-organized fellowships, which could be provided and funded by France, Germany, and other states concerned about non-proliferation. According to De Mistura, Matsumura expressed readiness to take on the idea, and De Mistura recommended that the U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO follow-up with Matsumura in support of the concept as soon as possible. New EU Grants for IRFFI, Election Support -------------- ¶7. (SBU) De Mistura said he had met with EU representatives in Brussels who confirmed that at least 200 million Euros will be provided to International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI) trust funds in 2006. The additional funds will be provided by the EU collectively, as well as bilaterally by some individual EU member states. He added that the EU also promised to provide 20 million Euros to the UN for December election support. In Turin, De Mistura met with the Winter Olympics Committee and representatives of the Italian government, who agreed to establish an unspecified number of university and graduate school fellowships for Iraqi students as a tie-in to the upcoming winter Olympics. Out-of-Country Voting -------------- ¶8. (C) De Mistura discussed the murky state of Iraqi Out-of-Country Voting (OCV) preparations for the December 2005 general election. He expressed dismay at rumors that the Iraqi Election Commission has decided to turn down an International Organization for Migration (IOM) offer to run the OCV process (as it did with the January, 2005 elections), and instead utilize Iraqi Embassies as administrators for the process. Apart from concern over Iraqs' capacity to pull this off, De Mistura opined that the election's credibility could be negatively affected. Emboff noted that there appears to be a growing body of opinion that the OCV process will be highly marginal anyway as there is apparently no process for linking it to the new governorate-based voting system. De Mistura agreed that it is important for all parties to establish a consistent interpretation, and promised to follow-up with UNOPS staff on the issue. Final UN IRFFI "Quick Impact" List -------------- ¶9. (SBU) De Mistura provided Emboff with the final, compromise project list worked out with the Iraqi government for over $39 million in short term "quick impact" IRFFI-funded projects to be realized between now and next February. Begin list: UN Agency Project U.S. $ Value -------------- -------------- -------------- WHO Improved Cholera Preparedness .9 million WHO Malaria/Leishmania Control 5.2 million WHO Health Care Waste Management 1.4 million WHO Emergency Oxygen Supply Eq. to Hospitals 2.8 million UNEP Hazardous Waste Storage at al-Qadissiya .9 million UNESCO Textbook Improvement Program 7.1 million UNICEF Integrated Community-Based Social Services 12.9 million UN HABITAT Community-Based Water and Sanitation 2.0 million UNDP Emergency Water and Sanitation for South Iraq 4.9 million UNOPS Kerbala Water Project Filter Units 1.3 million HALE