AMBASSADOR KHALILZAD'S FIRST

UNCLAS BAGHDAD 005072 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/I, USUN, IO E.O. 12958: DECL: N/A TAGS: EAID PGOV PNAT PREL IZ SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR KHALILZAD'S FIRST MEETING WITH MINISTER OF MUNICIPALITIES AND PUBLIC WORKS ¶1. (U) Action request, para seven. ¶2. (U) BEGIN SUMMARY. Ambassador Khalilzad and IRMO Director Speckhard met with Minister Nasreen Berwari, Iraq Minister of Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works (MMPW),on December 10 to discuss several substantive issues. Ms. Berwari suggested that the USG should help Iraq to obtain infrastructure project financing from Japan and the World Bank. Ms. Berwari briefly talked about constitutional concerns. Given the devolution of power to the provinces, she said the MMPW should focus on strategy and the provincial governments on project implementation. She also requested USG support for her application for a position within the UNDP. END SUMMARY. ¶3. (U) Minister Berwari, the head of the Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works (MMPW) since 2003, said Iraq has tremendous unmet needs for infrastructure reconstruction and institution capacity building. USG funds will not be enough to address all of these needs, so the MMPW is pursuing Government of Japan and World Bank financing. Ms. Berwari said that sound master plans and feasibility studies are key to obtaining other donor financing and requested additional USG support to prepare such documents. (Comment. The USG is preparing three standard design packages for water treatment plants for the MMPW that can easily be modified for other projects not financed by the USG. By using these standard designs, the MMPW will be better positioned to seek international donor financing for new projects or to complete on-going projects. End Comment.) ¶4. (U) The Minister also discussed the role of the governorates in project implementation under the new constitution. Given the devolution of authority to the provinces, Ms. Berwari said the MMPW should focus on policy and strategic planning and the governorates on project implementation and follow-up. She expressed concern about decentralization and highlighted the need for the Provincial Reconstruction Teams to coordinate across levels of government to ensure success. ¶5. (U) The Minister raised two areas of concern with respect to the new constitution: provisions affecting women's rights, especially as they relate to judicial proceedings, and provisions related to federalism. She asserted that the Kurds want to retain the provisions on federalism, but hope to revert to the provisions on judicial proceedings that were in effect before the new constitution was adopted by referendum on October 15, ¶2005. ¶6. (U) The Minister discussed her recent application to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) for the position of Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States. (The Bureau is the headquarters for UNDP offices in 17 countries that provide development assistance in the Arab region.) She is requesting USG support for her application. (Comment. Ambassador Khalilzad believes that Ms. Berwari is a good candidate for the position, iven he prior experience with the UN Human Settlements Program, the UN Office of the Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, and the Iraq Relief Coordination Unit of the UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs, as well as her experience as Minister of MMPW and her commitment to reform. Ms. Berwari, however, has been the subject of a recent investigation by the MMPW Inspector General, who claims that she directed Ministry contracts to a specific company. Ms. Berwari asserts that she has evidence to prove her innocence and that the charges are politically motivated. Given that the case is in the early stages, we cannot make a final assessment at this time. End comment.) ¶7. (U) Action Request. Ambassador requests Washington consider Ms. Berwari's request for support in her candidacy, taking into consideration the ongoing investigation. Khalilzad