REQUEST TO USE BASRAH UN BUILDINGS

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 003912 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/18/2016 TAGS: ASEC PTER AMGT IZ SUBJECT: REQUEST TO USE BASRAH UN BUILDINGS Classified By: CDA SPECKHARD for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: In his October 18 meeting with United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary General for Iraq, Ambassador Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, the Charge requested permission to allow Basrah's Regional Embassy Office staff to use UN Buildings on humanitarian grounds. Ambassador Qazi stated he would contact UNNY with this request and push for an expedited response. End Summary. -------------- REQUEST FOR USE OF UN BUILDINGS -------------- ¶2. (C) In his October 18 meeting with United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary General for Iraq, Ambassador Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, the Charge requested permission to allow Basrah's Regional Embassy Office staff to use one of three UN buildings on the Basrah Palace Compound (BPC). The Charge called the request a humanitarian one, noting that it was in "our mutual interest to get human life out of the way of rocket fire." The building to be used, known as Building C, is a hard structure and its use is considered an interim measure as the Embassy assess the feasibility of continuing to operate within the BPC given the continuing risk of indirect fire from mortar and rocket attacks increases. ¶3. (C) The Charge, who thanked Ambassador Qazi for his previous permission to allow REO staff to take immediate cover in the BPC's UN buildings when IDF attacks occurred, pressed the urgency nature of the request. He noted that our evacuation would likely expose the UN Compound to significantly increased risk and the possible loss of the investment the UN had made in its compound. ¶4. (C) Ambassador Qazi stated that he would contact UNNY with the request and relay the urgency involved. He noted that the request would likely have to go through the UN's Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) and that there might be a request to formalize the use of UN property for liability reasons. Qazi made it clear though that the request would be made that same day and that he would push for an expedited response considering the security situation. SPECKHARD