IRAQ PRTS WEEKLY ROUNDUP FOR 24 FEB-2 MAR

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000793 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958:N/A TAGS: PGOV ECON MOPS PREL IZ SUBJECT: IRAQ PRTS WEEKLY ROUNDUP FOR 24 FEB-2 MAR ¶1. INTRODUCTION. The Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) report weekly their activities and progress towards helping the provincial governments achieve self- governance capability. The following paragraphs summarize their activities in several areas for the period 24 February - 2 March. Ninawa started a training program for police investigators designed by three investigative judges. The Kirkuk PRT reached out to Sunni Arabs in several different meetings. International Police Liaison Officers in Kirkuk described a program aimed at improving communications between the citizens from all ethnicities and the police. Security concerns in Ninawa Province make scheduling appointments difficult and limit the interaction of PRT members with provincial leaders. In Kirkuk, TAL Article 58 debate is causing an ethnic split among Provincial Council members. Babil sub- district complained of not receiving enough reconstruction attention. END INTRODUCTION. -------------- NINAWA PROVINCE -------------- ¶2. GOVERNANCE AND ECONOMIC. A new Provincial Council (PC) Code was drafted and is being circulated for comment. An initial review of this code indicates that it maintains many of the decentralized reforms favored by the Coalition. The Director of the Statistics Department in Mosul, a sub-division of the Ministry of Planning, promised to provide social and economic statistic data to the PRT, although he cautioned that files prior to 2003 were lost in post-war looting. ¶3. RULE OF LAW. The PRT met with 14 judges to discuss their progress in establishing a training program for police investigators. The program, Basic Principles in Criminal Justice, was designed by three investigative judges with assistance from the PRT. The course began on February 27, and approximately 45 police investigators attended both meetings. The course includes four blocks of instruction: 1) criminal procedure; 2) penal code; 3) lawful interrogation techniques; and 4) human rights. The Provincial Chief of Police (PCOP) sent 15 investigators to the course, a sign of strong interest from the police. ¶4. In ongoing discussions, the PRT encouraged insurgent trials in Ninawa Province rather than transfer them to Baghdad. One issue of contention is the jurisdiction of the provincial courts. In the past, the chief judge argued that it does not have legal jurisdiction while investigative judges believe they do. The PRT is helping to de-conflict the issue and chart a strategy for trying insurgent suspects locally. ¶5. SECURITY. Ninawa Province saw a spike in attacks in response to the Golden Mosque attack. The majority were secular in nature between Sunnis and Shiites. Recently, there was an increased shift towards using buried improvised explosive devices (IEDs) against Coalition Force vehicles. Security restrictions have limited PRT members travel to provincial offices. All movements are confidential, resulting in PRT personnel arriving at unannounced times and without appointments. These restrictions severely limit PRT efficiency in dealing with provincial government officials. ¶6. INFRASTRUCTURE AND RECONSTRUCTION. Iraqi officials identified a landfill location but have not yet received final approvals. The PRT is researching the environmental impact of this project, as well as modernization of the Mosul Slaughter Factory. -------------- TAMIM PROVINCE -------------- ¶7. POLITICAL. The Kirkuk PRT held meetings with several Arab groups during the reporting period. Discussions focused on formation of the national government, continuing integration of Sunni Arabs in the political process, and the need for enhanced security in the areas populated by Sunni Arabs. In a separate meeting with a PRT member, an Iraqi Republican Gathering (IRG) leader discussed Arab Sunni dynamics in the province. He said his party is based on a nationalistic rather than religious goal for Iraq. The party is focused primarily on galvanizing local Sunnis to become involved in the political process. He claimed the IRG efforts were responsible for the large BAGHDAD 00000793 002 OF 002 Sunni Arab voter turnout in the December 2005 national elections. He credited the relatively calm response in northern Iraq to the mosque bombing in Samara to a meeting attended by all major groups on February 27. After the attack, the IRG sent memos to the Badr Organization and the Sadrists denouncing the terrorist act. Sunni Arabs expressed their support to the Shia Arabs and even wanted to participate in peaceful demonstrations. ¶8. PC representatives for the Iraqi Turcoman Front (ITF) told a PRT member that the Transitional Administrative Law (TAL) Article 58 is pitting Kurdish PC members against other members. This conflict arose during a PC debate on TAL Article 58 which covers the return of Kurds displaced in Ta'mim during the previous regime. The discussion exposed the ethnic fault lines in the province and culminated in the Arab and Turkmen members staging a walkout. Kurdish members advocated the preferential distribution of land for housing, construction loans, and special programs for hiring internally displaced persons (IDPs). The Turkmen and Arab groups disagreed with this proposal. ¶9. RULE OF LAW. The supervisor for the International Police Liaison Officers (IPLO) told the Rule of Law Coordinator that a community policing program has begun. Iraqi Police from different ethnicities lead several IPLOs on dismounted patrols. They engage homeowners and shopkeepers in a non-confrontational setting to query their concerns and foster improved relations between the citizens and police. ¶10. INFRASTRUCTURE AND RECONSTRUCTION. The average government-supplied electricity during the past month per day was four hours. Kirkuk PRT members are coordinating delivery of 18 emergency and fire-fighting vehicles to Iraqi Civil Defense personnel in four northern Iraq provinces. -------------- BABIL PROVINCE -------------- ¶11. RULE OF LAW. The Iraqi Bar Association is conducting a nation-wide election for its council members. The previous council was disbanded by the national government due to Ba'ath Party influence within the association. Many lawyers expressed concern that these ousted Ba'athists will conspire to derail the council election. Much of the concern stems from these ousted members' invitation, along with the Arab Lawyer Union and the Jordan Bar Association, to meet recently with the Syrian President. ¶12. RECONSTRUCTION. Representatives from Al Kifl sub- district voiced concern that their communities have not received a "fair share" of reconstruction funding. It is a concern the PRT has heard from many Babylonians in the past. PRT members reminded the representatives that project prioritization and funding is an Iraqi decision. In another reconstruction issue, the Ministry of Finance gave the Babil PC a deadline of March 2 for submission of their project list for the $100+ million in reconstruction and development funds. The tight timeline precluded an inclusive and transparent process for project submission and could result in minimal gains in development of governance capacity. KHALILZAD