Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06HILLAH71
2006-04-26 18:12:00
CONFIDENTIAL
REO Hillah
Cable title:  

WASIT DEPUTY GOVERNOR AND PROVINCIAL COUNCIL STRUGGLE WITH

Tags:  EAID KCRS PGOV IZ 
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VZCZCXRO5658
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHMOS
DE RUEHIHL #0071 1161812
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 261812Z APR 06
FM REO HILLAH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0607
INFO RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 0593
RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RUEHIHL/REO HILLAH 0658
C O N F I D E N T I A L HILLAH 000071 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 4/26/2016
TAGS: EAID KCRS PGOV IZ
SUBJECT: WASIT DEPUTY GOVERNOR AND PROVINCIAL COUNCIL STRUGGLE WITH
RECONSTRUCTION ISSUES

CLASSIFIED BY: Alfred Fonteneau, Regional Coordinator, REO
Hillah, Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



C O N F I D E N T I A L HILLAH 000071

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 4/26/2016
TAGS: EAID KCRS PGOV IZ
SUBJECT: WASIT DEPUTY GOVERNOR AND PROVINCIAL COUNCIL STRUGGLE WITH
RECONSTRUCTION ISSUES

CLASSIFIED BY: Alfred Fonteneau, Regional Coordinator, REO
Hillah, Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. (C) SUMMARY. Wasit Deputy Governor Ahmed Abdel Salam
Rasheed, in a meeting with Regional Embassy Office (REO)
Al-Hillah staff, expressed his frustration with the slow pace of
reconstruction in the province. Though the security situation in
the province is generally stable, Wasit lacks the capacity to
execute the large-scale infrastructure projects the Deputy
Governor and Provincial Council (PC) believe are necessary for
the province's development. A recent PC resolution, passed with
the support of the Deputy Governor, inviting foreign companies
to invest in the province, reflects the frustration of
provincial authorities with the inability of the central
government in Baghdad to provide for Wasit's reconstruction
needs. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) Newly elected Wasit Deputy Governor Ahmed Abdel Salam
Rasheed, in a recent meeting with REO staff, declared
accelerated reconstruction progress to be his highest priority.
Rasheed, elected to the Provincial Council on the Shi'a Islamist
"Wasit Elites" slate, is a nominal independent with close ties
to the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq
(SCIRI). He assumed the Deputy Governorship in March, after
former Deputy Governor Mohammed Al-Khateeb moved to Baghdad to
take his seat on the Council of Representatives.


3. (C) Since taking office, Rasheed has focused heavily on
reconstruction issues. The Provincial Council, with the support
of the Deputy Governor, recently passed a resolution encouraging
foreign companies to invest in Wasit province. In his opinion,
the Kurdish model of economic autonomy would be ideally suited
to Wasit and the other heavily Shi'a Southern provinces.
However, the Wasit PC's call for foreign investment will not
yield results, as the amount of money available from the
government in Baghdad is too small to attract foreign companies,
Rasheed related.


4. (C) Rasheed sees the lack of qualified contractors and
construction companies in the province as a major obstacle to
reconstruction progress. The PC and the Governor's office are
wary of many of the existing contractors because they fear a
repeat of quality problems that, according to Rasheed, plagued
earlier USG funded reconstruction initiatives.

--------------
WASIT READY TO SPEND, BUT MORE IS NEEDED
--------------


5. (C) Rasheed confirmed earlier reports (reftel) that Wasit is
well-positioned to spend the Rapid Response and Reconstruction
funds allocated to the province by the national government.
However, he strongly disagrees with the requirement that large
projects in excess of USD 1 million be approved by the Council
of Ministers. The rule unnecessarily restricts the authority of
the PC and provinces with stable security situations should have
the freedom to pursue large projects that lead to dramatic
change, according to Rasheed.


6. (C) Rasheed addressed REO concerns about the equitable
distribution of funds and projects in outlying areas of the
province, particularly the mixed Sunni-Shi'a areas around
Suwerah in Northwest Wasit, and isolated and rural areas outside
of Al-Kut, the provincial capital. The province's reconstruction
funds will be allocated based on population, according to the
Deputy Governor. In any case, regular meetings with local
council chairman and mayors from around the province ensure
coordination, Rasheed offered.


7. (C) COMMENT. Rasheed, a relatively unknown member of the PC,
is much more involved in day-to-day operations of the province
than his predecessor. Though nominally an independent, he is a
member of the Shi'a Islamist "Wasit Elites" list, which controls
three quarters of the provincial council and is made up largely
of SCIRI and Badr Organization members. His concern on
reconstruction issues accurately reflects the concern about lack
of infrastructure in this largely peaceful province. The
Provincial Council resolutions encouraging foreign investment
are at this point an expression of intent, and do not appear to
represent any concrete planning within the Wasit government to
create a business climate that would encourage investment. END
COMMENT.

FONTENEAU