REPEAT: ITALY'S DEMARTINO ON DHIQAR UNIT FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 190845

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/22/2031
TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON MOPS IZ IT
SUBJECT: REPEAT: ITALY'S DEMARTINO ON DHIQAR UNIT FOR
RECONSTRUCTION SUPPORT

REF: STATE 168109

Classified By: NEA DAS L. VICTOR HURTADO, ACTING, FOR
REASONS 1. 4 (a),(b) AND (d)


1. (U) This message repeats STATE 168109 from early October,
which may have had transmission problems. This message
contains an action request. See para. 11.


2. (C) SUMMARY: On Sept. 22, Amb. Gianludovico De Martino,
head of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Task
Force on Iraq (and former Italian Ambassador to Baghdad),
provided Deputy Senior Coordinator for Iraq Barbara
Stephenson with an update on Italy's efforts in Dhi Qar
province and sparked a wide-ranging discussion on ways to
improve local governance in Iraq. The stand-up of Italy's
all-civilian Reconstruction Support Unit (Italy's
preferred appellation for its Provincial Reconstruction
Team, also abbreviated as USR) is proceeding apace: most
elements of the USR have been relocated to Talil Air
Base's Camp Adder including a U.S. civilian contingent
under Italian lead situated also in Camp Adder. Amb. De
Martino asked such questions as how best to transport USR
civilians to and from Iraq's Talil Air Base once Italian
military assets depart this year, how best to coordinate
the activities of Iraq's new National Reconstruction
Committee with the National Coordination Team (NCT). He
also proposed creative ways to improve the effectiveness
of Italy's USR, such as by meeting Iraqis at a local Iraqi
military base instead of a U.S. one, and embedding UN
staff in the USR. END SUMMARY

TRANSITION, OVERWATCH AND QUICK REACTION FORCE (QRF)
-------------- --------------


3. (C) Amb. De Martino, accompanied by an Italian Embassy
staffer, met with Barbara Stephenson and representatives
from NEA, EUR, DS, Joint Staff, and the Office of the
Secretary of Defense. Stephenson congratulated De Martino

SIPDIS
on the Sept. 21 transition of Dhi Qar province to
Provincial Iraqi Control and thanked him for keeping
Italian troops on duty for Overwatch of the province,
including QRF functions, through the first of November.
De Martino was not quite sure whether Italy would end its
Overwatch duties in October or November, but would try to
find out. Stephenson emphasized the month of October is a
critical period of the transition and that Romania and
Australia would not quite be positioned to conduct
Overwatch should Italy end its duties before November.

LOGISTIC STATUS OF USR
--------------


4. (SBU) De Martino said the relocation of the USR from
Camp Mittica to Talil Air Base's Camp Adder was almost
complete, noting that it should be at turn-key status
within 30 days or so. De Martino indicated Italy intends
to hire more local Iraqis. Italy plans to hire Aegis
security to bring Iraqis to the USR, but intends to limit
its own movement outside Talil. Asked whether limiting
movement outside the base reduces Italy's effectiveness,
De Martino said that the Italian civilians are building on
established relationships with Iraqis, who are by now
accustomed to visiting the Italian PRT. De Martino further
explained that part of Italy's strategy to facilitate a
low-profile engagement with Iraqis might include
maintaining a small cell within Camp Mittica after it is
transferred to the Iraqi Army. This would provide a
different optic and feel than having Iraqis enter a
Coalition military base, and it would be less intrusive
than having Italians riding in armed convoys to Iraqi
government centers. What is more, as the goal of PRT's/
USR's is local capacity building, and the Dhi Qar PRT/USR
is slated to end operations next September, De Martino
noted that the designated PRT/USR space inside Camp Mittica
would provide the seed of the Iraqi-run operation that
would inherit the training and capacity building programs
currently run by Italian and American PRT members. The
PRT/USR space inside Camp Mittica could serve as offices
for locally engaged Iraqis, training space for ongoing
programs, and as a place for USR/PRT members to meet with
Iraqi officials.


5. (C) De Martino flagged a potential transportation
problem: how to transport USR personnel into and out of
Iraq after Italy's military leaves. He asked for
assistance on how to coordinate passage. NCT's
coordination role in the transport of PRT personnel was an
open question.


6. (SBU) On personnel, De Martino noted the USR has half a
dozen Italians, with a new team leader (Anna Prouse)
almost confirmed. A rule of law coordinator would be
going to the Basra PRT in January and he had sounded out
Australia on contributing staff to the USR (AU did not say
no). De Martino reiterated Italy's offer to field
advisers to Ministry Assistance Teams in Baghdad,
specifically for MOD, MOI, and perhaps for the Ministry of
Finance.

USR PROGRAMS
--------------


7. (SBU) De Martino outlined some of the USR's current
efforts, sometimes speaking from an English-language
document entitled "Italy's Reconstruction in Iraq
2003-2006". Since 2004 Italy has been running a project
for e-government in Nasiriyah, and will try to expand this
project to other parts of Dhi Qar province. One part of
this effort involves training Iraqis in Italy on how to
build an electronic civil registry. In the health sector,
Italy is supplying equipment and ambulances to Iraqi
facilities. Italy has also held seminars in Italy on
mixed cities and constitutional reform.


8. (SBU) De Martino noted that UN programs Italy was
funding through the UN Development Program (UNDP) in Dhi
Qar were not proceeding due to the absence of UN staff.
He said Italy is considering asking UN personnel to serve
in the USR in order to implement the Italian-funded
programs, and that, if successful, perhaps other
organizations such as the EU might eventually take part as
well.


9. (SBU) In a meeting with Iraqis in early September, Amb.
DeMartino said the central government has recently
allocated $50 million to spend by the end of calendar year
2006 each in Dhi Qar, Basra, and Maysan. De Martino
reported a serious lack of coordination among Iraqis at
the national and local level to spend these monies.

NATO GENDARME MANDATE
--------------


10. (SBU) De Martino reiterated Italy's position that it
will provide police training through NATO if its mandate
is changed to permit such training, and would not do so
on strictly a bilateral basis. He noted that Italy has
not bilaterally pressed the French on this issue since our
last meeting in early August. The NATO desk noted that
USG is trying to get Iraq to send another letter to the
NATO Secretary-General reiterating its request for
training, and suggested that the Government of Italy might
issue a letter to the NATO SYG stating its offer for
training.

ACTION REQUEST
--------------


11. (C) Request that post consider responses to provide
Italy, either in the field or in capitals, on the following
questions:

a) What mechanism should be used to coordinate the
transport of USR staff into and out of Iraq in the absence
Italian military assets? Is there a role for NCT?
Specifically, with the withdrawal of Italian troops, will
the existing Acquisition Cross-Servicing Agreements between
the US and Italy still apply to Italian civilians serving
in the USR?

b) Assess the feasibility of De Martino's proposal to
establish a meeting location inside Camp Mittica after it
passes to the Iraqi Army. Could a similar solution work
for other PRTs and possibly offer us a way both to reduce
security costs and minimze the risk to our personnel and
to begin to prepare for the transition from PRTs in 2008?

c) Assess the feasibility of embedding UN personnel in
Italy's USR and possibly other PRTs.
RICE