BAGHDAD SECURITY PLAN EXECUTIVE STEERING

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002283 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/09/2017 TAGS: PGOV ECON IZ SUBJECT: BAGHDAD SECURITY PLAN EXECUTIVE STEERING COMMITTEE, JULY 6 Classified By: Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki chaired a more efficient 6 July 2007 Baghdad Security Plan (Fardh al Qanoon - FAQ) Executive Steering Committee (I-ESC). Key issues discussed included announcements that the Government of Iraq (GoI) has decided to make necessary payments to resolve the fuel truck dispute with the Kuwait company SOMO; that the Ministry of Defense has taken new measures to attempt to provide permanent security to the Latafiya pipeline and the Bayji fuel convoys; and that the GoI met their own deadline to complete the Sarafiya temporary pontoon bridge. End Summary. Fuel Tanker Dispute with Kuwait -------------- ¶2. (C) Minister of Electricity Karim Walid said that the Council of Ministers had voted to make payments of $12.4 million to the Kuwaiti Oil Company to resolve the issue. Minister Walid also said that MNF-I is assisting with proper badging to allow 93 tankers of kerosene and 166 tankers of benzene to enter Iraq. Effort to Create a Comprehensive Curfew Policy -------------- - ¶3. (C) Deputy Prime Minister Salam Zoubai stated that efforts are proceeding well to develop a comprehensive Curfew Policy that would help improve welfare in Baghdad by allowing movements of essential services workers during curfew hours. Officials from the Ministries of Trade, Electricity, Health, Education, Labor and Municipalities will be convening in the coming week to continue to develop this policy. ¶4. (C) The Mayor of Baghdad stated that allowing cleaning and maintenance crews to work at night would allow better sanitation in Baghdad. DPM Zoubai stated that he should form a committee to specify which workers need night permit badges and then to initiate such night work in Karadah. General Petraeus agreed that Karadah is a good place to start such actions (due to the low level of violence there.) Securing Baghdad's Water Supply -------------- ¶5. (C) The Mayor of Baghdad stated that water services had improved slightly over the last week. However, he again highlighted that the water system still remains susceptible to security threats, pointing out that there are 10 essential control rooms and that should one be destroyed, it would take at minimum 2 months to repair. PM Maliki instructed the Mayor to assign a permanent representative to the Ministry of Defense to coordinate defense of the control rooms and the shipment of the next six month's supply of chlorine to the main water treatment plant at Tarmiya. Improving Baghdad's Fuel Supply -------------- ¶6. (C) Minister of Defense Muhammed Jassim al Mufriji discussed recent security operations to protect the Latafiyah pipeline and announced that a battalion would be permanently based at Al Doura to help provide convoy protection from Baiji to Baghdad. ¶7. (C) The Minister of Defense stated that an additional battalion has been assigned to protect fuel pipelines from Kirkuk to Bayji. ¶8. (C) The Governor of Baghdad announced that he had been contacting private companies to import refined products into Iraq and then provide them to Baghdad and sought approval to pursue such a strategy. DPM Zoubai stated that Iraqi national production should be used first, and that efforts to protect delivery of refined product from Bayji should be the priority. PM Maliki stated support for any fuel solutions which would enable the ministries to obtain the fuel they need - whether or not through the Ministry of Oil -- and added that diversifying supply would have the added benefit of reducing risk. ¶9. (C) General Petraeus commended any efforts to better utilize the private sector and said that, although security is paramount, that the private sector fuel suppliers can overcome security problems as long as their services are priced correctly. ¶10. (C) PM Maliki instructed the Secretariat of the National Security Advisor to set a joint ministerial meeting to jointly decide the allocation of the Strategic Fuel Reserve of each ministry and to consider contracting of fuel to build such a reserve. Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih and the BAGHDAD 00002283 002 OF 002 Minister of Electricity stated that consumer petroleum and fuel for electricity and water services to the general public should take precedence over exports when considering how to allocate oil resources. Setting a Uniform Policy for GoI Personal Security Details -------------- -------------- ¶11. (C) PM Maliki, National Security Advisor Dr. Mowaffuk Rubaie and Commander of Baghdad General Aboud discussed the many problems caused by the lack of uniform regulations on numbers and behavior Iraqi Government Member's Personal Security Details (GoI PSDs). Highlighting issues like numerous "ghost PSD's" who still receive payments, untracked vehicles and weapons, and occasional fighting between PSD groups and Iraqi Security Forces, they called for definitive steps from the Ministry of Interior to set a uniform policy. The Minister of Defense stated that there had previously been several such attempts to issue regulations for GoI PSDs, but that they had not been followed. A joint decision was made to bring all relevant parties and all previous reports on the issue to next week's Ministerial Reform Committee. Enacting Rehabilitation of Unused Government Owned Buildings -------------- -------------- ¶12. (C) Expressing frustration at the number of government owned buildings that remain unused and in a state of disrepair, PM Maliki stated that all I-ESC Committees must follow up on resolving the issue. DPM Zoubai stated that the Ministry of Planning had conducted a study that listed 19 priority buildings to be refurbished and that each individual ministry had allocations in its own budget for such repairs. The Mayor of Baghdad suggested that ministries be given 12 months to complete the buildings on the list and that failure to do so would result in the buildings becoming the property of the Central Government. General Aboud urged that the first step in this process be each ministry taking responsibility to secure their unused buildings as they are being used for terrorist attacks. ¶13. (C) General Petraeus suggested, given that each ministry has the relevant budget allocation, that the I-ESC Secretariat track the progress of repair efforts of the 19 SIPDIS priority buildings on a monthly basis. Return of Displaced Families -------------- ¶14. (C) Popular Mobilization committee chair Dr. Ahmed Chalabi provided an update to the continued efforts to return displaced families to the Al Hurriya area of Baghdad. Dr. Chalabi stated that the next step in the process is to focus on returning middle class families to the unused tall buildings in Al Hurriya and providing services to these buildings. Dr. Chalabi also commented that security forces had been working well to rid the buildings of criminal gangs. ¶15. (C) Newly appointed Fardh Al Qanoon Civilian Spokesman Dr. Tahsin Sheekly noted that last week he had participated in a media event to highlight the celebration of government payments to returned displaced families. Dr. Sheekly also commented that essential services are absent from areas cleared by security forces and that the Services Committee must do more to bring improvements into these areas. Completion of Sarafiya Temporary Pontoon Bridge -------------- -- ¶16. (C) General Petraeus offered congratulations to the members of the I-ESC for their joint accomplishments in completing the Sarafiya temporary replacement pontoon bridge by the GoI announced deadline of 2 July 2007. CROCKER