Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07BAGHDAD2283
2007-07-10 13:04:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Baghdad
Cable title:  

BAGHDAD SECURITY PLAN EXECUTIVE STEERING

Tags:  PGOV ECON IZ 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO8096
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHGB #2283/01 1911304
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 101304Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2131
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
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).

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

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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