IRAQ EXECUTIVE STEERING COMMITTEE, OCTOBER 19

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 003574

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/27/2017
TAGS: PGOV ECON MOPS IZ
SUBJECT: IRAQ EXECUTIVE STEERING COMMITTEE, OCTOBER 19

Classified By: Charles P. Ries for reasons 1.4(b) and (d)

CONFIDENTIAL

SIPDIS


1. (C) Summary. On 19 October, Prime Minister Nouri Al
Maliki chaired the Baghdad Security Plan (Fardh al Qanoon )
FAQ) Executive Steering Committee (I-ESC) of the Government
of Iraq (GoI). The Meeting featured the surprise
announcement that Ahmed Chalabi would be the new head of the
Services Committee, replacing DPM Zoubai in this capacity.
Discussions also included a new announced strategy to return
Displaced Persons and the announcement that Baghdad,s
chlorine shortage has improved. End Summary.

Chalabi Appointed New Head of Services Committee
--------------

(C) PM Maliki announced that Ahmed Chalabi, the current Head
of the I-ESC Popular Mobilization Committee, would become the
head of a new Services Committee. The decision followed
discussion which included consideration of both the
Provincial Council and the Council of Ministers for the role.
The new Services Committee is to have representatives from
the Ministries of Oil, Trade Electricity, Interior and
Defense, as well as the Baghdad Operations Command (B.O.C),
the National Security Advisor, the Amanat and the Provincial
Council and is to hold its first meeting under the auspices
of Chalabi on 20 October, 2007. Chalabi stressed that the
new Services Committee would only be effective if it was
empowered with sufficient authority to issue binding
directives. PM Maliki stated that the GoI needed one
&united point8 for Services and &that not even Zoubai8
did this.

(C) Comment: The selection of Chalabi, who has not made an
appearance at the I-ESC since August, was unexpected and no
mention of this possibility was made in previous discussions
with NSA Ruabie nor the I-ESC Secretariat. It is as yet
unclear what role the staff of DPM Zoubai, who previously was
responsible for Services, will play in the new committee.
The announced intended representatives of the new Services
Committee are essentially the same as those who attend the
actual I-ESC. End Comment.

Baghdad Province Announces Strategic Five Year Plan
--------------

(C) During discussion of the Services Committee, Baghdad
Provincial Chairman Mueen al-Khademy announced to the I-ESC
that the Province has successfully completed its first
Strategic 5 year Development Plan that can be a guide to
assisting service improvements. Chairman Mueen also
announced that the Province would be holding twice monthly
services meeting with officials from the municipality and
relevant ministries to improve coordination.

New GoI Strategy to Return Displaced People
--------------

(C) Commander of Baghdad, Gen. Aboud outlined a new strategy,
jointly devised with the Ministry of Displacement and
Migration, to return displaced Iraqis to their homes. The
announced steps of the strategy are: 1) Use the media to
highlight the new strategy and inform the public, 2)
Displaced persons will register with the Ministry, 3)
Ministry will provided names to the B.O.C., 4) B.O.C and
MNF-I will survey relevant neighborhoods and homes to
determine if they are suitable for return, 5) B.O.C will
provide lists to the Ministry and Provincial Council to
inform those who can return home, 6) the events will
prominently covered in the media.

(C) PM Maliki, noted that Internally Displaced Persons (IDP)
are one of the major issues facing Iraq and that he regularly
hears citizens complain about military age males illegally
occupying their homes. The PM praised Gen. Aboud and the
plan and asked for a report at next week,s I-ESC listing the
appropriate neighborhoods to begin the new strategy. After
some debate between members of the I-ESC about which areas
were safe enough, Gen. Aboud tentatively listed Ghazaliya,
Ameriya and Sab Al Bur as areas suitable for return of the
Displaced.

(C) The Ambassador stressed that the issue of Internally
Displaced Persons is one of the most complicated and
important sectarian issues facing the GoI and noted that the
Ministerial Council on National Security had previously done
extensive work to establish the conditions that must be in
place before efforts could be made to return the Displaced.
He also stated support for the idea that the MNF-I would
participate with the B.O.C. in determining which areas were
suitable for the strategy and noted that they may have a
different view. (Comment. Under the Joint Campaign Plan,

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USAID is the authoritative US Government entity with regards
to Displaced Persons policy. End Comment.)

Chlorine Situation Improves
--------------

(C) In response to comments by NSA Rubaie that immediate
action must be taken by the Prime Minister to ensure that
chlorine shipments stuck at the Jordanian border be delivered
to the Baghdad Municipality, the Mayor of Baghdad Saber Al
Esawi stated that the chlorine has been received, but that
the lack of sufficient storage containers in Rusafa still
hampers that area of the city.

PM Maliki Criticizes the Ministry of Oil
--------------

(C) During intermittent discussions about the many problems
caused in Baghdad due to insufficient supplies of refined
fuel products, PM Maliki commented that &most of our
problems come from the Ministry of Oil.8 (Note: Minister of
Oil Sharistani was absent from this I-ESC. End Note.)
BUTENIS