BAGHDAD'S SUNNI SUBURBS TO SEE SOME SERVICES

UNCLAS BAGHDAD 003840 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KDEM PGOV PINR PINS IZ SUBJECT: BAGHDAD'S SUNNI SUBURBS TO SEE SOME SERVICES SUPPORT REF: A. BAGHDAD 3045 ¶B. BAGHDAD 2847 ¶1. (U) This is a Baghdad PRT reporting cable. ¶2. (U) Summary. Representatives of the Baghdad provincial government held the first in a series of coordination meetings focused on improving services in the largely Sunni communities of suburban and rural Baghdad Province on November 20, facilitated by Baghdad PRT, Baghdad ePRT 5 and MND-B. This development was made possible due to the security gains and institutional initiatives brought on by the Baghdad Security Plan. End summary. ¶3. (U) Representatives of the Baghdad provincial government held the first in a series of coordination meetings focused on improving services in the largely Sunni communities of suburban and rural Baghdad Province on November 20, facilitated by Baghdad PRT, Baghdad ePRT 5 and MND-B. Using the Joint Planning Commission (JPC) as their model, Baghdad's provincial leaders seek to create a regular forum that would facilitate tracking and coordination of infrastructure projects planned and executed by Government of Iraq (GoI) institutions, Coalition units, and PRT/ePRTs. (Reftel A). The JPC, one of the initiatives launched as part of the current Baghdad Security Plan, focuses on infrastructure projects within metropolitan Baghdad and the city districts served by the Amanat (City Hall). This new forum, tentatively called the Joint Rural Planning Meeting (JRPM), would coordinate projects in the six outlying qadas (counties) with the offices of the Governor and the local Coalition units and ePRTs. ¶4. (U) During the November 20 session, an executive body was established, with leadership coming from the Rural Services Committee of the Baghdad Provincial Council, the Governor's office and Baghdad PRT. Subhy al-Meshadani, the only Sunni on Baghdad's Provincial Council, will play a major role in this body. (Reftel B). This executive body will meet next week to lay out the agenda for the first scheduled JRPM session, focused on the communities of the Taji qada just north of Baghdad, the site of several recent reconciliation initiatives. ¶5. (U) Comment. This development is noteworthy for a number of reasons. A Shia-dominated provincial government is taking concrete steps to improve services in the largely Sunni outlying communities. Improved security in these areas, largely the result of Concerned Local Citizens groups working with Coalition units, is enabling such outreach. The success of the city-centric JPC in improving GoI/USG coordination is seen by Iraqis as an effective model to improve coordination between national, provincial and local GOI services institutions on a broader scale. Thus, both the security gains and institutional initiatives brought on by the Baghdad Security Plan are yielding positive results in enabling service improvements. End comment. CROCKER