ANBAR PROVINCIAL LEADER INFORMS DEPUTY SECRETARY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 003959 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/04/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PINS IZ SUBJECT: ANBAR PROVINCIAL LEADER INFORMS DEPUTY SECRETARY HE WILL DROP OPPOSITION TO HYDROCARBON LAW Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Patricia A. Butenis for reasons 1.4 (b ) and (d). ¶1. (U) This is an Anbar PRT reporting cable. SUMMARY -------------- ¶2. (C) Anbar Provincial Council Chairman Abdulsalam told Deputy Secretary Negroponte during a November 28 meeting in Ramadi that Anbar leaders had reversed their previous opposition to national hydrocarbon revenue-sharing legislation and would now support it. Abdulsalam said he is frustrated by the GOI,s failure to exploit an untapped Anbar gas field, and that passage of the legislation could prompt the GOI to commit the resources needed to exploit the field. In the same meeting, Governor Ma,amoun said that the Saudi and Syrian governments were hesitant to deal with Anbar and promote investment. Senior Advisor/Coordinator for Iraq Satterfield said that Anbar needed to be more pro-active in seeking investment from these countries. At the Deputy Secretary's prompting, Governor Ma,amoun laid out two of his SIPDIS immediate priorities for Anbar,s economic development: improved electricity service and a revived rail system for fuel delivery. The Ramadi meeting was held amidst a vastly improved security situation in the city. END SUMMARY. HYDROCARBON LAW -------------- ¶3. (C) Anbar Provincial Council Chairman Abdulsalam Abdullah told Deputy Secretary Negroponte November 28 that he and other provincial leaders would support the passage of national hydrocarbon revenue-sharing legislation )- a reversal of previous opposition to the key legislation by the leadership of the almost exclusively Sunni province. Abdulsalam,s comments came during a meeting with Deputy Secretary Negroponte, which included Anbar Governor Ma,amoun SIPDIS Sami Rashid, at the walled and newly-renovated Provincial Government Center in central Ramadi. The meeting was a follow-up to the Deputy Secretary's June 2007 visit to Ramadi. Also present at the meeting were Senior Advisor/Coordinator for Iraq Ambassador David Satterfield, Minister-Counselor for Economic Affairs Ambassador Charles Ries, Multi-National Forces-West (MNF-W) Commander Major General Gaskin, and Brigadier General Allen. ¶4. (C) Abdulsalam told the Deputy Secretary that he is frustrated by the Oil Ministry,s failure to exploit the untapped Akkas gas field near Al Qaim, along the Syrian border. He said that passage of national hydrocarbon revenue-sharing legislation could prompt the GOI to commit the resources needed to exploit the field, adding that this would benefit Anbar. The Deputy Secretary added that Anbar,s support for the hydrocarbon legislation was important, and that passage of the law would also send a strong message that Iraq is making positive steps toward resolving strategic issues. BETTER NEIGHBORS -------------- ¶5. (C) Deputy Secretary Negroponte inquired whether some of Iraq,s neighbors )- particularly Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria )- understand the positive changes that were taking place in Anbar, and whether they were aware of the economic opportunities this presented, noting that these countries could play a more positive role in Anbar. Governor Ma,amoun said he believed the Saudi government was hesitant to deal with Iraq and Anbar because of Saudi perceptions that the GOI was too sectarian and pro-Iran. He added that Anbar officials have been working with Jordanian and U.A.E. officials, and that positive relationships were forming. Abdulsalam added that links with Syria have been minimal, because of that regime,s differences with the U.S. and GOI regarding Iraq policy. He suggested that the U.S. could take the lead in developing Syrian support for Iraq. ¶6. (C) Ambassador Satterfield noted the challenges facing Iraqi officials when engaging with Saudi Arabia and Syria, but said that Anbar needed to be more pro-active in seeking investment from these countries. He pointed out that Saudi Arabia planned to open an embassy in Baghdad, and that many of Iraq,s &Sunni brethren8 in neighboring countries say that they do not want pro-Iran elements or Al Qaeda (AQI) in Iraq taking over, and that they don,t want to see the Sunni community in Iraq damaged. &You have done a lot to improve the security situation in Anbar, but you now need to ask your neighbors for help,8 said Satterfield. Satterfield added that the U.S. could assist the Anbaris in dealing with the GOI regarding outreach to Iraq,s Sunni neighbors, but that Anbari &voices need to be louder8 in asking for their BAGHDAD 00003959 002 OF 002 neighbors, assistance. THE GOVERNOR,S PRIORITIES -------------- ¶7. (C) At the Deputy Secretary's prompting, Governor Ma,amoun laid out two of his immediate priorities for Anbar,s economic development: improved electricity service and a revived rail system for fuel delivery. Current levels of electricity service are not enough to power an economic revival in Anbar, he said. Factories are not working at full capacity and offices cannot stay open. &Electricity is a tool for me to fight unemployment.8 He added that he believed the electricity shortage could be solved at the provincial level, without relying on the national grid. Governor Ma,amoun also said he looked to a refurbished rail system to alleviate Anbar,s fuel delivery problems. The current road-bound convoy system delivers only a fraction of Anbar,s fuel needs from the Bayji Oil Refinery to Ramadi, he said. Provincial officials and MNF-W are looking into the feasibility of using existing rolling stock and Anbar,s rail lines to solve the problem. NORMAL BUSINESS -------------- ¶8. (U) The Ramadi meeting was held amidst a vastly improved security situation in the city. The walled Government Center compound was recently renovated to remove many of the battle scars from previous years. &The Government Center was the target of many terrorist attacks,8 Governor Ma,amoun told the Deputy Secretary. &But we stood fast, resisted, and are still here.8 That the Government Center was up and running less than a year after serious fighting in Ramadi was proof of the success of U.S.-Iraqi cooperation. &What you see is clearly a return to normal life in Anbar,8 he said. The Government Center, which saw heavy fighting in 2005 and 2006, has been rapidly improving in appearance, with plaster and paint steadily covering the bullet-pocked concrete facade. The Deputy Secretary agreed, adding that the fact that security issues did not top the meeting,s agenda was proof that Anbar is normalizing. In many other provinces, security is still the priority topic of many meetings, he said. In Anbar, officials are now focusing on issues such as economic development. &You are talking about things that governors normally talk about.8 The Deputy Secretary highlighted the need for Anbaris to quickly take advantage of the improved security situation and create jobs and economic opportunities. ¶9. (U) The Deputy Secretary's party has cleared this cable. BUTENIS