DEPUTY SECRETARY MEETS WITH RAMADI MAYOR AMIDST

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 003960

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/04/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PINS IZ
SUBJECT: DEPUTY SECRETARY MEETS WITH RAMADI MAYOR AMIDST
MUCH IMPROVED SECURITY ENVIRONMENT


Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Patricia A. Butenis for reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (U) This is a combined Anbar PRT/Ramadi ePRT reporting
cable.


2. (C) SUMMARY. On November 28 Deputy Secretary Negroponte
met with Ramadi Mayor Latif Obaid Ayadah at the city,s
Municipal Center. Negroponte noted the improved security
situation since his last visit in June. The Mayor described
the improved services within the city. Mayor Latif added
that the suicide vehicle attack that took place in Ramadi
November 21 came after a long period which saw no such
attacks, and that this was a sign of overall improved
security. The Mayor invited the Deputy Secretary to return
to Ramadi again, saying he hoped next time to be able to
showcase the city,s economic recovery. END SUMMARY.


3. (C) On November 28 Deputy Secretary Negroponte met with
Ramadi Mayor Latif Obaid Ayadah at the city,s Municipal
Center and Ramadi ePRT headquarters, in Anbar Province,s
capital and largest city. Also present 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.

ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
--------------


4. (C) Deputy Secretary Negroponte commented that he had last
visited Ramadi in June 2007 and noted the improved security
situation. &One can feel and see the progress that has been
made here.8 He added that the new challenge would be to
move the situation forward so things did not fall back into
violence and extremism. &You need to find ways to improve
the lives of your people,8 he told the Mayor. Mayor Latif
agreed, saying he was now focused on improving the economic
situation in Ramadi. He added that he would like to do more
to develop the portion of the city west of the Euphrates
River. He pointed out that Ramadi was situated along the
main transit route from Jordan to Baghdad, and that Ramadi
did not yet have a single hotel.


5. (C) Mayor Latif also noted that Ramadi could capitalize on
Anbar,s natural resources to inject economic revival into
the community, pointing out that Anbar was famous for
powder-fine sand, which is ideal for glass production. He
also noted the heretofore-dormant ceramics factory, which was
being revived with Coalition support and the delivery of new
power generators.


6. (C) Mayor Latif also described improved services within
the city. Garbage collection had been halted for about two
years, and was finally resumed about five months ago. He
credited Coalition Forces, the ePRT, and the NGO
International Relief and Development for helping Ramadi
officials re-establish local services.

SECURITY IMPROVED
--------------


7. (C) Mayor Latif noted the suicide vehicle attack that took
place November 21 outside the Ramadi Justice Center, which
killed two Iraqi policemen and a civilian, but inflicted only
superficial damage to the building. &We were not happy
about this, but it was what we have been expecting,8 he
said. It had been eight months since the last vehicle bomb
exploded in Ramadi, and although the latest attack was
unfortunate, the fact that there had been relatively few
attacks in 2007 compared to 2006 should be seen as a sign of
success. He added that police recruitment is going well, and
one could not walk down the street in Ramadi without seeing a
blue-shirted police officer.


8. (C) Mayor Latif invited the Deputy Secretary to return to
Ramadi in the future. While it had been too dangerous to
visit the city in 2004 and 2005, Anbaris and U.S. forces had
worked hard to drive out the terrorists, and during a future
visit, he would probably see an improved economic situation
in the city. The Deputy Secretary said he was pleased with
the progress that had been achieved.


9. (U) The Deputy Secretary's party has cleared this cable.
BUTENIS