CHALABI'S PROVISION OF SERVICES COMMITTEE - APRIL 8

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001150 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID PREL IZ REL UK SUBJECT: CHALABI'S PROVISION OF SERVICES COMMITTEE - APRIL 8 BAGHDAD 00001150 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. SUMMARY: The first meeting to last over two hours in nearly four weeks, the April 8 Provision of Services Committee was otherwise business as usual. The Ministries of Defense, Health, Finance, Electricity, Trade and Transportation attended. The Amanat was also present. Services in Sadr City topped the agenda with Dr. Chalabi complimenting many of the ministries efforts during this crisis. The committee discussed water with the Karkh Water Treatment Plant Director and they heard extensively from the Ministry of Transportation. Several recommendations were made and decisions were taken. END SUMMARY. - - - - - - - - - - - Services in Sadr City - - - - - - - - - - - ¶2. Dr. Chalabi began the meeting with a discussion on services in Sadr City. According to the Deputy Minister of Electricity, currently the only significant electricity problem facing Sadr City is the downed electrical station in the Jamilya area. Inoperable for 72 hours, repair crews cannot access the site due to security threats. The Deputy Minister of Electricity also reported that the Deputy General for the Ministry of Electricity (MoE) in Sadr City asked for, and received, additional supplies and materials, including 40 generators. He noted that moving the supplies into the city was problematic due to traffic congestion and checkpoint hindrances. Dr. Chalabi will write a letter to the Prime Minister (PM),praising MoE's endeavors during the current conflict. ¶3. Checkpoint and traffic delays also posed problems for the Ministry of Trade. The Deputy Minister of Trade stated that 50,000 bags of flour were held up at two checkpoints outside of Sadr City since April 3. Chalabi will initiate a memo to the Prime Minister and the Baghdad Operations Command (BOC) urging them to expedite the passage of Trade's vehicles into Sadr City. ¶4. The Deputy Minister of Health said that trauma medications were needed as were food supplies for the hospitals in Sadr City. Not unlike the ministries of Trade and Electricity, Health noted checkpoint holdups for medical supplies and ambulances, despite the Prime Minister's previous order to expedite the latter's movement. The committee will issue a letter to the BOC and MoH regarding the ambulance delays. The committee reported that two trucks carrying medical supplies for Sadr City were being held in Abu Ghraib. Chalabi requested that the BOC follow up with this issue, too, although, unusually, no BOC representative was in attendance. In an attempt to limit vehicular supply movement, the central Ministry of Health (MoH) authorized greater reserves for the hospitals of Sadr City. For example, a 400 bed hospital is authorized a reserve supply sufficient for 500 persons. There is a cash shortage among the hospitals which is limiting their ability to purchase needed supplies. This problem is due to irregular and unpredictable banking hours and altogether closures. As an immediate solution the MoH reported that they had delivered 50 million Iraqi Dinars in cash to the hospitals to be used as "reserves" until the banks are accessible. Dr. Chalabi also intends to issue a letter of commendation to the MoH and the Russafa Health Center for their efforts during the Sadr City conflict. ¶5. The conflict in Sadr City has impacted Baghdad more widely according to the Deputy Mayor of Baghdad, Mr. Naeim. Trash collection throughout the city has been slowed and/or halted for more than 15 days because of the curfews and traffic congestion. He estimates that less than 50% of trash produced is removed daily as a result of the current conflict. (Note: The vast majority of the Amanat's laborers are from Sadr City. End Note) Less than 25% of laborers are currently showing up for work and approximately only 30% of equipment needed is available. (Note: Again, many of the laborers are from Sadr City and the equipment is parked/stored there. End Note) Naeim also complained that public parks and gardens are being used as ad hoc trash dumps, damaging significant Amanat investment to beautify those areas. The Deputy Mayor claimed that military operations have also damaged the parks. Other public gardens not affected by trash or conflict went uncared for, again due to labor shortages. The Amanat then suggested deferring the next scheduled Clean-Up Day (Karrada) until next month because many of the drivers live in areas where a curfew is in place. Dr. Chalabi went one step further and will issue a resolution that Clean-Up Day is postponed until further notice. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Other Issues: Trade, Water and Civil Aviation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶6. Problems for the Ministry of Trade at the Port of Um Qasr have been all but eliminated according to the Deputy Minister. She thanked the Ministry of Transportation for prioritizing Trade's shipments. However, milk delivery continues to be delayed because the Ministry is unable to get the milk to testing sites due to fuel shortages. Dr. Chalabi will send a memo to the Ministry of Oil (MoO) to inform them that the Ministry of Trade is willing to pay the MoO directly for an increased monthly allowance of diesel. (Note: In previous meetings, Dr. Chalabi has championed fuel importation by the ministries as opposed to "fixed" allocations from the MoO. It is BAGHDAD 00001150 002 OF 002 not clear if Trade even attempted to import their own diesel. End Note) Additionally, MNF-I will investigate and report back next week the U.S. military's interests in some of Trade's warehouses in Taji. According to the Deputy Minister, the U.S. military seeks to take over these warehouses for an unknown reason. (Note: MND-B states that this is an issue between the Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of Interior (MoI). MoI is requesting transfer of a portion of an under-used administrative building at Trade's Grain Distribution Warehouse in Taji for use as a temporary Iraqi police station. According to MND-B, the MoI's temporary use of a portion of this under-used facility will have no impact whatsoever on the operation of the grain facility. End Note) ¶7. The Director of the Karkh Water Treatment Plant (KWTP) attended the meeting. He addressed several issues including the Tigris River water levels, Abu Niwas pumping station, the Mosul Dam and the KWTP. According to the Director, the river is in desperate need of dredging because debris in front of the KWTP is preventing raw water from being drawn and treated to potable water standards. Chalabi made a resolution for the Amanat and the Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR) to dredge the river. The Director noted that dredgers were a premium and that several dredgers belonging to the Amanat were trapped in Taji because it could not pass a U.S. owned/controlled floating bridge. They requested that it be taken down to allow the dredgers to pass up stream. MNF-I agreed to look into it further. (Note: MND-B has determined that the floating bridge is no longer an issue. MOWR decided to try to reduce the blockage in front of the KWTP raw water intake using an on-shore excavator. MND-B also noted that dredgers have passed this bridge previously under a trestle bridge that connects to the floating bridge should the on-shore excavators not resolve the issue; therefore, eliminating the need to take down the floating bridge. End Note) ¶8. The Karkh Director complained that the Americans (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) did not complete (approximately 60-70% complete) the Abu Niwas pumping station, resulting in significant under-utilization, only 200 cubic meters per hour. He said the Baghdad Water Authority refuses to take over the pumping station until the work is completed. The Director then discussed the weak foundation of the Mosul Dam. He noted the low water levels due to the weak foundation and the persistent power outages there. Finally, ITAO Operations Director, General Snyder, commented that the Baghdad Water Authority testing of switch gear for two existing back-up generators at the Karkh Water treatment plant remained an urgent issue to complete installation and make back-up power available for the summer. The committee recommended moving two, 22mw generators to the treatment plant as an alternative. Chalabi also asked the Director to deliver a written report on matters discussed. ¶9. Along with the Deputy Minister of Transportation, the Director General of Civil Aviation and the Director of the Iraqi Airways attended the meeting. Their list of issues included problems with the Amanat, corruption, independent airway assessment and airspace and airport ownership. The Deputy Minister of Transportation complained that some Amanat employees were hindering progress. Chalabi asked the Deputy Mayor to address these problems. The Ministry also asked the Deputy Mayor for his assistance and cooperation to clean the main entrance to the Baghdad International Airport (BIAP). Transportation requested their own buses to run several routes along Route Irish to BIAP to avoid the current overcharging of Iraqis utilizing public transportation. The Deputy Minister mentioned some legal hurdles for the Ministry to accomplish this, but no solutions were offered. ¶10. The DG of Civil Aviation requested an audit or assessment of BIAP, to the tune of 200 million dinars. He maintained that the last audit was in 1997. Dr. Chalabi told them to write a request to his committee for the funding. (Note: This is contradictory to our understanding of Chalabi's committee's capabilities. Until now, they have been without funding. We are investigating whether or not this has changed. End Note) The Deputy Minister of Transportation was also concerned that they needed funding to continue contract training of air traffic controllers for certification and that airspace control below 29,000 feet would be re-claimed by the U.S. if the Iraqis didn't take the proper steps to claim it. (Note: The issue is a training contract currently being funded by the USG which terminates soon. The USG does not want airspace control below 29,000. End Note) Chalabi suggests that they write the PM about this issue. The Ministry also asked that the U.S. turn over hangers at BIAP to them. The Director of Iraqi Airways pled for funding for equipment and spare parts. Dr. Chalabi requested a report of their needs. He also asked the Ministry of Transportation to prepare a report for next week's meeting detailing their concerns. Butenis