Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08BAGHDAD1465
2008-05-11 12:43:00
SECRET
Embassy Baghdad
how-toVZCZCXRO0646 PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK DE RUEHGB #1465/01 1321243 ZNY SSSSS ZZH P 111243Z MAY 08 FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7287 INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 001465
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/11/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER IR IZ
SUBJECT: IESC MEETING MAY 9, 2008
Classified By: Economic Counselor Todd Schwartz for reasons 1.4 (a,d)
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 001465
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/11/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER IR IZ
SUBJECT: IESC MEETING MAY 9, 2008
Classified By: Economic Counselor Todd Schwartz for reasons 1.4 (a,d)
1. (C) Summary. In place of an absent PM Maliki, National
Security Advisory Mowaffuk Rubaie chaired the 9 May 2008
Iraqi Executive Steering Committee (IESC) in support of Fardh
Al Qanoon (FaQ ) the Baghdad Security Plan). The PM
mandated the meeting be conducted with limited attendance,
featured discussions of the ongoing problematic state of
services in Sadr City and intensive discussions about Iranian
interference in Iraqi affairs ) including recent protests
outside the Iraqi Embassy in Tehran. End Summary.
--------------
Limited attendance ) Chalabi Out
--------------
2. (C) NSA Rubaie announced PM Maliki has instructed that the
number of attendees to the IESC be restricted with the goal
of improving the strategic discussion of the meeting.
Notable Iraqis who will no longer be invited to the IESC
include Services Committee Chair Ahmed Chalabi and members of
the Media Committee, including Civilian Spokesman Tahseen
Sheikhly and Military Spokesman Qassim Atta. (Comment: Post
IESC discussions with Rubaie indicate the PM is pleased with
Sheikhly's media efforts. It is unknown why the PM decided
to disinvite Chalabi or what effect this will have on his
Services Committee. End Comment).
3. (C) In this as well as future IESC meetings, Coalition
attendance was limited to 4 persons. In attendance were
Ambassador Crocker, Michael Baumgartner (JSPA),Deputy
Commanding General Cooper and Major General Zamzow
(StratEff). (Comment: Previously approximately twenty-two
Coalition personnel typically attended the IESC. While the
reduced Coalition presence will have a negative impact on our
ability to track and coordinate service issues related to
FaQ, the PMs decision to reduce our attendance can also be
viewed as a positive sign of the GoI increasingly asserting
its sovereignty. End Comment).
--------------
Sadr City Education
--------------
4. (C) With neither the Minister of Education nor the Mayor
in attendance, the Governor provided a brief update informing
that many of the schools in Sadr City remain closed. Given
the Minister of Education's absence, the planned briefing on
alternative sites for year end exams was not given.
--------------
Sadr City Rations
--------------
5. (C) The Minister of Trade claimed that although there was
a shortage of milk, 95% of the May ration has been
distributed. The Minister also stated that large quantities
of additional supplies are currently in Umm Qasr Port and
will be brought to Baghdad in the near future. The Governor
disputed the figure, saying many people have still not
received their rations. The Minister stated that a continued
inability to access the food quality testing laboratory in
Sadr City hampers ration distribution. The Minister
dismissed calls from Ministry of Oil Sharistani to distribute
the rations without testing, stating that doing so will
inevitably mean that some people will receive spoiled food
and the GoI will then be accused of poisoning them.
--------------
Sadr City Services
--------------
6. (C) The Governor stated that services in areas controlled
by Jayesh Al Mahdi Special Groups (JAM SG) are poor, but
services in areas controlled by the GoI are non-existent.
The Governor indicated this was due to JAM SG threats and
intimidation, keeping municipal employees from going to work.
(Comment: Many employees are refusing to work because of
their Sadrist or JAM affiliation. They know their refusal to
work in this area undermines the GoI's efforts at providing
services there. End Comment.)
7. (C) Baghdad Commander General Aboud objected strongly to
this depiction, stating he personally had seen rubble being
removed. Aboud further stated those areas his forces have
cleared are safe and that the BOC had worked to limit the
average wait at check points to 30 minutes. (Comment: Aboud
may have witnessed cleaning crews who had received premium
pay from MND-B CERP funding. Municipal employees receive
their salaries even if they refuse to work in non-secure
areas; thus many workers prefer to receive their Amanat
salary and then receive a bonus salary by being hired on a
CERP trash pick-up program. End Comment.)
BAGHDAD 00001465 002 OF 003
8. (C) General Aboud also complained that the Ministries have
failed to send representatives to the Civilian Military
Operations Command Post (CMOC) that has been established in
Sadr City. Aboud said the failure to do so was inhibiting
coordination and left the BOC unable to answer the concerns
of citizens who were coming to the CMOC for information.
--------------
Sadr City Hospitals
--------------
9. (C) The Governor called for a small group to visit the Umm
Ali Hospital and prepare a report on its status and determine
the actual events regarding a Coalition AIR strike near the
hospital several days prior. Deputy Commanding General
Cooper rejected a request from Rubaie to provide transport to
the hospital, stating that Coalition personnel that deep in
Sadr City would draw attacks from JAM SG.
--------------
Sadr City Fuel
--------------
10. (C) Minister of Oil Sharistani again sounded a positive
note about the overall stocks of refined fuel in Iraq, saying
they are at their highest levels since 2003. Sharistanti
said his Ministry was successfully delivering fuel products
directly to citizens in Sadr City, bypassing local councils.
--------------
Sadr City Electricity
--------------
11. (C) Minister of Electricity Kareem said his efforts to
distribute extra power to Sadr City had resulted in good
availability there, but a slight decrease in the rest of
Baghdad. However, Minister Kareem did sound concern over the
fact that a large percentage of his employees are from Sadr
City; their difficulty in commuting to work to other areas of
the city was causing problems at power stations.
--------------
Preparation for Sadr City IDPs
--------------
12. (C) The Minister of Immigration and Displaced Persons
said an emergency camp capable of housing 1000 families has
been set up in the event of residents fleeing Sadr City from
expected future ISF operations. The Minister also noted he
was receiving assistance from the Iraqi Red Crescent which
has ready 140,000 emergency food rations and 15,000 tents.
The Minister of Defense stated that he did not expect future
Sadr City security operations to create a large number of
IDPs.
--------------
Iran and Electricity
--------------
13. (C) Minister of Electricity of Kareem stated Iran had
reduced electricity exports by 220 MW over the past five
days. The Minister said there was no plausible technical
reason for the reduction and that he had sent a delegation to
Iran earlier in the day to discuss the issue. Kareem
expressed frustrations with Iran stating that they had
ignored his previous requests for information for over a week.
--------------
Iran and Iraq Embassy Protests
--------------
14. (S) Minister of Foreign Affairs Zebari said the
Government of Iran had organized civilian protests at the
Iraqi Embassy in Tehran due to Iraq's recent reconfirmation
of its concurrence with the Arab leagues position regarding
the three disputed UAE islands occupied by Iran. Zebari
said he had warned the Iranian Ambassador that if the
protests did not stop quickly that Iran would risk similar
protest by Iraqis in Baghdad. Zebari stated he expected
relations with Iran to worsen in coming weeks and months and
sounded concern about recent events involving Hezbollah in
Lebanon. Minister of Oil Sharistani concurred that relations
with Iran were likely to worsen and stated he had increased
fuel stockpiles in expectation of a reduced amount of supply
provided by Iran.
--------------
Kuwait and Diesel Imports
--------------
15. (C) Minister of Oil Sharistani sounded a pessimistic note
over the failure of a Kuwait company to deliver an agreed to
BAGHDAD 00001465 003 OF 003
2.5 M l/d in diesel imports for electricity distribution.
Sharistani noted that Iraq faced the same issue last year and
that, in his view, the Kuwaitis had no intention of helping
Iraq Sharistani again asked for US Embassy assistance in the
matter. (Comment: Iraq is currently importing an average of
just over 1 M l/d in Diesel. Despite this, Sharistani
clearly enjoyed the "I-told-you-so" moment as he recounted
his previous year's opposition to paying $9 million in
demurrage charges to the Kuwait company in the attempt to
resolve last year's diesel
dispute. End Comment.)
16. (C) The Ministry of Electricity stated it was difficult
to import fuel products by sea due to the poor state of the
Umm Qasr port and that an effort to increase supplies via
Jordan and Turkey must be made. However, the Minister noted
the distances involved would make the fuel delivery more
expensive than those via Kuwait. Returning to a regular
theme, Minister of Oil Sharistani stated that pipeline
security from Bayji to Baghdad is a must if Iraq's fuel
situation is to be further improved.
CROCKER
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/11/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER IR IZ
SUBJECT: IESC MEETING MAY 9, 2008
Classified By: Economic Counselor Todd Schwartz for reasons 1.4 (a,d)
1. (C) Summary. In place of an absent PM Maliki, National
Security Advisory Mowaffuk Rubaie chaired the 9 May 2008
Iraqi Executive Steering Committee (IESC) in support of Fardh
Al Qanoon (FaQ ) the Baghdad Security Plan). The PM
mandated the meeting be conducted with limited attendance,
featured discussions of the ongoing problematic state of
services in Sadr City and intensive discussions about Iranian
interference in Iraqi affairs ) including recent protests
outside the Iraqi Embassy in Tehran. End Summary.
--------------
Limited attendance ) Chalabi Out
--------------
2. (C) NSA Rubaie announced PM Maliki has instructed that the
number of attendees to the IESC be restricted with the goal
of improving the strategic discussion of the meeting.
Notable Iraqis who will no longer be invited to the IESC
include Services Committee Chair Ahmed Chalabi and members of
the Media Committee, including Civilian Spokesman Tahseen
Sheikhly and Military Spokesman Qassim Atta. (Comment: Post
IESC discussions with Rubaie indicate the PM is pleased with
Sheikhly's media efforts. It is unknown why the PM decided
to disinvite Chalabi or what effect this will have on his
Services Committee. End Comment).
3. (C) In this as well as future IESC meetings, Coalition
attendance was limited to 4 persons. In attendance were
Ambassador Crocker, Michael Baumgartner (JSPA),Deputy
Commanding General Cooper and Major General Zamzow
(StratEff). (Comment: Previously approximately twenty-two
Coalition personnel typically attended the IESC. While the
reduced Coalition presence will have a negative impact on our
ability to track and coordinate service issues related to
FaQ, the PMs decision to reduce our attendance can also be
viewed as a positive sign of the GoI increasingly asserting
its sovereignty. End Comment).
--------------
Sadr City Education
--------------
4. (C) With neither the Minister of Education nor the Mayor
in attendance, the Governor provided a brief update informing
that many of the schools in Sadr City remain closed. Given
the Minister of Education's absence, the planned briefing on
alternative sites for year end exams was not given.
--------------
Sadr City Rations
--------------
5. (C) The Minister of Trade claimed that although there was
a shortage of milk, 95% of the May ration has been
distributed. The Minister also stated that large quantities
of additional supplies are currently in Umm Qasr Port and
will be brought to Baghdad in the near future. The Governor
disputed the figure, saying many people have still not
received their rations. The Minister stated that a continued
inability to access the food quality testing laboratory in
Sadr City hampers ration distribution. The Minister
dismissed calls from Ministry of Oil Sharistani to distribute
the rations without testing, stating that doing so will
inevitably mean that some people will receive spoiled food
and the GoI will then be accused of poisoning them.
--------------
Sadr City Services
--------------
6. (C) The Governor stated that services in areas controlled
by Jayesh Al Mahdi Special Groups (JAM SG) are poor, but
services in areas controlled by the GoI are non-existent.
The Governor indicated this was due to JAM SG threats and
intimidation, keeping municipal employees from going to work.
(Comment: Many employees are refusing to work because of
their Sadrist or JAM affiliation. They know their refusal to
work in this area undermines the GoI's efforts at providing
services there. End Comment.)
7. (C) Baghdad Commander General Aboud objected strongly to
this depiction, stating he personally had seen rubble being
removed. Aboud further stated those areas his forces have
cleared are safe and that the BOC had worked to limit the
average wait at check points to 30 minutes. (Comment: Aboud
may have witnessed cleaning crews who had received premium
pay from MND-B CERP funding. Municipal employees receive
their salaries even if they refuse to work in non-secure
areas; thus many workers prefer to receive their Amanat
salary and then receive a bonus salary by being hired on a
CERP trash pick-up program. End Comment.)
BAGHDAD 00001465 002 OF 003
8. (C) General Aboud also complained that the Ministries have
failed to send representatives to the Civilian Military
Operations Command Post (CMOC) that has been established in
Sadr City. Aboud said the failure to do so was inhibiting
coordination and left the BOC unable to answer the concerns
of citizens who were coming to the CMOC for information.
--------------
Sadr City Hospitals
--------------
9. (C) The Governor called for a small group to visit the Umm
Ali Hospital and prepare a report on its status and determine
the actual events regarding a Coalition AIR strike near the
hospital several days prior. Deputy Commanding General
Cooper rejected a request from Rubaie to provide transport to
the hospital, stating that Coalition personnel that deep in
Sadr City would draw attacks from JAM SG.
--------------
Sadr City Fuel
--------------
10. (C) Minister of Oil Sharistani again sounded a positive
note about the overall stocks of refined fuel in Iraq, saying
they are at their highest levels since 2003. Sharistanti
said his Ministry was successfully delivering fuel products
directly to citizens in Sadr City, bypassing local councils.
--------------
Sadr City Electricity
--------------
11. (C) Minister of Electricity Kareem said his efforts to
distribute extra power to Sadr City had resulted in good
availability there, but a slight decrease in the rest of
Baghdad. However, Minister Kareem did sound concern over the
fact that a large percentage of his employees are from Sadr
City; their difficulty in commuting to work to other areas of
the city was causing problems at power stations.
--------------
Preparation for Sadr City IDPs
--------------
12. (C) The Minister of Immigration and Displaced Persons
said an emergency camp capable of housing 1000 families has
been set up in the event of residents fleeing Sadr City from
expected future ISF operations. The Minister also noted he
was receiving assistance from the Iraqi Red Crescent which
has ready 140,000 emergency food rations and 15,000 tents.
The Minister of Defense stated that he did not expect future
Sadr City security operations to create a large number of
IDPs.
--------------
Iran and Electricity
--------------
13. (C) Minister of Electricity of Kareem stated Iran had
reduced electricity exports by 220 MW over the past five
days. The Minister said there was no plausible technical
reason for the reduction and that he had sent a delegation to
Iran earlier in the day to discuss the issue. Kareem
expressed frustrations with Iran stating that they had
ignored his previous requests for information for over a week.
--------------
Iran and Iraq Embassy Protests
--------------
14. (S) Minister of Foreign Affairs Zebari said the
Government of Iran had organized civilian protests at the
Iraqi Embassy in Tehran due to Iraq's recent reconfirmation
of its concurrence with the Arab leagues position regarding
the three disputed UAE islands occupied by Iran. Zebari
said he had warned the Iranian Ambassador that if the
protests did not stop quickly that Iran would risk similar
protest by Iraqis in Baghdad. Zebari stated he expected
relations with Iran to worsen in coming weeks and months and
sounded concern about recent events involving Hezbollah in
Lebanon. Minister of Oil Sharistani concurred that relations
with Iran were likely to worsen and stated he had increased
fuel stockpiles in expectation of a reduced amount of supply
provided by Iran.
--------------
Kuwait and Diesel Imports
--------------
15. (C) Minister of Oil Sharistani sounded a pessimistic note
over the failure of a Kuwait company to deliver an agreed to
BAGHDAD 00001465 003 OF 003
2.5 M l/d in diesel imports for electricity distribution.
Sharistani noted that Iraq faced the same issue last year and
that, in his view, the Kuwaitis had no intention of helping
Iraq Sharistani again asked for US Embassy assistance in the
matter. (Comment: Iraq is currently importing an average of
just over 1 M l/d in Diesel. Despite this, Sharistani
clearly enjoyed the "I-told-you-so" moment as he recounted
his previous year's opposition to paying $9 million in
demurrage charges to the Kuwait company in the attempt to
resolve last year's diesel
dispute. End Comment.)
16. (C) The Ministry of Electricity stated it was difficult
to import fuel products by sea due to the poor state of the
Umm Qasr port and that an effort to increase supplies via
Jordan and Turkey must be made. However, the Minister noted
the distances involved would make the fuel delivery more
expensive than those via Kuwait. Returning to a regular
theme, Minister of Oil Sharistani stated that pipeline
security from Bayji to Baghdad is a must if Iraq's fuel
situation is to be further improved.
CROCKER