FOURTH ANNUAL RULE OF LAW CONFERENCE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002123 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FOR JOHN EULER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL SUBJECT: FOURTH ANNUAL RULE OF LAW CONFERENCE ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: The Rule of Law Coordinator Office, in conjunction with Multi-National Force- Iraq (MNF-I) Office of the Staff Judge Advocate(OSJA) and the Office of Provincial Affairs, hosted the Fourth Annual Rule of Law Conference in the International Zone on May 19-21. Over 160 Embassy, MNF-I, and non-USG personnel participated in the three-day conference . The first day of the conference focused on Iraq Rule of Law issues and programs from the Embassy perspective, the second day from the MNF-I perspective, and the final day from the Iraqi and international perspective. Ambassador Ryan Crocker hosted a VIP luncheon at the Embassy on the final day. END SUMMARY ¶2. (U) From May 19-21, the Rule of Law Coordinator's Office held the Fourth Annual Rule of Law Conference at the Forward Operating Base Blackhawk Conference Center in the International Zone. The conference was jointly organized by and coordinated with MNF-I OSJA and the Office of Provincial Affairs. ¶3. (U) DAY 1 - Review of Embassy Rule of Law Programs: Ambassador Ryan Crocker opened the conference with welcoming remarks and spoke about the importance of developing the Rule of Law in Iraq, as well as Embassy, MNF-I, and non-USG Coalition partners working together to help accomplish that mission. ¶4. (U) Rule of Law Coordinator Phil Lynch and outgoing MNF-I SJA Mark Martins discussed their offices, joint efforts to promote the rule of law in Iraq. They were followed by a panel of Rule of Law personnel from different Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) discussing various initiatives, issues, and challenges Rule of Law PRT personnel face. The Deputy Rule of Law Coordinator and MNF-I SJA Rule of Law Chief subsequently presented on the Iraqi amnesty regime, including how the law is functioning and the extent of its impact since enactment. ¶5. (U) The afternoon session began with a panel focusing on legal programs for Iraqi women. The subsequent panel discussed judicial capacity building programs and support for Iraqi bar associations, law schools, and other legal organizations. Representatives of the Rule of Law Coordinator, MNF-I SJA, Joint Strategic Planning and Assessment, and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement then engaged the audience with an interactive dialogue about the Rule of Law Strategic Action Plan (ROLSAP),due to be completed this summer. The day,s final presentations addressed (1) funding and resources available for Rule of Law programs and (2) Iraq,s civil law system and land registry issues. ¶6. (U) DAY 2 - Review of MNFI Rule of Law Programs: The second day of the conference focused more directly on military issues, with the content and discussion driven by MNF-I OSJA. Outgoing MNF-I SJA COL Mark Martins and Australian Brigadier Jeffrey Sengelman, MNF-I Director of Strategic Operations, opened the day with a discussion of the Rule of Law Mission in Iraq. Bill Gallo, Director of the Law and Order Task Force (LAOTF),provided an inside look at the mission and functioning of LAOTF. Rear Admiral Garland Wright, Deputy Commanding General of Task Force 134, concluded the morning session with a look at detainee operations and Theater Internment Facility and Reconciliation Centers (TIFRCs). ¶7. (U) Brigadier General Edward Cardon, MND-C Deputy Commanding General for Support, began the afternoon session of Day 2 by addressing General Officer-level assistance and engagements in support of Rule of Law operations. COL Gerald Busby followed with a look at Rule of Law Complex projects. An MNC-I SJA representative then led a panel, composed of members from 64th MP Co, 18th MP BDE, MND-B CID, MND-N, CCC-I, and Task Force Ramadi, which provided an analysis of the Iraqi criminal justice system from arrest to trial. Rule of Law representatives from MNF-W, MND-C, MND-N, and the Basrah PRT subsequently engaged attendees in a discussion on MNC-I initiatives in support of the Iraqi justice system. General Cardon closed out Day 2 by hosting a social function at the Embassy that included a presentation by guest speaker General Al-Ali H. Fawzi, former Chief of Staff, Iraqi Army 3rd Corps, about cultural knowledge useful for effectively engaging Iraqi judges. ¶8. (U) DAY 3 - International Perspectives on Rule of Law Programs: The final day provided conference attendees with an international perspective on Iraq rule of law issues. Representatives of the UN Development Programme, EUJUST LEX, and the International Institute for the Rule of Law began the day with a presentation on international organizations and the Rule of Law program. A panel BAGHDAD 00002123 002 OF 002 composed of the Iraqi Bar Association (IBA) President, the Dean of the Baghdad Law School, and the Director General of the Judicial Training Institute (JTI) addressed the conference on modernizing Iraqi legal education, with a focus on training, curriculum development, and law school partnerships. Representatives of the British, Italian, and Japanese Embassies, and a human rights officer from UNAMI, rounded out the morning session with a discussion of bi-lateral engagement in the Rule of Law community. ¶9. (U) Ambassador Crocker then hosted a luncheon for conference speakers at the Embassy. Distinguished Iraqi guests, including Chief Justice Medhat al-Mahmoud, IBA President Aswad al-Ninshidi, Baghdad Law School Dean Ali al-Rufaie, and several Iraqi judges, participated in the luncheon, as did USG leaders such as Director of the Office of Provincial Affairs Phyllis Powers, Rule of Law Coordinator Phil Lynch, DoIA Director General MG Michael Jones, Rear Admiral Garland Wright, and others. ¶10. (U) After the luncheon, Chief Justice (CJ) Medhat, President of the Higher Judicial Council (HJC),started off the final afternoon of the conference with a keynote address which began with a history of law in the Iraq region from Babylonian times until today. As part of that discussion, he emphasized the importance of reestablishing and strengthening judicial independence from the other branches of government as well as outside influences. That independence, he lamented, had been significantly challenged between 1977 and 2003, when the former regime had the judiciary under the control of the executive branch. ¶11. (U) CJ Medhat then highlighted some of the HJC,s successes over the past five years, including a doubling of the number of judges and prosecutors; supporting the building of courthouses as well as housing for judges; increasing judicial training; and introducing &new blood to the administrative staff and the other judicial departments with young graduates from the colleges and institutes.8 He concluded by focusing on future plans for the HJC, as resources allow, including: the establishment of courts specializing in particular types of cases, such as terrorism, cyber crimes, money laundering, commerce, and administrative cases; improving and modernizing juvenile and family courts; establishing investigative offices focused on major crimes in the provinces; and more closely linking the JTI with the HJC so the HJC can improve the JTI,s programs and staff. He then responded to questions from attendees. ¶12. (U) CJ Medhat,s talk was followed by an all-Iraqi panel composed of the Chief Juvenile Judge at CCC-I, Karkh, the Deputy Director General for Juvenile Rehabilitation at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, the President of the Iraqi Jurists Union, and the Karkh Juvenile Police Chief addressing legal issues about juveniles in Iraq. ¶13. (U) COMMENT: The Fourth Annual Rule of Law Conference provided an excellent opportunity for Embassy, MNF-I, and non-USG coalition partners to come together and share insights and experiences from around Iraq regarding various challenges faced in advancing the rule of law. Conference attendees participated with engaging questions and commentary throughout the entire three-day event. In addition to making resource connections that will prove valuable in the coming months, participants came away from the conference with new ideas for solutions to issues they face and a renewed confidence in the way forward on the rule of law mission. CROCKER