DIYALA SOUTH: U.S. CITY COUNCIL WORKS WITH IRAQI

UNCLAS BAGHDAD 002663 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KDEM KPAO IZ SUBJECT: DIYALA SOUTH: U.S. CITY COUNCIL WORKS WITH IRAQI COUNTERPARTS This is an ePRT Diyala South reporting cable. ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On August 10 the New Bedford, Massachusetts City Council (Council) participated in a video teleconferencing (VTC) event with Iraqi officials from the local and district levels of Diyala Province. The Council held a mock council meeting for the benefit of the Iraqis followed by a lively question and answer session that only ended because of time limitations. Iraqi officials came away impressed by the relative power over budget and other activities at the city level in the U.S. They also saw firsthand how to run an effective and more efficient council meeting. The Council was excited by the opportunity to work with Iraqi local officials and offered to participate in future VTC and other activities with their Iraqi counterparts. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) Over the last eleven months ePRT Diyala South has worked with local governments at the qadaa and nahiya (district and subdistrict) levels to increase their capability and capacity. While progress has at times been uneven, all have shown gains and demonstrated a strong interest in better organizing themselves to carry out their responsibilities. In many instances the councils have overcome strong sectarian divisions and terrorist intimidation. The ePRT governance advisor for Khan Bani Sa,ad believed that the councils had reached a point that continued progress would be would be well served if they could see a good example of a working council in action. While on R&R in his hometown of New Bedford he secured the cooperation and support of the city council and then made arrangements with Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts and the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment (2SCR) on FOB Warhorse to host the VTC. The Iraqi response proved to be almost overwhelming as the number of confirmations to attend increased daily, well beyond our anticipation. In addition to the attendance by representatives of both our qadaas, Khalis and Baqubah, all of the qadaas, nahiyas were represented. ¶3. (SBU) The New Bedford City Council organized a mock council meeting for the VTC, using transcripts and agenda items from real council meetings. Our Iraqi guests were impressed with the orderliness of the meeting and the obvious preparations that went into a meeting. They had the opportunity to understand the role of sub-committees in councils and the order in which issues are dealt with by the council. Following the conclusion of the mock city council meeting the floor was opened to questions from Iraqi council members. Their questions focused on the budget process and relative independence of the Council to control its own affairs. They displayed obvious envy as the Council described the budget process and how they obtained funding from tax and license fees, as well as other sources. They were especially interested in the control their American colleagues had over projects, including a small municipal airport. They listened attentively as Council members described processes in place to facilitate communication with their constituents. ¶4. (SBU) At one point an Iraqi television newswoman noted that the New Bedford City Council had several women members, including the Council President. She asked the Council what they thought women had to contribute to the process. After a pause the Council President discussed the importance of elected officials reflecting the diversity of their communities because all members of society had important contributions to make in a democratic process. Finally, after almost two hours we had to cut questioning because of time constraints. ¶5. (SBU) Comment: The success of this event opens the door to future VTC exchanges between Iraqi and U.S. officials at the local and district levels. Many of the Iraqis were eager to learn more and have expressed a strong desire to participate in future events. The New Bedford City Council volunteered that they would like to continue to assist the Iraqi officials and ePRT in future events. We are already discussing how future VTCs might have a more specific subject matter focus. This was a great opportunity for Iraqis to see how our democratic process works at the local level. The independence of local government in the U.S. was an eye-opener for the Iraqis and may serve as an inspiration for them to take on greater responsibilities. As our friends of 2SCR said of the event, "it was a home run." End comment. CROCKER