IRAQ EXECUTIVE STEERING COMMITTEE - MARCH 7

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000743

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/13/2018
TAGS: ECON IZ PGOV
SUBJECT: IRAQ EXECUTIVE STEERING COMMITTEE - MARCH 7


1. (C) Summary. In the absence of Prime Minister Maliki, the
Minister of Defense Abdul Qadir (MoD) Chaired the Iraqi
Executive Steering Committee (IESC) in support of the Baghdad
Security Plan (FaQ). The meeting featured complaints from
representatives of Sadr City about the extremely poor state
of services in their area - an issue termed a national crisis
by IESC members in attendance. End Summary.

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Water Quality Tests Disputed
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2. (C) The Baghdad Mayor disputed claims from last week's
IESC that 90% of the city's drinking water is contaminated.
The Mayor called for joint testing between the Amanat, the
Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Health to produce
a standard measure that is presented weekly to the Prime
Minister. FaQ Media Chair Yaseen Majeed called for FaQ
Civilian Spokesman Tahseen Sheekly to conduct a proactive
public information campaign on water quality. The MoD
endorsed both proposals.


3. (C) Comment. The endorsement of Sheekly by Majeed is
unprecedented. Majeed has long felt threatened by Sheekly
and has sought to minimize his role. This comment may
reflect that Sheekly, a secular Sunni, has achieved increased
clout after recently being named by the Prime Minister as
Speaker of the IFCNR Reconciliation Committee. End Comment.

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Proposed Joint Venture Trash Collection
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4. (C) The Mayor announced that he intended to establish for
profit a joint venture trash collection services with the
Amanat retaining control of the to-be-formed companies. The
Mayor stated that he presented the proposal to the Council of
Ministers and is awaiting response. The Mayor also reported
on the increased productivity of collecting trash at night.
The MoD urged the Mayor to coordinate trash cleaning efforts
with the BOC so that less secure areas can be cleaned. In
addition, the Provincial Council noted that it is funding
trash pickup through local governments and advocated using
local councils as the lead on trash pickup. (Note: It is
refreshing to hear the PC advocate on behalf of local
government-something it has been reluctant to devolve power
to in the past. End note.)

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Sadr City Comes to the IESC
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5. (C) Representatives of the Sadr City Municipality attended
the IESC and gave a list of complaints about the poor state
of services and infrastructure in the area. A major
contributor to the problems, they explained, is the fact that
Sadr City infrastructure was built in 1980 when the
population was 750,000. Local District Council members and
other representatives claim three million Iraqis now reside
in Sadr City and that the population continues to grow
rapidly as displaced Shia's relocate there. Underlying the
issues were tensions over which GOI entity controls local
contracting and the prioritizing of projects, with only
slight mention of Coalition Forces, detainees, and rogue
militias.


6. (C) The Sadr City Representatives complained about all
services, particularly education and water, and claimed that
the area has been neglected by the GoI, the Amanat and the
Coalition. The Representatives stated that the area has only
ten kindergartens, four hospitals and 20 gas stations for
three million people. They stated that the food bundles of
the public distribution system no longer reached most of the
city population. Moreover, they stated that not one GoI
Minister or the Prime Minister has visited them and that the
local councils were instead doing the job of the ministries
in Sadr City. In response, the Minister of Immigration noted
that he had visited his employees in Sadr City the day before.


7. (C) In response to critiques about the currently
non-functioning R3 water treatment plant built by the
Coalition, Ambassador Crocker acknowledged that the plant is
shut down due to faulty filters, but stated that the US is
committed to making it fully operational by August.
Ambassador Crocker also noted that the US has spent more than
$160 million on projects in Sadr City and that work there is
complicated by the frequent killings of contractors and lack
of communication with influential actors on the ground.


8. (C) The Mayor, the Minister of Immigration and the Sadr
City Representatives traded complaints about the
mismanagement of displaced persons relocating to Sadr City
and further burdening the limited infrastructure. The Mayor
stated that illegal squatters occupying public lands within
the Sadr City is inhibiting the delivery of new services.


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9. (C) Both the MoD and Hashim Hassani, Head of the IESC
Political Committee and former Speaker of the CoR, called the
situation a "national crisis" and urged for coordinated
inter-ministerial action. The MoD instructed the Provincial
Chair, the Mayor and the Sadr City Representatives to meet
and prepare a unified study for the Council of Ministers.


10. (C) Comment. The Sadr City presentation was the first
time the IESC has specifically addressed the situation of a
Baghdad district or neighborhood holistically as an agenda
item. While the meeting certainly highlighted issues that
the GoI must address, EMBASSY IESC interlocutors have
expressed concerns to the IESC Secretariat that repeating the
discussion of services on a district-by-district basis could
risk undermining the Joint Planning Committee meeting run by
the Provincial Council which serves a similar purpose.
Nonetheless, early indications are that the IESC now intends
to regularly invite various district representatives to the
forum, alternating between districts on each side of the
river. End Comment.


11. (C) Comment. The meeting illustrated some of the
political dynamics at play between Mayor Saber, PC Chairman
Mueen, the Governor and the Sadr City representatives. Sadr
City representatives claimed that they have a very close
working relationship with the Essential Services Committee of
the PC, but have "no idea" what the Amanat does. They
complained vociferously about shoddy Amanat contractors and
demanded more "realistic" projects, such as road re-pavement
and school constructions, whose contracts they oversaw. The
banter between provincial, city, and local officials reveal a
clear alliance between the Sadr City Representatives and
ISCI/Badr PC Chairman Mueen. Governor Tahan was more quiet
on the issues and did not appear as closely affiliated with
the Sadr City representatives. End Comment.
CROCKER