MAY 2009 PRT TEAM LEADERS CONFERENCE: SECURITY, STABILITY,

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SUBJECT: MAY 2009 PRT TEAM LEADERS CONFERENCE: SECURITY, STABILITY,
AND CERP

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1. (U) Summary: On May 26-27, Embassy Baghdad's Office of
Provincial Affairs (OPA) hosted its quarterly conference for leaders
of the Iraq Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs). All PRTs,
embedded Provincial Reconstruction Teams (ePRTs) and Regional
Embassy Offices (REOs) participated, including the Coalition team
led by the Italians. The conference centered on guidance from the
Administration and senior civilian and military leadership leaders,
and the announcement of unexpected availability of CERP funds for
the remainder of the year. End Summary.

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NEW ADMINISTRATION, NEW GUIDANCE
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2. (SBU) Provincial Reconstruction Teams are "the vehicle by which
[the United States] can engage the Iraqi people" and are "pulling
more than their fair share" of the reconstruction burden,"
Ambassador Christopher Hill told PRT leaders May 26. The American
people have been shouldering a large budget burden, and Iraqis
should take more responsibility. The PRTS will continue to play an
important role as Coalition Forces draw down, and it is imperative
for USG personnel working in Iraq to show American audiences at home
our successes here.


3. (SBU) The Ambassador reiterated White House guidance that the
present configuration of 23 PRTs and embedded PRTs will remain until
after the Iraqi national election slated for early 2010. Following
the election, and coupled with the planned troop drawdown from
135,000 to 50,000, PRTs would go from 23 to 16 in August 2010 then
to 6 teams by December 2011. As PRTs depart some provinces, ways
will be found to maintain the reach of the remaining teams.

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VIEWS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
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4. (SBU) United Nations Special Representative for the
Secretary-General (SRSG) Staffan de Mistura praised the strong
relationship between UN Assistance Mission Iraq (UNAMI) and the
PRTs. He called the PRT program a "great success" which provided
the UN with the platform to extend its own reach.


5. (SBU) The UN's three priorities for Iraq this year will be easing
Kurd-Arab tensions, supporting national elections, and continuing
capacity building efforts in Iraq. SRSG warned that conflict between
Kurds and Arabs was the most dangerous issue facing Iraq, and went
on to discuss UN efforts to diffuse the ethnic tension through the
recent release of the Disputed Internal Boundaries (DIBs) reports.
He affirmed the UN's commitment to support the national elections
process, praising the partnership with the PRTs and military in
support of elections. Finally, he pledged UN support for continued
capacity-building.


6. (SBU) Italian Ambassador to Iraq Maurizio Melani spoke on lessons
learned from the original Afghanistan PRTs from which the Iraq PRT
program developed. These lessons included recognizing the importance
of civilian leadership of the PRTs, focusing on host country
capacity building, developing the PRTs role as catalysts for
international support, and publicizing PRT efforts for audiences
back home.


7. (SBU) World Health Organization Representative Dr. Naeema
al-Gasser discussed past successes and future plans for development
assistance in Iraq. She spoke of increased UN engagement and
incremental expansion into UN priority program areas of governance
and public sector modernization, economic growth and restructuring,
and internally displaced persons. She emphasized the need to
Qand internally displaced persons. She emphasized the need to
coordinate and partner with OPA, MNF-I, USAID, and other groups to
draw on each others' successes and work towards the objectives of
the International Compact for Iraq and the Paris Agreement.

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MNF-I AND MNC-I INVITE CERP PROPOSALS, PLEDGE SUPPORT
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8. (SBU) Multi National Force Iraq (MNF-I)Commanding General Raymond
Odierno framed his presentation around President Obama's three
objectives for Iraq: supporting development of a sovereign, stable,
and self-reliant Iraq; ensuring the government of Iraq is
representative and accountable; and building a U.S.-Iraq partnership
that contributes to peace and stability in the region. To achieve
these goals and maintain current momentum in Iraq, the military is
planning a responsible drawdown.



9. (SBU) General Odierno noted that the Iraqi military, especially

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the latest generation of General officers, seem less tied to
political or sectarian parties. He emphasized the importance of
establishing rule of law in Iraq and of encouraging Iraqis to solve
their problems through political means instead of violence.
Withdrawing U.S. troops from the cities in accordance with the June
30 deadline set by the Security Agreement was imperative to
demonstrate U.S. commitment to honoring the agreement.


10. (SBU) Stressing unity of effort in civil capacity building,
General Odierno said he saw the State Department and PRTs in the
lead with support from the military. With some $560 million
becoming available in CERP funds for the remainder of FY 2009, he
invited the PRTs to submit project proposals in coordination with
brigades and with Provincial Councils.


11. (SBU) Recently-arrived Commander of Multi-National Corps Iraq
(MNC-I) Lieutenant General (LTG) Charles Jacoby made an unscheduled
but welcome appearance at the conference. He pointed to the June 30
deadline for U.S. combat troops to withdraw from Iraqi cities as
critical for affirming the perception that the U.S. military is
adhering to the Security Agreement. National elections in January
will be a second decisive event; the Iraqi people are hungry for a
representative government that can effectively deliver services. A
third decisive point will be responsible drawdown and transition
from military combat units to Advise and Assist Brigades (AABs).
Pledging full support to the PRT program, Jacoby underscored the
importance of balancing short-term security objectives with
long-term capacity building, especially considering limited time and
resources available.

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CHANGE IN OPA LEADERSHIP
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12. (SBU) Outgoing OPA Director Phyllis Powers introduced incoming
Director Greta Holtz, and paid special tribute to the Team Leaders,
crediting progress -- in the face of often ambiguous guidance -- to
their leadership and hard work. There is no handbook per se on how
to develop or run a PRT but Team Leaders are writing the book as
they work.


13. (SBU) Incoming OPA Director Greta Holtz aligned her vision for
the PRTs with those of the President, the Ambassador and the
Commanding General. Committing to focus on ensuring adequate
resources for the PRTs during the military drawdown, she encouraged
Team Leaders to be proactive in identifying their operational needs.
Her focus will be on ensuring that the civilian footprint across
Iraq is structured and supported by the military and Department of
State to have the maximum effect on helping achieve U.S. strategic
goals between now and 2011. Ms. Holtz tasked the PRT leaders with
assessing the "unofficial" support not covered by the MOU that the
PRTs get from their brigades and other military partners, so as the
military draws down, Department of State and Department of Defense
leadership will know what resources are needed to keep a robust
civilian presence across the country.

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ADDITIONAL CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS
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14. (SBU) Representatives from Baghdad PRT, together with partners
from Multinational Division--Baghdad and the office of the Deputy
Mayor of Baghdad, gave a timely presentation on their Memorandum of
Agreement (MOA) process which governs all BCT and PRT-initiated
public works projects in Baghdad. The MOU addresses problems
including an unwieldy number of contractors, limited quality
assurance and control, and operation and maintenance once projects
Qassurance and control, and operation and maintenance once projects
are turned over to the Government of Iraq. The MOA document will
require projects to be approved by Baghdad City Hall prior to
breaking ground.


15. (SBU) Agriculture (USDA) Attach Fred Kessel urged PRTs to
rethink their strategies and to enable Iraqis to take ownership of
their agricultural development. Kessel cited numerous examples of
how U.S.-introduced agricultural projects failed because local
conditions were not considered and local knowledge was not
solicited. Better to involve local agricultural advisory
associations, he counseled.


16. (SBU) Embassy Baghdad Coordinator for Economic Transition in
Iraq (CETI) Ambassador Marc Wall led a panel discussion on the
Strategic Framework Agreement (SFA),along with John Fox, Deputy
Political Counselor for Provincial Affairs, and Susan Ziadeh, Acting
Public Affairs Counselor. The SFA provides the structure for normal
bilateral relations with Iraq, especially in economic, cultural and
political endeavors. Wall noted the need for the Government of Iraq
to ratify long-term bilateral agreements, stalled since 2005, in
order to enhance economic cooperation and development. Although the

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PRTs are not directly affected by the SFA, they are key implementers
- e.g., identifying candidates for the Embassy's numerous cultural
and educational exchanges.



17. (U) Other sessions included a presentation by the Transportation
Attach, a discussion of operational concerns with OPA, RSO, and
Embassy management officers, and a briefing from the Office of
Hostage Affairs.

FORD