PROGRESS ON DEMINING PICKS UP PACE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002381 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/I/POLMIL, NEA/I DEPT ALSO FOR PM/WRA E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/03/2014 TAGS: KHDP PARM PGOV PREL UNDP IZ SUBJECT: PROGRESS ON DEMINING PICKS UP PACE REF: A. BAGHDAD 1920 ¶B. BAGHDAD 1816 Classified By: Pol-Mil Minister Counselor Cameron Munter, for reasons 1 .4 (b,d) BAGHDAD 1920 BAGHDAD 1816 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Iraqi Minister of Defense Abd Al-Qadir Muhammad Al-Mufriji issued an order August 30 to allow nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to perform demining operations, according the Deputy MinEnv Kamal Hussein Latif. The directive represents a significant breakthrough for U.S.-supported humanitarian demining operations and tracks with new progress on landmine survey work in Basra. The MOD and MOEnv reached an agreement July 5 permitting demining operations to continue (ref B). After the MOU was signed, however, the MOD did not approve any NGOs to conduct actual projects, as threatened (ref A). Dr. Kamal said August 31 that MinDef appears to have softened his position by allowing NGO involvement because key MOD officials told MinDef that they need assistance with demining operations in the southern desert near Basra. END SUMMARY. A VICTORY FOR NGO LEGITIMACY -------------- ¶2. (C) UNAMI officials, MinEnv officials and Emboffs endeavored to restart NGO-led operations during August and found the MOU,s guidelines to be ambiguous. The three parties encouraged more clarity from the MOD and warned that the international community could again find that weak support for demining was undermining humanitarian efforts. Dr. Kamal shared his view August 31 that assuaging MOD officials' concerns about NGOs and building rapport through offers of training was paying dividends. Dr. Kamal also told Emboff that the combined effort to convince MOD officials that the Iraqi military lacks sufficient capacity to ameliorate Iraq,s severe landmine problem had been particularly effective. Director General for Intelligence and Security Mr. Hazzim confirmed issuance of the order to Emboff September 1, but said that the order was limited to operations in Basra. (COMMENT: The ultimate impact of the order remains to be seen. Whether the order proves to be blanket permission for NGOs or narrow in scope, it implicitly acknowledges that NGOs have crucial capacity and expertise that MOD lacks. END COMMENT.) ¶3. (C) UNDP Senior Mine Action Advisor Kent Paulusson in particular pushed to expand NGOs' ability to do humanitarian operations under MOEnv,s supervision. In an effort to combat the notion that MOD could "go it alone", Paulusson had agreed in July to convey to MOD officials repeatedly three key points: humanitarian demining is different from military demining, international standards and quality control are essential to safety and cost-savings, and landmine and unexploded ordnance contamination (UXO) in Iraq is vast but still unchartered in many areas. Paulusson shared his opinion August 30 that the message had "sunk in" with parts of MOD and he expected MOD officials to adopt a more conciliatory approach toward demining NGOs in the future. NGO PROGRAMS REARRANGED -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Also during August, a leading demining NGO, the Iraqi Mine Clearance Organization (IMCO),reshuffled its profile dramatically, moving resources into mine risk education and training for MOEnv officials, as well as relocating physical assets and survey teams to Basra. IMCO is one the primary grantees of the Department's Weapons Removal and Abatement office (WRA) program in Iraq and has QRemoval and Abatement office (WRA) program in Iraq and has been a subject of MOD recriminations (ref A). To escape MOD,s obstructive maneuvers, Post and WRA agreed to encourage IMCO to temporarily engage in less controversial operations under more welcoming military commands. The Basra Operations Command provided a letter to IMCO welcoming their involvement in survey work and mine risk education projects (MRE) in Basra. (NOTE: Surveys of potential and known landmine fields is a crucial part of demining but less alarming to the security forces since it rarely involves direct contact with or use of explosives in the way that clearance operations do. END NOTE.) ¶5. (SBU) Other positive signs include that IMCO has nearly completed its U.S.-supported relocation to a new compound BAGHDAD 00002381 002 OF 002 just outside of the International Zone, even though the new site was adversely affected by the August 19 bombing of the MFA building. IMCO medics were on hand after the event providing care to the injured. IMCO is not alone among NGOs in making progress. Paulusson confirmed that the UNDP,s grantee, RDO, expanded its MRE projects and survey work in southern provinces of Nasiriyah and Basra during August. The Danish grantee, DDG, is also operating in Basra. TIP-TOEING THE BUREAUCRATIC MINEFIELD -------------- ¶6. (C) Deputy MinEnv Dr. Kamal expressed confidence August 31 that MinDef's order represents headway. General Mohan, who had strongly resisted NGO involvement in demining (refs A and B),now rarely speaks for the MOD on demining, he said. Instead, MG Merza, MG Haddi and BG Faleh, who lead engineering and logistical commands, have become Dr. Kamal,s primary contacts in inter-ministerial meetings. Dr. Kamal suggested to Emboff that MOEnv will continue to curry favor by offering to train the MOD technicians in landmine clearance. If MOD officials accept, Dr. Kamal would seek to use IMCO experts in the trainings. Dr. Kamal felt that "professional development" and offers of goodwill had helped defuse tension. ¶7. (C) Next strategic steps for UNDP,s Paulusson will be a public relations campaign and project proposals that focus on provincial leaders rather than the capital. He surmises that progress in rural areas will be difficult for Baghdad-based opponents to impede and will generate momentum of its own. For his part, Dr. Kamal intends to expand training for MOD and his own MOEnv staff, using IMCO where possible, and to develop the professional capacity of the Directorate for Mine Action under the MOEnv. (COMMENT: Post will seek to support these efforts and let demonstrable progress in NGO-led demining speak for itself. END COMMENT.) HILL