IRAQ'S BORDER SURVEILLANCE PROJECT TAKES SHAPE,

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000258 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR S/CT K. MCKUNE AND S. SPECHT E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/02/2020 TAGS: PBTS PGOV PREL MASS IZ SUBJECT: IRAQ'S BORDER SURVEILLANCE PROJECT TAKES SHAPE, FIRST ON SYRIAN BORDER BAGHDAD 00000258 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Pol-Mil MinCouns Cameron P. Munter for reasons 1.4 (b) a nd (d). ¶1. (S) SUMMARY: We joined Interior Minister Bolani at a January 30 groundbreaking of a border roads project that took place along the Iraq-Syrian border. Supported by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE),the border roads project is headed by the Department of Border Enforcement (DBE) under the Ministry of Interior (MOI),and was paid for through Foreign Military Sales. This project is part of a larger border surveillance project funded by United States Forces-Iraq (USF-I) Assistance and Training arm that includes dual day and infra-red cameras, Land Rover surveillance vehicles, and ports of entry screening equipment. Meanwhile, USF-I continues to urge an accelerated timeline for PISCES upgrades in Iraq to maintain border security capabilities after the departure of the DOD biometrics screening equipment currently located at five land points of entry (POE) in Iraq. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) The border roads are designed to support border outposts and movement along the border. The entire project includes eight priority segments, covering the southern half of the Syrian border (MOI priorities one and three),the Iranian border in Basrah province (priority two),all of the Saudi Arabian border (priorities four, five, six and eight), and the Kuwaiti border (priority seven). So far USACE has contracted the design and construction of priority segments one and two, including a 56-mile road running along Iraq's western Al Qaim POE with Syria, and an 81-mile road covering the land border north of the marshes around Iraq's eastern Basrah Khorammsharh POE with Iran. The total cost of the design and construction of the first two segments is $181 million. The two segments are estimated for completion in January 2011 and May 2011 for the western and eastern segments respectively. ¶3. (SBU) Minister Bolani, accompanied by USF-I and Embassy representatives, traveled for several hours to and from the groundbreaking ceremony that took place north of Al Qaim POE at a small border outpost, a single building located amidst a lifeless expanse of dust and sand. (Note: Nobody in the delegation could point out where exactly on a map the event took place, except to note that we were north of Al Qaim in the "middle of nowhere." End note.) A gaggle of press and twice as many Anbari Sheiks, including a representative of Abu Risha, a high-profile tribal Sheik who gained much influence through his association with U.S. Marines in Anbar, attended the ceremony. After two hours of speeches, prayers, gifts, and a press conference, the local Iraqi construction company started paving the first stretch of road. With the construction underway, Minister Bolani, Anbaris, Iraqi Security Force representatives whose numbers were matched by the various uniforms, and the U.S. delegation enjoyed a traditional Dulaimi meal of bread, rice, and meat. ¶4. (SBU) Looking forward, USF-I Assistance and Training arm is working with the MOI on $100 million in funding for the design and construction of the third border road segment, which runs along the southern portion of the Syrian border. According to the USACE director, most of the funding is there, and they are working to secure an additional $23 million for the project. USF-I estimates that the rest of Qmillion for the project. USF-I estimates that the rest of the border surveillance project will be underway in May. This effort includes cameras, surveillance vehicles, and screening equipment such as metal detectors, luggage scanners and non-intrusive inspection equipment that screens vehicles to detect contraband. ¶5. (S) COMMENT: Iraq's borders continue to challenge USF-I security initiatives, and the U.S. military drawdown will decrease overall USG visibility on these problems. They are clearly porous, and the administration of borders is clumsy (multiple agencies are unable to coordinate) and riddled with corruption. USF-I has moved into early implementation stages of withdrawing its soldiers located at the border POEs, and its leadership wants to secure continuation of Iraq's biometrics screening capabilities after their withdrawal. For this reason, USF-I leadership is pushing for an accelerated timeline for PISCES upgrades in Iraq to maintain border security capabilities. In advance of finalizing withdrawal plans, USF-I leadership is looking to State and the interagency for some assurance that we will continue to work with the GOI toward making border security a lead U.S.-Iraqi issue. As part of the military to civilian BAGHDAD 00000258 002.2 OF 002 transition, DOD is requesting DHS personnel to backfill some of the positions USF-I will vacate as they depart the country. HILL