VZCZCXRO2497
PP RUEHIK
DE RUEHPG #0097/01 0271757
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 271757Z JAN 06
FM AMEMBASSY PRAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6890
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 0060
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PRAGUE 000097 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KDEM IZ EZ
SUBJECT: CZECH DEMOCRACY PROMOTION: IRAQ 
 
REF: A. PRAGUE 58 
 
     ¶B. PRAGUE 66 
     ¶C. PRAGUE 68 
     ¶D. PRAGUE 85 
     ¶E. 2005 PRAGUE 1614 
 
PRAGUE 00000097  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (U) Summary and comment. This cable, the fifth in a series 
highlighting Czech transformational diplomacy, describes 
Czech democracy promotion projects in Iraq. These projects 
are motivated by the Czech interest in rebuilding Iraq, and 
promoting democracy and regional stability throughout the 
Middle East. To achieve these goals, the Czechs have promoted 
democracy by providing capacity building training to Iraqi 
journalists, NGOs, and civil servants. Though not the subject 
of this cable, the Czechs have also strongly supported U.S. 
policy in Iraq, committed medical teams as a member of the 
Coalition, and provided humanitarian aid, such as bringing 
Iraqi children with terminal heart disease to Prague for 
surgery. For details of Czech democracy promotion projects in 
Cuba, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Burma, and North Korea, see 
refs A-D. End summary and comment. 
 
¶2. (U) Poloff recently discussed Czech democracy promotion in 
Iraq with Gabriela Dlouha, Director of Czech MFA's 
Transformation Cooperation Unit (TRANS), and separately with 
representatives of TRANS' NGO partner, People in Need (PIN), 
including Igor Blazevic, Director, and Megan King. 
 
----------------------------- 
Democracy & Transition Center 
----------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) As with other Czech democracy promotion initiatives 
around the world, Czech NGO People in Need (PIN) is the 
primary service provider in Iraq. Since 2003, PIN has spent 
more than $5 million on humanitarian aid and democracy 
promotion programs there. 
 
¶4. (U) With respect to the latter, PIN established the 
Democracy and Transition Center in 2005 to provide capacity 
building training to members of the Iraqi civil society. As 
described below, PIN is currently providing training for 
Iraqi journalists and NGOs, and is assessing the possibility 
of expanding training programs for other sectors of Iraqi 
civil society. For security reasons, the Center is located in 
Jordan, and is staffed by PIN workers from the Czech 
Republic. However, participants for the program are selected 
in Iraq by Iraqis trained by, and well-known to, PIN. 
 
¶5. (U) The PIN selection process for NGOs and journalists is 
unique. The challenge is to select Iraqis who are committed 
to rebuilding their country, not "training tourists," i.e., 
Iraqis who want to go to Jordan to enjoy the improved 
security, plush hotel accommodations, meals, per diem, and 
cell phones offered by some training programs. Indeed, 
according to PIN, these "tourists" often move from one NGO 
training program to another to stay in Jordan as long as 
possible. To screen such people out, PIN informs prospective 
participants they will stay in simple accommodations, they 
will share their room, they will not be paid a per diem (and 
indeed may never make much money as a journalist or NGO), and 
they will not receive a cell phone or other equipment. If the 
prospect still wants to participate, he/she must continue to 
prove his/her commitment during the training to stay in 
program. 
 
¶6. (U) The Czech MFA (and now TRANS), is the primary source 
of funding for the Center and its training programs: $487,500 
is budgeted for 2006. PIN has also received funding from NED. 
(PIN expressed gratitude for the "crucial role" NED played in 
developing PIN's capabilities over the past five years.) PIN 
also sought funding from USAID/Baghdad in Fall 2005, but was 
informed there were no funds available for PIN projects. 
 
------------------ 
Journalism Program 
------------------ 
 
¶7. (U) PIN's first initiative for Iraq was a program to train 
Iraqis to become journalists (ref E). The former Czech 
dissident, Jan Urban, and an Iraqi journalist with Radio Free 
Europe experience, Sami Alkjora, traveled to Jordan to teach 
participants the philosophy of independent and objective 
reporting. Thirty journalists graduated in 2005. 
 
¶8. (U) The next step for the graduates is to gain practical 
experience. After training, PIN places them as interns with 
Iraqi publications. The graduates write articles using the 
methods taught by the Center, and then submit them for 
publication. PIN pays the graduates if their articles are 
published. So far, 485 articles have been published as part 
 
PRAGUE 00000097  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
of this program. According to PIN, 14 of the graduates are 
serious about pursuing journalism as a profession, and will 
return to Jordan for follow-up training in February 2006. 
 
----------- 
NGO Program 
------------ 
 
¶9. (U) The goal of PIN's NGO training program is to foster 
the creation of new Iraqi NGOs, and teach advanced management 
skills to existing NGOs. After Iraqis are selected for the 
program and trained in Jordan (in groups of 7-10), they 
return to Iraq to develop and administer their own projects. 
In the case of start-up NGOs, PIN provides micro-grants, 
roughly $2,000, for these projects. Although the projects are 
tiny, each NGO is required to fully account for the funds, 
and to prepare the paperwork required by a typical 
international donor, so that the NGOs learn how to 
professionally manage a larger aid project from start to 
finish. The most successful NGOs return to Jordan for 
follow-up training. To date, 85 people have been trained as 
part of this program. 
 
¶10. (U) Examples of successful micro-grant projects include: 
 
-- DEMOCRACY PROJECT: one NGO trained a theater troupe to 
travel around the country presenting "plays" about the new 
Iraqi Constitution to the community. According to PIN, this 
project provided Iraqis with a "safe" forum in which to 
discuss sensitive political issues. 
 
-- HUMAN RIGHTS PROJECT: another NGO developed a photography 
course for IRAQI children intended to help them understand 
their human rights. 
 
¶11. (U) In addition to training NGOs, PIN will conduct a 
"train-the-trainer" course in June 2006 to further accelerate 
the creation of new Iraqi NGOs. 
 
---------------------- 
Civil Society Training 
---------------------- 
 
¶12. (U) PIN is assessing whether it is possible to provide 
capacity-building training similar to that conducted with 
Belarusian civil society (refs A, C). Such training typically 
involves a cross-disciplinary group composed of a mayor, a 
PIN-trained NGO, a civil servant, and a president of a 
teaching union. The group works on projects designed to help 
them network effectively across sectors on local 
governance-related issues. PIN said it applied for an NED 
grant, and hopes to provide training in July and Fall 2006. 
 
¶13. (U) In addition, Prague City Hall funded a project (the 
cost was approximately $43,000) to bring nine Iraqi urban 
planners to Prague in January 2006 for four weeks of city 
planning training. According to local news reports of the 
visit, the Iraqi planners said they came to Prague to learn 
how to plan new development, such as shopping districts, 
while preserving their culture, as the Czechs have done in 
Prague. Nisan Jazairi, a Czech-Iraqi who runs a development 
company in Baghdad, and is son of Iraq's former culture 
minister, helped arrange the visit. He said the Czechs want 
to help the Iraqis create a "recipe book" for a functional 
city plan. 
DODMAN