VZCZCXRO9101
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHGB #1329/01 1081107
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 181107Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0776
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001329 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/16/2017 
TAGS: ECON ENRG KCRS KPAO MOPS PGOV PREF PREL IZ
SUBJECT: IRAQ EXECUTIVE STEERING COMMITTEE CALLS FOR RAPID 
REOPENING OF GAS STATIONS, BANKS, HOSPITALS 
 
REF: BAGHDAD 1262 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Timothy Carney for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: At the April 13 session of the Iraq Executive 
Steering Committee, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic 
Affairs Barham Salih called the April 12 bombing of the 
Council of Representatives (CoR) troubling from a security 
standpoint, but a unifying event for the CoR.  Sarafiya 
bridge, also bombed April 12, needs to be rebuilt ASAP, he 
added, and appealed to donors for assistance.  Banks, 
hospitals, and gas stations should be re-opened as a matter 
of priority, to help normalize daily life as soon as 
possible.  The Media Committee must re-double efforts to 
communicate good news to the population to counteract 
negative events such the CoR and Sarafiya bridge bombings. 
End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) Dr. Barham Salih, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic 
Affairs (DPM) chaired the April 13 session of the Iraq 
Executive Steering Committee.  Also attending: Abd al-Qader 
Mohammed, Minister of Defense (MoD); Jawad al-Bolanie, 
Minister of Interior (MoI); Wijdan Mikhail Salim, Minister of 
Human Rights (MoHR); Hoshyar Zebari, Minister of Foreign 
Affairs (MFA); Ali al-Shamarri, Minister of Health (MoH); a 
representative of the Ministry of Trade (MoT); LT General 
Aboud, Baghdad Operational Commander (BOC); a representative 
for Vice President Adel Abd al-Mahdi; Dr. Mowaffak al-Rubaie, 
National Security Advisor (NSA); Shirwan al-Waili, Minister 
of Transportation (and also of National Security); Hashim 
al-Hasani, on behalf of the Council of Representatives (CoR); 
a representative for Ahmed Chalabi, Popular Mobilization 
Committee; Naseer Alaa'nai, Former VP of INA; Yasin Majeed, 
Head of GOI Media Committee; Naim Aboub, Deputy Mayor of 
Baghdad; Dhia Zoubai, DPM al-Zubai Chief of Staff; Ali Abd 
al-Aziz, Chairman of I-ESC Deputies' Committee; MNF-I CG 
Petraeus; Rear Admiral Mark Fox, MNF-I StratCom; and 
Ambassador Tim Carney, Coordinator for Economic Transition in 
Iraq (CETI). 
 
Security 
-------- 
 
¶3. (C) Despite the twin bombings of April 12 (the CoR and the 
Sarafiya Bridge), General Aboud said that security is 
improving in many areas of Baghdad, noting that services must 
follow quickly.  In particular, internally displaced persons 
IDP's should be supported, mosques, banks and roads should be 
re-opened, and VIPs should visit these areas with the media. 
Daura Bank, for example, is secure and ready to open.  DPM 
Salih said the GOI must complete a thorough review of the 
events leading up to the Council of Representatives (CoR) 
bombing to ensure it does not happen again.  However, from a 
political perspective, it was a unifying event for the CoR. 
 
¶4. (U) DPM Salih noted that Baghdad Security Plan ("Fardh 
al-Qanoon" or FAQ) could support the reconstruction of the 
Sarafiya Bridge, which must be rebuilt ASAP.  He stressed the 
need for inter-ministerial coordination and to secure other 
bridges from attacks.  The Ministry of Culture is insisting 
on leading on the reconstruction of the Mutannabi Street book 
market.  DPM Salih requested assistance from USAID, USACE, 
and any other relevant entity and recommended establishing a 
working group to coordinate efforts (NOTE: the working group 
met April 16. END NOTE). 
 
¶5. (SBU) VP Abd al-Mahdi's representative said the Political 
Committee will finish in May a document connecting action on 
militias and de-Baathification to FAQ.  He also noted that 
outsiders, working through countries like Syria, are spending 
large amounts of money to support insurgents, adding that FAQ 
is threatened by those who believe the U.S. will consider 
leaving Iraq if FAQ fails.  Insurgents are also increasingly 
funded through business operations within Iraq. 
 
Getting and Staying on Message 
------------------------------ 
 
¶6. (SBU) CoR representative Hashim al-Hasani reported that 
MoFA Zeybari has prepared a letter outlining developments and 
successes in the FAQ to provide suggestions for Iraqi 
Ambassadors to better support FAQ efforts abroad, especially 
among Iraqi diaspora who may support the opposition. 
Al-Hasani said the GOI must unify its political message, both 
inside and outside the government, since they tend to fight 
the GOI and MNF-I when not included.  Yasin Majeed, head of 
the GOI Media Committee, noted that his committee is small 
and limited in its capabilities. 
 
¶7. (U) Rear Admiral Mark Fox, MNF-I Director of Strategic 
Communications, noted that the Media Committee laid out a 
 
BAGHDAD 00001329  002 OF 002 
 
 
plan to cover developments in essential services.  IESC Media 
Sub-Committee Deputies will meet to develop a structure.  NSA 
al-Rubaie and Abd al-Aziz both urged a representative of the 
Media Committee to participate in Deputies' IESC, something 
they rarely do. 
 
Normalizing Daily Life: Parking, Banks, Barriers and Jobs 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
¶8. (U) Banks and Parking: DPM Salih said that re-opening 
banks must also be a high priority, adding that two banks in 
Daura are ready to re-open.  Amariya Bank, however, still 
required work.  Deputy Baghdad Mayor Aboub noted a large 
number of unlicensed garages in Baghdad.  DPM Salih charged 
the Amanat and MoT to come up with a timetable for their 
removal. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Barriers: General Aboud said the GOI has identified 
for re-opening the first 11 of 87 blocked streets in Baghdad. 
 Several people noted that selective barrier removal can make 
people feel singled out and more insecure, as was the case 
when barriers around the home of Sunni politician Adnan 
al-Dulemi were recently removed.  Two-thirds of Abu Nawas 
Street should re-open Sunday, an event Aboud asked be widely 
covered by the media as an important step in normalization. 
 
¶10. (U) Hospitals: The Popular Mobilization Committee agreed 
with Haifa Street residents to support opening the local 
hospital.  They hope to open two more hospitals in Baghdad 
the week of April 16 and are working with the Red Crescent to 
transport patients to the re-opened facilities.  Three more 
hospitals (Karkh, Karama and Kindi) might not be ready to 
re-open because they are either destroyed, un-secure, or in 
abandoned areas.  MoH Ali al-Shamarri questioned who pays for 
salary increases to doctors and nurses: MoF through the FAQ 
budget or MoH through its existing budget. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Jobs and Gas Stations: MOI Jawad al-Bolanie noted 
that, although some government employees are not working for 
security reasons, others are simply using security as an 
excuse not to work.  He urged members to enforce requirements 
that employees report to work consistently when security is 
not an issue.  Gas station closures, whether caused by 
insurgent activity or fuel shortages, cause hardship for the 
people who must go to other areas for fuel. 
 
Quality of Life 
--------------- 
 
¶12. (SBU) DPM Salih noted that some areas did not receive 
their allotted rations under the Public Distribution System 
(PDS).  The MoT representative countered that PDS rations are 
available, but some local representatives are too afraid to 
come pick them up.  MoT announced that all of Baghdad will 
receive double rations April 15.  An additional 100,000 
packets of emergency rations (worth a total of $1 million) 
are also available.  The Popular Mobilization representative 
said that his committee can start distributing the emergency 
rations the week of April 15, once needy recipients were 
identified. 
 
¶13. (C) Detainees: DPM Salih asserted that illness (including 
leprosy) among many detainees being turned over from the 
Ministries of Defense and Interior to the Ministry of Justice 
must be addressed before it becomes a serious political 
problem.  MoHR Wijdan Mikhail Salim said that a lack of 
permanent judges and inadequate transportation are causing 
massive overcrowding at a number of detention facilities. 
She requested that detainee release or transfer to MoJ not be 
held up pending "national reconciliation" efforts, which are 
moving too slowly. 
 
¶14. (C) CG Petraeus responded that detainees under MNF-I 
control are well cared for, but detainee populations are 
rising due to increased security measures without concurrent 
increased capacity in the judicial system capacity to process 
detainees - something with which MNF-I is helping MoJ.  MOI 
al-Bolanie admitted that, despite some progress, more needs 
to be done.  DPM Salih reaffirmed that MoHR must have access 
to prisons. 
CROCKER