VZCZCXRO8204
PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHGB #3414/01 2851416
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 121416Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3838
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 003414 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV IZ
SUBJECT: KEEPING THE MOMENTUM IN MAYSAN: KEY AREAS FOR 
FUTURE ENGAGEMENT 
 
¶1. (U) This is PRT Maysan report. 
 
 
¶2. (SBU) Summary and Comment:  Despite four years and over 
USD 200 Million of consent-winning projects in rural and 
urban Maysan, the province remains solidly allergic to any 
Coalition military activity.  That said, the recent burst of 
engagement opens the door to several potentially valuable 
opportunities for PRT influence.  Expectations are high for 
the GRS-supported surgical hospital in al-Amarah.  There are 
excellent opportunities to provide both construction training 
and relief from a difficult housing shortage through the 
Governor's ambitious plan to build a city near the capital. 
There is also an opportunity to develop an academic center of 
excellence in energy studies through a dedicated energy 
department or institute in the local university.  We plan to 
support both job creation and training through connecting 
Maysanis with available business development centers created 
by the USAID/Izdihar program and with a vocational training 
center.  There is also very positive scope to influence 
students through carefully targeted technical support of 
visible areas of Maysan University, as well as to facilitate 
a connection with American universities for a potential 
twinning relationship.  End Comment. 
 
The Flagship: A Surgical Hospital in al-Amarah 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶3. (SBU) The Maysanis are looking forward to the planned 
construction of the Maysan Surgical Hospital, a very solid 
deliverable for al-Amarah.  The Provincial Council (PC) has 
requested and received Ministry of Health approval for the US 
Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) Gulf Region South (GRS) to 
build a quality 100-bed facility in two phases for roughly 
USD 17 Million.  Given that Maysan has only two hospitals for 
a province of roughly 800,000 people with low development 
indicators, this is a high-impact, high-visibility way to 
improve acute health care.  We have heard our provincial 
interlocutors on local Arabic radio programs describing their 
plans to deliver this hospital for the benefit of the people 
of Maysan.  This effort is a must-deliver. 
 
Housing and Training: Infrastructure Planning Assistance 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) The Maysanis offered additional information about 
the Governor's long-term vision of building a planned city. 
Observing that al-Amarah suffers from poor urban planning and 
an overburdened infrastructure, they have emphasized the need 
to systematize the distribution of the population.  To this 
end, they expressed a keen interest in having training in 
city planning at the technocrat/Director General (DG) 
staff-level, particularly in core services such as water, 
electricity, sewage, and waste disposal.  They also welcomed 
any assistance that we can offer for training on project 
planning, from site selection and survey onward.  They 
specifically noted a need for accurate mapping products. 
 
¶5. (SBU) (Comment: We believe that for the Governor, this 
city vision is second only to developing Maysan's hydrocarbon 
upstream/downstream as a provincial priority.  He sees the 
successful development of this city as the key to job 
creation, IDP resettlement, and pacifying the restive, 
unemployed youth that comprise the footsoldiers of the 
militias.  The Governor's assistant told us that they see 
al-Majar al-Kabir as the main area of unemployment and 
insecurity in the province and the best opportunity for 
improvement.  While we are helping coordinate Local 
Governance Program (LGP-RTI) assistance for city mapping, we 
believe that the Governor's vision offers an excellent 
opportunity to proactively and widely support the elected 
officials of Maysan in a well-considered (if ambitious) plan. 
 Although they have not detailed the costs or their plans for 
funding the city project, it is clear that they have made 
some arrangement with Baghdad for the investment that will be 
required.  We have seen digital photos of 
some of the heavy earthmoving equipment that the Governor 
purchased in Dubai.  If successful, we believe that it could 
generate substantial numbers of unskilled, semi-skilled, and 
skilled construction jobs, thereby indirectly weakening the 
appeal of Jaysh al-Mahdi (JAM) membership and easing the 
housing stresses caused by large numbers of returnees from 
Iran and Sadr City.  We warmly welcome creative ideas on how 
to deliver tangible training opportunities in support of this 
vision.  End Comment.) 
 
Iraq's Future Top Energy Institute in Maysan-Why Not? 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) During a recent conference in Dubai, we noted 
Governor al-Maliki's deep and focused interest in developing 
 
BAGHDAD 00003414  002 OF 003 
 
 
the oil and gas potential in his province.  Shell's Luay 
Jawad, Business Advisor for the Middle East, Caspian, and 
South Asia told us of his suggestion to the Governor that the 
province ask for assistance in establishing an energy 
institute in Maysan.  Such an institute could be funded by 
international oil majors and, if well-organized, eventually 
produce the country's supply of petroleum and gas engineers, 
as well as technologists developing renewable energy 
solutions for rural application, using solar, wind, and 
biofuels.  Such an institute need not only produce masters or 
undergraduate degrees, but could also include a shorter-term 
training track oriented at youth aiming for blue collar 
opportunities in the oil, gas, and renewables sectors. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Although this would be a vanity project for the 
Governor, we do see practical value and a reaffirming 
connection with the university if it were established as a 
college.  Given al-Maliki's (what we believe to be) 
admiration of the deep energy infrastructure investment in 
and good relations with Khuzestan, Iran's most oil-rich 
province on the other side of the border, we assess that he 
would strongly desire a legacy accomplishment such as this. 
We note that Iran's Petroleum University of Technology (www. 
put.ac.ir), has a college in Ahwaz, the Khuzestani capital. 
According to their website, the school generates a large 
number of internationally trained petroleum engineers and 
that all specialized classes are given in English (rather 
than in Farsi).  Putting Maysan on the map with such a high 
profile center of national excellence would be another 
signature accomplishment for such a young and ambitious 
politician.  The prestige and prospect of meaningful jobs 
across Iraq following training in such an institute could 
attract considerable interest among the youth and serve as 
another moderating influence.  We would value any suggestions 
on how the Coalition might be able to support this, 
particularly technical training resources or related 
equipment. 
 
Letting a Little Sun Shine In 
----------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) After the Governor expressed interest in solar 
energy resources, we drew from Department of Energy/National 
Renewable Energy Laboratory references and academic/ industry 
technical publications and prepared a linked listing of 
backgrounders, technical references, and component/system 
purchase resources.  When they received this, we received a 
note graciously thanking us and adding that "really we feel 
very happy with our relationship with you and PRT".  This 
small expression is symbolic of the dramatic turnaround we 
have seen in the relationship and the effectiveness of small 
gestures in this quirky relationship. 
 
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs-Part 1:  Small Business Help 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) From recent meetings with USAID/ Izdihar officials, 
it is clear that a Southern Business Development Center 
(SBDC) as currently contemplated for an-Nasiriyah would be a 
boon to local provinces, including Maysan.  Provincial 
officials were supportive of the idea of  a women's 
craftmaking cooperative, but were cautious about the 
mechanics of setting up such a business.  We expect that an 
SBDC that serves the local provinces with varying levels of 
business training via existing chambers of commerce or 
business associations would have excellent Maysani 
participation.   We intend to nominate Maysanis for similar 
training at the established business development center in 
Erbil. 
 
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs-Part 2:  Vocational Training 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) During recent meetings with the National VoTech 
Team, we learned that there is an opportunity for building a 
vocational technology training center in Maysan.  We have 
raised this with provincial officials and the Governor has 
expressed his interest in having one.  We believe the best 
prospect for this type of center in Maysan would be one 
tailored toward basic construction-related skills, given the 
province's ambitious plans for housing expansion and city 
construction. 
 
Reaching Maysani Students: University Assistance 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶11. (SBU) Given the Maysanis' strong interest in boosting 
their university, we think that there is a special 
opportunity for subtle, targeted public diplomacy with 
Maysani youth.  We believe that a high-visibility, 
well-designed and appointed student center or library (as 
 
BAGHDAD 00003414  003 OF 003 
 
 
requested by al-Rafaie) would be a popular amenity.  A 
well-endowed university in the US may be interested in 
establishing such a connection, perhaps even linking students 
in the university's English college by videoteleconference 
with occasional classes in the US.  We understand that many 
Maysan University students are relatively underprepared 
academically and pursue non-rigorous programs while waiting 
for job opportunities.  We would welcome any suggestions on 
what might be possible to engage with them. 
CROCKER