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OO RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK RUEHTRO
DE RUEHC #4332/01 1170143
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O 260136Z APR 08
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 1530
INFO IRAQ COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 044332 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL MOPS UNSC IZ
SUBJECT: GUIDANCE FOR APRIL 28 UNSC OPEN DEBATE ON UNAMI AND 
MNF-I 
 
¶1. USUN is instructed to draw from the following text in 
its statement at the April 28 UNSC open debate on UNAMI 
and MNF-I. 
 
¶2. Begin text:  It is my pleasure to report today on 
behalf of the Multinational Forces in Iraq (MNF-I), as 
requested by Security Council resolutions 1546, 1637, 
1723, and 1790.  I would also like to thank the Secretary - 
General for the submission of his report on the progress 
made by UNAMI and express our appreciation to SRSG Staffan 
de Mistura and all the staff of UNAMI for their courageous 
efforts, dedication, and hard work. 
 
¶3.  Mr. President, the United States shares with the 
people of Iraq the goal of achieving a secure, unified, 
and democratic Iraq that can govern, defend, and sustain 
itself.  In early 2007, President Bush and the government 
of Iraq approved increases in the numbers of Coalition and 
Iraqi forces to ensure the security of Iraqi communities 
and promote reconciliation at the local and national 
levels.  The overall security environment in Iraq 
continues to improve and there have been some gains on the 
political, economic and diplomatic fronts as well. 
Nevertheless, progress has been uneven in certain areas 
and many challenges still remain. 
 
¶4.  The average weekly number of security incidents has 
decreased since my last report, and the level of violence 
nationwide continues to be significantly lower than levels 
seen in late summer 2007.  Although there was a brief rise 
in security incidents in recent weeks as a result of the 
violence in Baghdad and Basrah, the level of incidents is 
going down once again.  Significantly, the violence in Baghdad 
and Basrah was the result of proactive measures by the Iraqi 
government to combat terrorists, militias, and criminals - 
regardless of sectarian identity.  The result of these efforts 
is encouraging; the Iraqi government has taken control of 
Basrah, and a new spirit of unity permeates Baghdad. 
 
¶5.  The number of civilian deaths due to violence has 
fallen by more than 72 percent since July 2007 and continues to 
be below the level seen in February 2006, prior to the 
Samarra Mosque bombing.  Coalition deaths have dropped by more 
than 70 percent since last summer as well. 
 
¶6.  Another important trend is the decrease in deaths 
attributed to ethno-sectarian violence by 94 percent 
nation-wide and 97 percent in the Baghdad security 
districts from January 2007 to January 2008.  This steady 
decline in ethno-sectarian violence is due to both the 
increased presence of Iraqi and Coalition forces along 
sectarian fault lines and the decreased capacity of the 
enemy to re-ignite the cycle of ethno-sectarian violence. 
 
¶7.  Weekly IED attacks are down by more than 50 percent 
since last summer, and Coalition deaths from IED incidents 
have fallen to their lowest level since July 2006.   This 
drop in casualties is attributed to the significant 
disruption of insurgent networks, the effectiveness of 
physical security barriers, and the increasing proportion 
of IEDs that are now found and cleared before they can be 
used.   The rate at which IEDs have been found and cleared 
has recently exceeded 55 percent - the highest in nearly 
four years. 
 
¶8.  The level of high-profile attacks, such as car bombs 
and suicide attacks, remains far below its height a year 
ago, although there has been a small increase in such 
attacks in the past few months.  Nevertheless, the 
effectiveness of these attacks is declining due to 
improvements in security. 
 
¶9.  Unfortunately, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard 
Corps' Qods Force continues to arm, train, and fund illegal 
armed groups in Iraq.  Iranian-backed groups have launched 
numerous attacks on Iraqi and Multi-National Forces and pose a 
significant long-term threat to the stability of Iraq.  The 
recent clashes between criminal militia  elements and Iraqi 
government forces in Basrah and Baghdad have highlighted Iran's 
harmful influence. Iranian-provided, highly lethal aid, 
including mortars, rockets and explosively-formed penetrators 
(EFPs), to these illegal armed groups kills many innocent people 
and undermines the efforts of the Government of Iraq to 
establish a stable, secure democracy. 
 
¶10.  Syria is another source for concern, as estimates suggest 
 
STATE 00044332  002 OF 003 
 
 
that Syria is the entry point for ninety percent of all known 
foreign terrorists in Iraq.  Syria continues to allow foreign 
fighters to transit Syria en route to conducting attacks in 
Iraq, and we know that AQI terrorist facilitators continue to 
operate inside Syria.  Iran and Syria must stop the flow of 
weapons and foreign fighters, and their malign interference in 
Iraq. 
 
¶11.  Mr. President, 33 countries currently play an 
indispensable role in supporting security in Iraq, by 
either participating in the Coalition or contributing to 
UNAMI operations.  Coalition members other than the United 
States and Iraq contribute some 10,000 forces to the 
Coalition, and another 450 to support UNAMI.   Specific 
contributions range from El Salvador, which has deployed 
nine contingents since 2003 and completed more than 300 
reconstruction projects, to Estonia, which has combat 
forces conducting counterinsurgency operations. These 
forces play an essential role in helping the Iraqi people 
achieve success. 
 
¶12.  The Iraqi Security Forces continue to make progress 
and develop increased capability and proficiency. 
 
¶13.  More than 540,000 individuals now serve in the Iraqi 
Security Forces, an increase of 24,000 since I last 
reported to you in January. 
 
¶14.  As of February 1, 2008 -- 123 Iraqi army combat 
battalions are conducting operations, an increase of six 
battalions since last quarter.  Of these combat 
battalions, 112 are capable of taking the lead in 
operations.   During recent operations, some Iraqi units 
were found wanting, but overall the Iraqi Security Forces 
are quite capable and their performance is solid. Looking 
forward, we expect an additional 50,000 Iraqi soldiers and 
16 Army and Special Operations battalions to be trained 
before the end of the year, as well as more than 23,000 police 
and eight National Police battalions. 
 
¶15.  Local citizens, both Sunni and Shi'a, are also 
continuing to aid in the fight against extremists.  These 
91,000 volunteers, known as the Sons of Iraq, are 
fostering bottom-up reconciliation by providing Iraqi and 
Coalition forces with information on insurgents, securing 
critical local infrastructure, and aiding in the discovery 
of improvised explosive devices and weapons caches.  We 
are working closely with the Iraqi government to integrate 
many of them into the Iraqi Security Forces, vocational 
training programs, and other government jobs. 
 
¶16.  The Coalition continues to transfer responsibility 
for security to the Government of Iraq, which currently 
has primary security responsibility for nine of the 18 
provinces.  Many of these provinces have transitioned 
smoothly, and although challenges have arisen in others, 
we expect the process to move forward, with Anbar and 
Qadisiyah provinces transitioning later this year. 
 
¶17.  Turning now to economic issues, the Government of 
Iraq's ability to spend its resources, to provide 
essential services, and to promote economic development is 
progressing.  The Iraqi Ministries of Defense and Interior 
are steadily improving their ability to execute their 
budgets.  In 2007 and 2006, both Ministries spent more on 
their forces than the United States provided through the 
Iraqi Security Forces Fund.  We anticipate that Iraq will 
spend more than $9 billion on security this year and $11 
billion next year.  The IMF projects that Iraq's GDP will 
grow by seven percent in real terms this year.  Core 
inflation for 2007 was approximately 12 percent, compared 
to more than 32 percent in 2006.  The Iraqi dinar remains 
strong and the Iraqi Central Bank has begun to bring down 
interest rates. 
 
¶18.  At the same time, there has been some political 
progress.  The passage of the Accountability and Justice 
Law, which provides for de-Ba'athification reform; the 
Amnesty Law; and the Provincial Powers Law, which calls 
for provincial elections by October 1, 2008, were major 
steps forward.  However, much depends on their successful 
implementation.  Politically, Iraq's leaders must continue 
to cooperate with each other and place national interests 
above parochial ones. 
 
¶19.  Steps have also been taken to reintegrate Iraq into 
the international community, and specifically, into 
regional affairs.  On April 21, the Foreign Ministers of 
the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Egypt, Jordan, and the 
United States met in Bahrain and were joined by Iraqi 
Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari.  We welcome the group's 
 
STATE 00044332  003 OF 003 
 
 
decision to make Iraq a regular participant in such 
meetings. And on April 22, Kuwait hosted the third Expanded 
Neighbors ministerial, where Prime Minister Maliki briefed 
foreign ministers and senior officials from Iraq's neighbors, 
and G8 and P5 member states, on Iraq's progress advancing 
political reconciliation, security, and the rule of law.  We 
welcome the Neighbors participants' decision to hold its next 
meeting in Baghdad. 
 
¶20. Nevertheless, we call upon the international community, and 
especially Iraq's neighbors, to do more to reach out to the 
Iraqi government and to support its efforts to combat 
terrorists, extremists, and militias - regardless of sectarian 
affiliation.  We look forward to seeing Iraq's neighbors send 
high-level officials to - and reopen embassies in - Baghdad. 
 
¶21.  I would like to take a moment to thank UNAMI for its 
work in helping to resolve disputed internal boundaries, 
dealing with the humanitarian issues facing the Iraqi 
people, co-chairing the International Compact for Iraq, 
and preparing for provincial elections.  The UN continues 
to play an important role in regional dialogue, and UNAMI's 
contributions to the Expanded Neighbors support 
mechanism will help ensure that the process will remain a 
valuable regional forum. 
 
¶22.  In the weeks and months ahead, we look forward to 
UNAMI's continued involvement in promoting national 
reconciliation, the Constitutional Review, economic 
reform, and capacity-building.  We also encourage UNAMI to 
consider expanding its presence to other areas of Iraq. 
 
¶23.  Mr. President, MNF-I and UNAMI must work 
to sustain the momentum achieved by the recent 
improvements in Iraq's security.  Iraq's leaders and its 
people must capitalize upon these hard-won gains against 
insurgents, extremists, and criminals by assuming 
responsibility for achieving the objectives Iraq has set 
for itself as an independent and sovereign state.  I look 
forward to an enhanced commitment by all parties to take 
concrete steps toward assisting the government of Iraq in 
achieving these goals. 
 
¶24.  If Raised: 
 
-  The decision to combat the militia groups in 
Basrah demonstrates a commitment by the Shi'a majority 
national government to take on criminals and extremists 
regardless of sectarian identity. 
 
-  Approximately 1,300 Iraqi policemen were 
reportedly dismissed by Prime Minister Maliki due to their 
performance in Basrah. 
RICE