US embassy cable - 03AMMAN8022

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 008022 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR IO, NEA AND PRM; PLEASE PASS TO USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, EAID, IZ, JO, UNSC 
SUBJECT: UNAMI DONOR BRIEFING PREVIEWS "EXILE" ARRANGEMENTS 
FOR UN IRAQ AGENCIES 
 
 
1.  (SBU) Summary and Comment:  At a December 9 donor 
briefing, UNAMI Officer-in-Charge Kevin Kennedy previewed 
UNSYG Annan's plans to name a new Special Representative for 
Iraq "within a few weeks" and divide UNAMI operations between 
Cyprus and Amman, with senior policy officials in Cyprus and 
UNAMI program officers and operational UN agencies in Amman. 
UNAMI's top priority is security, focused on enhancing 
security of UN installations and planning for the eventual 
re-entry of UN international staff in Iraq.  UNAMI also is 
engaged in an Amman-based strategic planning exercise to 
identify reconstruction priorities for 2004.  Kennedy 
clarified that UNAMI could focus only on reconstruction as it 
has not received instructions from the Security Council to 
explore the political roles outlined in relevant UNSCRs. 
UNAMI announced that the International Reconstruction Fund 
Facility for Iraq (IRFFI) also will establish operations in 
Amman, making all programming decisions here until it can 
deploy international staff to Iraq.  IRFFI acknowledged that 
it will not be able to implement projects without an 
international staff presence in Iraq.  These monthly UNAMI 
briefings will serve as a key exchange about UN programs in 
Iraq and it may be useful to arrange participation by CPA or 
Iraqi Ministry officials to ensure that Iraqi and coalition 
views are adequately represented.  End summary and comment. 
 
2.  (U) The UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) held its 
first-ever donor briefing on December 9 in Amman.  UNAMI 
plans to hold monthly donor briefings in Amman until the 
mission is able to establish operations in Iraq and pledged 
to continue the Amman briefings even if a significant part of 
the mission is relocated to Cyprus.  Future briefings will 
include updates from UNSECOORD and UNHAS and will also focus 
on sector-specific needs. 
 
3.  (SBU) UNAMI Officer-in-Charge Kevin Kennedy reported that 
UNSYG Annan will issue a report to the Security Council 
"soon, possibly as early as today," (December 9) outlining 
UNAMI's mission and temporary location until operations can 
be established in Iraq.  Kennedy also expects UNSYG Annan to 
name a new Special Representative for Iraq ad interim "within 
a few weeks."  Emphasizing that he could not preview the 
SYG's report, Kennedy said that UNAMI would likely divide its 
operations between Larnaca and Amman, with the Special 
Representative and top policy advisers based in Larnaca, 
while UNAMI program officers and other UN operational 
agencies would remain in Amman.  Kennedy added that some 
operational agencies, such as WFP, may also redeploy staff to 
Cairo, Dubai or Rome.  Acknowledging security concerns about 
the large number of UN international staff currently in 
Jordan (now at more than 300, as opposed to the usual 100), 
Kennedy said the UN Iraq mission deployment would seek to 
prevent a "massive" presence anywhere in the region. 
 
4.  (SBU) Kennedy identified security as UNAMI's top 
priority.  Current activities are focused on enhancing 
security at UN facilities in Iraq to ensure the safety of 
Iraqi national staff and plan for the eventual return of UN 
international staff to Iraq.  UNSECOORD Officer Alan Brimelow 
reported that UNSECOORD is assembling a team of 19 security 
officers who will be located throughout Iraq, working both 
individual UN agencies and providing protective details to 
certain senior UN officials.  UNSECOORD also is developing 
the plans required for a staged re-entry to Iraq, identifying 
indicators and the assessments required to resume operations 
in Iraq.  Until security conditions in Iraq improve, Brimelow 
concluded, the UN will only be able to implement emergency 
humanitarian relief operations. 
 
5.  (SBU)  Following the UN's November policy meetings in 
Cyprus, UNAMI is now engaged in an Amman-based strategic 
planning exercise.  UN Development Group Strategic Planning 
Advisor Michael Dalton reported that UNAMI will use data 
collected during the UN needs assessment (conducted in Iraq 
from June until August 2003) to determine the UN's 
reconstruction priorities for calendar year 2004.  UNAMI 
hopes to complete the first draft in early January, with a 
final draft ready for consultations with donors in late 
January.  The priorities identified in the strategic planning 
exercise will form the core of programs implemented under the 
International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI). 
In response to a donor question, Kennedy clarified that the 
strategic plan -- and more broadly, UNAMI's overall mission 
-- could focus only on reconstruction programs as "current 
circumstances" do not permit UNAMI to explore the political 
role outlined in the relevant UN Security Council 
Resolutions.  Neither CPA nor the Iraqi Governing Council 
have asked the UN to take over any political functions, 
including the constitutional or legal drafting process. 
Nevertheless, UNAMI will "try to be ready" in the event 
instructions regarding political activities are issued by the 
Security Council. 
 
6.  (SBU) IRFFI also plans to establish operations in Amman 
until it can deploy international staff in Baghdad.  (UNDG 
Facilitation Officer Mireia Villar-Forner noted that terms of 
reference for the Fund will be presented at a Liaison Group 
meeting on December 11.)  Although the core governance 
structure and all accounting and treasury functions will be 
based in New York, all programming policy decisions (e.g., 
where and how funds will be used) and donor coordination 
meetings will take place in Amman.  UNAMI added that the UN 
Iraq country team would coordinate all programming decisions 
with the relevant Iraqi authorities to ensure that they are 
in line with overall Iraqi national reconstruction and 
development plans, but acknowledged that the exact structure 
and level of IRFFI consultations with Iraqi authorities were 
still "a little vague."  When pressed by the Japanese, IRFFI 
also acknowledged that it currently had no ability to 
implement projects funded by IRFFI.  Without international UN 
staff in Iraq to oversee the Fund, IRFFI "is not a position 
to have large amounts (of funds) disbursed" and is instead 
working to establish mechanisms for future disbursements. 
Villar-Forner added that IRFFI therefore expects donors to 
employ other funding options, including bilateral 
contributions to other agencies.  Until IRFFI is able to 
implement projects, the fund facility will exist primarily to 
"maximize coordination." 
 
7.  (SBU) Comment:  These monthly UNAMI briefings will 
undoubtedly serve as a key point for exchanging information 
about UN programs and priorities in Iraq.  While Embassy 
Amman is able to report on these meetings, we do not have the 
in-house capacity to comment in the course of the briefings 
on sector-specific programs or priorities in Iraq.  It may 
therefore be useful to arrange participation from CPA or 
Iraqi Ministry officials on an as-needed basis, to ensure 
that the Iraqi authorities' concerns and reconstruction 
priorities are adequately represented. 
 
8.  (U) CPA Baghdad minimize considered. 
HALE