US embassy cable - 05BAGHDAD2425

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 002425 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/07/2025 
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, IZ, XL, Reconstruction 
SUBJECT: TROUBLED AL-ANBAR'S PRDC OFF TO A GOOD START 
 
Classified By: ACTING POLCOUNS HENRY S. ENSHER.  REASONS 1.4 
(B) AND (D). 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY:  The Anbar Provincial Reconstruction 
Development Committee (PRDC) held its first official 
meeting May 29 in Ramadi.  Local officials from across 
the province and directors-general from various 
ministries attended the session, reflecting genuine 
and broad interest in the PRDC initiative.  Several 
participants primarily used the forum to complain 
about the lack of reconstruction progress -- a 
longstanding theme; others came prepared with detailed 
project proposals in hand.  Some flagged their 
concerns about the disproportionate attention, and 
resources, directed toward Fallujah in comparison to 
other cities.  Anbar Provincial Council Chairman 
Ma'moun urged the attendees to focus on projects, not 
offer complaints.  He said the body would meet weekly 
and work to prioritize proposals for funding in line 
with the troubled province's most urgent needs.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
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ANBAR PRDC:  HIGH TURNOUT 
------------------------- 
 
2.  (C) City and ministry representatives from across 
Anbar attended the province's opening PRDC meeting May 
29, in Ramadi.  Iraqi participants included:  the 
mayors of Rutbah and Al-Waleed; Directors-General from 
Habbaniyah, Kubaysah and Al-Wafa; Deputy Mayor of 
Ramadi and city council chairmen from Habbaniyah, Hit, 
and Phurat.  U.S. participants included SET Fallujah 
and Baghdad PoloffS, Baghdad IRMO representative, MNF- 
I Political Military Economic Effects officers, 2nd 
Marine Division Chief of Staff, Marine Government 
Support Team (GST) Commander and S-2/Foreign Area 
Officer. 
 
3.  (C) The provincial council chairman, Engineer 
Ma'moun, urged participants to take advantage of the 
initiative to direct resources to areas vital to the 
provincial leadership.  Acting Governor Taleb 
underscored the importance of new cooperation between 
local provincial officials and the coalition; mistakes 
had been made in the past but should not be repeated. 
 
PRIORITIES MIXED WITH COMPLAINTS 
 
4.  (C) PRDC participants underscored key priorities 
by sector (Directors-General) and location (city 
mayors and/or chairmen) to include: 
 
--HEALTH:  The Director General of the Ministry of 
Health Rafe Hyad Chiad observed that committee was not 
needed to underscore that health conditions throughout 
the province were "very bad."  In Fallujah, several 
health problems had been resolved; he opined this 
might serve as a model.  More medical staff and 
ambulances were needed.  Of the eleven hospitals in 
the region, most were in poor condition; the needs of 
the 140 clinics were also great. 
 
--EDUCATION:  The Education Ministry's DG, Engineer 
Fadhl al Saleh claimed that Ramadi suffered especially 
due to repeated, "coalition attacks on schools. Of the 
1,150 schools in the area, all needed some repairs; he 
noted there was no budget for new school 
construction.  (Comment:  Schools in Ramadi have been 
used by insurgents to coordinate attacks.  End 
Comment.) 
 
--ELECTRICITY:  Engineer Ziad Hamman representing the 
Ministry of Electricity outlined two necessary steps: 
reestablishing distribution grids, including new 
material (wires and generators) and building a new 
station in Ramadi as priorities. 
 
--SEWAGE:  DG Engineer Ahmed Hattam Hamad, responsible 
for sewers, citied his priority as rebuilding lines 
and installing new pumps, referring to a written list 
of priorities for the Ministry of Water. 
 
--RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS:  Ramadi Sunni Endownment 
Director, Ali K. al Zand said religious centers in 
Fallujah and Ramadi require rebuilding. 
 
--RUTBAH:  The Mayor of Rutbah, Lawyer Raheem Sabah 
Barwani, commented security in the area for the last 
year had been stable and coordination with the 
coalition effective.  He emphasized that during the 
last two months, the security situation had begun to 
deteriorate.  Without improved security, all progress 
would be lost.  Health and electrical priorities had 
been identified; the most urgent issue remained a lack 
of water. 
 
--AL-WALEED:  Waleed City Council member Sa'ad 
revealed that the small city lacked an electrical 
grid; power came from generators only.  Like other low 
population centers, it had lacked resources for a long 
time.  He urged the situation be rectified. 
 
--HABBANIYAH:  The Mayor claimed there had been "no 
results" between coalition forces for some time. 
Water, roads and other services were "very weak"; 
schools were "a disaster" - many had their roofs 
falling in.  The area had recently suffered from over 
1,000 cases of severe diarrhea; asbestos leakage into 
water continued to be a primary health concern. 
 
--RAMADI: Deputy Mayor of Ramadi, Sa'ad argued 
coalition roadblocks were causing problems. 
According to the acting mayor, all who enter Ramadi 
considered it to be "an abandoned city"; it had become 
"a dump" due to absent garbage collection.  Sa'ad 
claimed most sewage ran into the river, creating 
widespread health problems.  He decried the fact that 
the city's glass factory, which had just recently 
reopened, was temporarily shut down again. (Note.  The 
temporary closure is due to the fact insurgents had 
used the site for direct and indirect fire on 
Coalition Forces.  End Note.) 
 
--HIT:  City Council Chairman Kamel Dahih Mohammed 
emphasized that, as a city far from the provincial 
center (Ramadi), Hit had been ignored and given a low 
priority.  He further opined, "for the last ten 
months, problems have been discussed without 
solutions."  Health supplies would last only three 
days; conditions in hospitals were "miserable", the 
representative added. 
 
-KUBAYSAH:  City Council Chairman recounted that 
Kubaysah had "endless problems - he could not list 
them all."  He began with "no pure water, no 
electricity, failing sewage network, not even 100 
meters of paved roads, and destroyed schools". 
(COMMENT:  the Kubaysah rep then quoted 4th century 
and 17th century references to the city as a model 
community - far from its present day condition.) 
 
-FURAT:  City Council Chairman Sheikh Jubaer al 
Nimrawi pointed out three outstanding problems: 
police salaries, 2,180 officers had not been paid in 
five months; water, approximately 500 houses lacked 
potable water; and severe shortages of equipment in 
clinics. 
 
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FALLUJAH-CENTRIC FUNDING 
------------------------ 
 
5.  (C) Several representatives, notably the 
Habbiniyah official, complained that Fallujah had 
received a disproportionate share of government funds 
and attention.  (Note.  Two of the PC reps are from 
Fallujah, and several Fallujah leaders attended the 
PRDC session.  End Note.)  The IRMO representative 
noted that the ITG had decided that Fallujah 
reconstruction projects would remain a separate 
category, with its own funding stream, given the 
unique nature of the rebuilding task in the city 
following Operation Al-Fajr.  SET Poloff also 
underscored that he had stressed in numerous meetings 
with Fallujah leaders that reconstruction successes 
were also necessary in the rest of the province, not 
only in Fallujah.  A one-city strategy would not work. 
 
6.  (C) Comment.  The attention paid to Fallujah 
represents a growing point of friction in the 
province.  Many Anbar residents question why the 
notorious city should be rewarded with new investment 
and ITG resources, particularly after Fallujans had 
allowed insurgents to overrun it.  The PRDC, in this 
way, could serve as a timely platform for other Anbar 
communities to leverage resources more widely. 
 
7.  (C) While much of the first PRDC session elicited 
extensive complaints about the lack of reconstruction 
progress throughout Anbar, Ma'moun effectively blunted 
the criticisms.  He stressed that PRDC priorities, 
determined by local officials, represented an 
opportunity that should be seized. 
 
8.  (C) Representatives from smaller Anbar communities 
predictably urged fairer distribution of resources, in 
line with the center-periphery splits apparent in most 
parts of the world.  The most effective presenters (a 
minority) came to the meeting prepared, with completed 
project files in hand.  Several traveled extensive 
distances to attend the session, which is noteworthy. 
ITG officials have made clear that they expect local 
officials to take advantage of the PRDC structure and 
send appropriate representation in all future 
meetings.  End Comment. 
 
9.  (U) REO HILLA, REO BASRA, REO MOSUL, and REO 
KIRKUK, minimize considered. 
 
 
Jeffrey