US embassy cable - 03KUWAIT1256

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 KUWAIT 001256 
 
SIPDIS 
 
C O R R E C T E D COPY 
 
STATE ALSO PASS USAID/W 
STATE PLEASE REPEAT TO IO COLLECTIVE 
STATE FOR PRM/ANE, EUR/SE, NEA/NGA, IO AND SA/PAB 
NSC FOR EABRAMS, SMCCORMICK, STAHIR-KHELI, JDWORKEN 
USAID FOR USAID/A, DCHA/AA, DCHA/RMT, DCHA/FFP 
USAID FOR DCHA/OTI, DCHA/DG, ANE/AA 
USAID FOR DCHA/OFDA:WGARVELINK,BMCCONNELL,KFARNSWORTH USAID FOR 
 ANE/AA:WCHAMBERLIN 
ROME FOR FODAG 
GENEVA FOR RMA AND NKYLOH 
DOHA FOR MSHIRLEY 
ANKARA FOR AMB WRPEARSON, ECON AJSIROTIC AND DART 
AMMAN FOR USAID AND DART 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAID, PREF, IZ, WFP 
SUBJECT:  TFIZ01: USAID/PRM DART SITUATION REPORT 1 APRIL 2003 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  UNHCR has heard anecdotal reports of two to three thousand Iraqis 
fleeing Basrah.  On 31 March, Coalition forces deemed the coastal land 
route to Umm Qasr a permissive environment.  NGO convoys traveling to 
Umm Qasr will need to coordinate their movements through the HOC.  On 3 
March, UNICEF reported that there are no confirmed cases of cholera in 
As Sulaymaniyah.  A 29 March rapid assessment conducted by Coalition 
forces reported that the population of An Nasiriyah is in need of 
water, baby formula, and basic medical supplies.  On 30 March, a 
UNICEF-sponsored convoy of 14 water tankers crossed into Iraq to delive 
water to residents of Safwan, Umm Qasr, and Az Zubayr.  The cargo of th 
Sir Galahad has been fully off-loaded in Umm Qasr. On 29 March, the DAR 
met with representatives from IOM to discuss plans to incorporate 
protection issues into IOM's programs.  During the HOC briefing on 29 
March, an update on the status of borders in the region was provided. 
 
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POPULATION DISPLACEMENTS 
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2.  A spokesman from the Humanitarian Operations Center (HOC) reported 
that  5,000 residents are displaced around the Az Zubayr bridge, near 
Basrah. Coalition forces are providing relief supplies, and the 
condition of the displaced persons is reported to be stable. 
 
3.  In a meeting with the DART on March 29, the Head of the United 
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Kuwait office expressed 
concern over a lack of cooperation by the Government of Kuwait (GOK) in 
preparing for potential Iraqi refugees. UNHCR heard the GOK was 
preparing several camps for Iraqis in the border area but when 
the issue was raised with Kuwaiti officials, UNHCR was informed that 
the borders are closed and no refugees would be allowed in.  UNHCR has 
stated that it is only willing to help establish refugee camps inside 
Kuwait if the borders are kept open. 
 
4.  UNHCR has heard anecdotal reports of two to three thousand Iraqis 
fleeing Basrah east toward the Iranian border, but has received no 
reports that the refugees arrived at the border.  It is not known if 
these people returned home or are housed with extended family or friend 
outside the city. 
 
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SECURITY - SOUTHERN IRAQ 
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5.  On 31 March, Coalition forces deemed the coastal land route to Umm 
Qasr a permissive environment.  NGO convoys or relief vehicles travelin 
to Umm Qasr will need to coordinate their movements through the HOC. 
 Coalition forces will inform humanitarian convoys of the area's 
security status and may provide escort. However, military escort will 
not be provided for travel to areas not cleared as safe by the 
Coalition. 
 
6.  On 1 April, UNSECOORD conducted a security assessment of Umm Qasr. 
If the findings of the security assessment are approved by U.N. 
Headquarters in New York, the UNSECOORD security officer will send a 
humanitarian assessment team to Umm Qasr on or about 2 April 
to begin to establish a U.N. presence in Iraq. 
 
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COALITION ASSESSMENT OF AN NASIRIYAH 
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7.  A 29 March rapid assessment conducted by Coalition forces reported 
that the population of An Nasiriyah is in need of water, baby formula, 
and basic medical supplies.  A local town leader reported that the 
population has sufficient stocks of basic foods to last for eight 
months, but fresh meats, vegetables, and fruits are needed. Coalition 
forces reportedly seized the main government warehouse that stored food 
for the OFF program. The warehouse is reported to contain significant 
food stocks. 
 
8.  Iraqi forces have reportedly intimidated the local population with 
loudspeaker instructions to leave their homes in order to slow the 
Coalition advance.  Individuals have also been intimidated by death 
threats to military-age males who refuse to fight the Coalition. 
 
9.  According to local sources, the police have fled An Nasiriyah, all 
the hospitals and many businesses are closed, and roads into the town 
are currently blocked.  The An Nasiriyah Military Hospital was badly 
damaged, but the hospital still contains a large inventory of 
pharmaceuticals and medical supplies.  There is a limited amount of 
electricity and water, and there are no telephones in service. 
 
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WATER 
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10.  On 30 March, a UNICEF-sponsored convoy of 14 water tankers crossed 
into Iraq to deliver water to residents of Safwan, Umm Qasr, and Az 
Zubayr.  One additional truck, carrying 15 water bladders to the three 
towns, was delayed by Kuwaiti police because of a documentation problem 
 The HOC is working to resolve the issue with the Ministry of Interior. 
 The DART's Military Liaison Unit (MLU) is also tracking this issue. 
 
11.  The water will be distributed by staff members at the hospitals in 
Umm Qasr and Az Zubayr, and by staff at the Primary Health Center in 
Safwan.  UNICEF reports that this convoy will occur daily, and thus 
enable Coalition forces to use their water tankers to supply residents 
in towns further north that are not secure enough for civilian workers. 
 
12.  A ceremony was scheduled for 31 March to open the water pipeline 
from Kuwait towards Umm Qasr.  The pipeline is expected to provide 2.7 
million liters of water per day to southern Iraq.  Coalition forces and 
UNICEF-sponsored convoys will provide tankers to deliver water from 
the pipe's outlet to southern Iraqi populations in need. 
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HEALTH 
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13.  On 31 March, UNICEF reported that there are no confirmed cases of 
cholera in As Sulaymaniyah.  UNICEF is aware of three cases of cholera 
in An Nasariyah in February, and reported that a few cases  of cholera 
occur in the area each year. UNICEF provided one million sachets of ora 
rehydration salts  to local UNICEF representative Iraq in February but 
has no information on how the supplies might have been distributed. 
 
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FOOD 
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14.  There is no mill at the port of Umm Qasr.  The closest mills are 
in Basrah, where there are eleven.  The vacuvators at Umm Qasr are able 
to work, but the power supply remains questionable.  The DART is trying 
to find a person at the port who can conduct a "mega test" to measure 
the electrical system's capacity. 
 
15.  The cargo of the Sir Galahad has been fully off-loaded in Umm 
Qasr.  A distribution plan was not made available through the HOC. 
 However, on 31 March the HOC reported that the waterway into Umm Qasr 
Port is non-permissive for humanitarian vessels due to the recent 
discovery of unexploded ordinances. 
 
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NON-FOOD ITEMS 
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16.  By 31 March, UNHCR plans to have enough non-food items stocked in 
the region for 300,000 people. UNHCR wanted to pre-position enough 
supplies in the region to handle 600,000 refugees but does not 
 currently have the necessary funding. 
 
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PROTECTION 
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17.  On 29 March, the DART met with representatives from the 
International Organization for Migration (IOM) to discuss plans to 
incorporate protection issues into IOM's programs. IOM will be working 
closely with the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq (UNOCHI), 
which will take the lead on protection concerns in IDP camps. 
 
18.  UNOCHI will have five regional officers, each with a regional 
coordinator.  UNOCHI will include an IDP protection officer in each 
region. 
 
19.  The DART members urged IOM to address protection concerns and ways 
to mitigate abuses and to develop response mechanisms at the camp level 
in its overall strategy and programming.  The DART promised 
to share protection documents with IOM staff in Kuwait.  IOM reported 
that each camp manager will be aware  of protection concerns and report 
abuses to UNOCHI. 
 
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BORDERS 
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20.  During the HOC briefing on 29 March, an update on the status of 
borders in the region was provided. 
 
21.  Between Turkey and Iraq, the Habur border crossing point (BCP) is 
open on Turkish side but not operating on Iraqi side. Consequently, 
legal trans-border transportation is not possible. The Cukurca BCP 
remains under military control and is closed for any civil/humanitarian 
activity. The borders between Turkey and Syria remain open. 
 
22.  Between Kuwait and Iraq, the borders of Abdaly and Umm Qasr remain 
officially closed, though some local NGOs have delivered supplies from 
Kuwait into Southern Iraq. 
 
23.  Between Jordan and Iraq, the Trebil BCP is open to humanitarian 
and commercial traffic. For humanitarian traffic, a security pass and 
vehicle sticker obtained in Amman from the Ministry of Interiors (MoI) 
is required to enter the border security zone.  A separate pass 
obtained  from  the MoI in Amman is required to access refugee camps in 
the border area. 
 
24.  All borders between Iran and Iraq remain closed.  The borders 
between Syria and Iraq are open, however, negligible commercial 
trans-border movement has been observed by Coalition forces. 
 
JONES