US embassy cable - 03KUWAIT1296

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 001296 
 
SIPDIS 
 
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 SITUATION REPORT 7 APRIL 2003 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.    The first ship containing Australian-donated wheat is 
expected to off-load at the main port in Kuwait City on 7 
April.  The DART's APU continues to engage NGOs and 
Coalition forces on plans for responding to human rights 
abuses.  The USAID Reconstruction Team is working with ORHA, 
Coalition forces, and international partners to prioritize 
projects and coordinate plans for reconstruction. END 
SUMMARY. 
 
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FOOD 
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2.  The first of two ships carrying Australian-donated wheat 
was not able to dock at the deep water port in Kuwait on 4 
April as scheduled because a military vessel occupied the 
berth.  The ship was expected to dock and unload the 10,000 
to 15,000 metric tons (MT) required to lighten the ship so 
that it may dock at the shallower main port in Kuwait City 
for final off-loading.  It is now expected to dock in the 
afternoon of 7 April. 
3.  The temporary restoration of the Oil for Food (OFF) 
program, combined with other pressing non-food needs, has 
prompted the Government of Australia (GOA) to transfer its 
initial pledge of AUSD 83 million to the World Food Program 
(WFP) to unspecified U.N. emergency operations under the 
Flash Appeal (AUSD 38 million) and to other undetermined 
operations (AUSD 45 million).  The GOA now expects the 
clearing, milling, and transport costs for the wheat to be 
covered by the OFF, and the title of the wheat is expected 
to transfer from the Australian Wheat Board (AWB) to WFP 
upon arrival. 
4.  During a meeting on the Umm Qasr Port on 5 April, 
Coalition forces reported that the channel had been cleared 
to a 200-meter width (the goal is 1,000 meters).  The 200- 
meter width is expected to be sufficient to safely guide 
even large bulk vessels into port.  All nine berths at the 
old port and three of the berths at the new port have been 
cleared as well.  The remaining nine berths at the new port 
are expected to be cleared soon. 
5.  WFP stressed that there are two main issues that need to 
be resolved to give shippers and insurers confidence.  The 
first is the need for Coalition technical assessments to be 
declassified as soon as possible.  The second is that ground 
rules need to be publicly established regarding safe drafts 
and areas/berths. 
 
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ABUSE PREVENTION UNIT 
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6.  On 6 April, the DART's Abuse Prevention Unit (APU) 
presented its program for dealing with human rights issues 
at a meeting sponsored by Interaction.  Over a dozen NGOs 
engaged the APU on ways to prevent, deter, and respond to 
abuses.  On 7 April, the APU will meet with Coalition forces 
to discuss plans for dealing with human rights abuses with 
Military Police (MPs) and representatives of the Free Iraqi 
Force (FIF). 
7.  A physician at the Umm Qasr hospital has reportedly 
received death threats for cooperating with Coalition 
forces.  It has also been reported that the hospital has 
been closed due to the threats.  The DART will follow the 
situation closely.  Many of the town's residents remain 
fearful of reprisals if they are caught talking to 
representatives of international organizations or Coalition 
forces. 
 
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USAID RECONSTRUCTION UPDATE 
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8.  The USAID Infrastructure Team has developed a process to 
prioritize reconstruction projects within USAID contractual 
authority and project management responsibilities. The 
intent is to communicate input to USAID from non- 
governmental organizations (NGOs), international 
organizations (IOs), the Office of Reconstruction and 
Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA), and other actors into the 
priorities of what gets rebuilt and when, within the 
available budgetary resources. 
 
9.  The process balances a political need for a rapid start 
on reconstruction with the potentially time-consuming 
process for developing a coordinated Implementation Plan. 
The USAID Mission has developed a "rolling" process starting 
with a USAID seaport contractor, airport contractor, and 
initial assets of the Iraq Infrastructure Reconstruction 
(IIR) Contractor, as well as available in-theater U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers (USACE) assets under direction of USAID, 
culminating with full mobilization of USAID IIR Contractor. 
 
10.  USAID's Local Governance team briefed the Danish 
Foreign Ministry on USAID support for local Iraqi 
administrations and facilitated their participation in 
Coalition reconstruction and humanitarian efforts.  The 
Local Governance team established and is leading the ORHA 
working group on crosscutting, ministerial functions 
affecting local governance. 
 
11.  USAID's Power Sector Team is nearing completion of a 
fuel supply matrix of all Iraqi power plants, as well as 
early stage assessment checklist for USACE personnel who 
will inspect the power plants.  The Power Sector Team 
forwarded a request to military intelligence to secure vital 
data on on-site fuel storage capacity at all power plants. 
A reply is expected within three days. 
 
12.  ORHA and Coalition Land Forces Component Command 
(CFLCC) have agreed to support a team of leading civil 
affairs officers from the 352nd Civil Affairs Command, 
Department of the Army, to be based with the USAID 
Reconstruction Team.  This will ensure that the initial work 
of civil affairs officers in Iraq benefits USAID's 
reconstruction goals.  Civil Affairs officers will be 
provided to USAID in the following areas: education, 
labor/social affairs, public communication, public works, 
public transportation, and agriculture.  A security liaison 
will also be provided to the USAID Mission as part of the 
team. 
 
13.  ORHA is planning to deploy initial staff to Umm Qasr, 
as a first entry point into Iraq, both as a symbol of the on- 
the-ground-relief/reconstruction presence and as an initial 
conduit of relief and reconstruction work in Umm Qasr 
itself.  USAID is working with ORHA to define what 
activities can be expeditiously proposed and implemented. 
USAID regional coordinators are being sought for the north 
and southern sectors of Iraq to provide liaison with 
corresponding ORHA regional coordinators and to help oversee 
eventual USAID activities in these parts of the country. 
 
14.  USAID's Education Unit and Civil Affairs are nearing 
completion of an operational plan for the first phase of 
education program implementation in theater.  The plan will 
address school infrastructure repair and supplies, provision 
of potable water/sanitation, and the textbook review 
process. 
 
JONES