US embassy cable - 03KUWAIT1945

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 001945 
 
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:  COALITION FORCES TO ASSIST WFP IN 
ASSESSING THE PDS INFRASTRUCTURE 
 
REF:  Kuwait 01765 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  The DART and WFP met with Coalition forces on 29 
April.  Coalition forces agreed to contact WFP 
national staff and work with them to determine the 
status of Ministry of Trade (MOT) buildings and 
records, condition of silos, mills and warehouses, 
water and electricity for these structures, IDPs, 
and market prices for central and southern Iraq. 
End Summary. 
 
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LIST OF REQUESTS 
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2.  Further to reftel, the U.N. World Food Program 
(WFP) Program Manager and DART met with Coalition 
forces on April 29.  WFP laid out information 
requirements integral to the revival of the public 
distribution system (PDS) and requested that the 
commander of the Coalition forces in each 
governorate in central and southern Iraq (with the 
exception of Basrah, An Nasiriyah, and Maysan where 
WFP staff have already begun work) contact the WFP 
national staff and collect the needed information. 
WFP thus far has not been able to reach all its 
national staff.  It is sending Thuraya phones to 
different governorates so that communications with 
national staff can improve.  WFP also asked 
Coalition forces to relay to the Ministry of Trade 
(MOT) staff that WFP is anxious to begin working 
with them. 
 
3. WFP requested assistance in collecting answers to 
the following questions: 
 
--  Does MOT staff have access to its offices? 
 
--  Does the Ration Center staff have access to its 
offices?  (Note:  In Arabic, the registration center 
is termed ration center.  It is the place where the 
ration cards are issued and updated.  End Note.) 
 
--  What is the condition of the old records and 
computer at each ration center? 
 
--  What is the condition of the silos, mills, and 
warehouses?  WFP provided to Coalition forces a 
checklist of items to review for each structure and 
also asked that the Coalition focus on Baghdad, 
Mosul, and Basrah, per ref tel.  The DART asked WFP 
to prioritize the silos and mills in these three 
cities as there are 39 in Baghdad, 16 in Mosul, and 
9 in Basrah. 
 
--  What are the current stocks in the warehouses 
and silos?  WFP recommended to Coalition forces that 
it work with the MOT personnel in making this 
determination. 
 
--  Does the warehouse have security, provided 
either by the Coalition or by MOT security guards? 
 
--  Are there any MOT trucks in the warehouse? 
(Note:  It has been discovered the MOT in Basrah 
served as the central dispatch point for transport 
for southern and central Iraq and operated a fleet 
of 1,000 trucks.  MOT trucks were painted yellow. 
WFP wants to determine how many of these trucks 
still exist.  End Note.) 
 
--  Are there tanks of fuel stored in the warehouse? 
 
--  For how many weeks is the food in the household 
expected to last? 
 
--  Are there any internally displaced persons 
(IDPs)in the governorate?  Are they from within the 
governorate or from another governorate?  What is 
the reason for the movement?  Do they plan to return 
home soon? 
 
--  According to hospital doctors, how many cases of 
malnourishment exist in the hospital.  Are the rates 
rising or falling? 
 
--  What is the status of the water and electricity? 
 
--  What are the market prices for the following 
items:  rice, wheat flour, oil, sugar, meat, diesel 
and cooking fuel? 
 
--  What is the exchange rate? 
 
4.  According to WFP, its national staff and the MOT 
would handle questions regarding the food and flour 
agents.  CARE also plans to assist with this, once 
an agreement is reached between WFP and CARE. 
 
5.  DART learned from Coalition forces on 3 May that 
guidance has been drafted to address these issues 
and would be issued on 5 May.  Coalition forces are 
forming U.N. "focus teams" in each governorate who 
will work with WFP national staff to collect the 
information as they have the institutional 
knowledge. 
 
JONES