US embassy cable - 03KUWAIT2136

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 002136 
 
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: DART NORTHERN IRAQ UPDATE 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  The situation in northern Iraq remains calm.  CMOC and other 
sources project that approximately 100,000 IDPs will start 
returning from major cities in Kurdish-controlled Iraq to areas 
recently controlled by the former regime once the harvest and 
school seasons are completed.  End Summary. 
 
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DART VISIT TO MAKHMUR 
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2.  The Ministry of Reconstruction and Development (MORAD) 
coordinated a visit to communities in southern Arbil Governorate 
for DART Field Team North, the Civil Military Operations Center 
(CMOC), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and U.N. agencies. 
This region, referred to in Arbil as "newly liberated," was under 
the control of the former Government of Iraq (GOI). 
 
3.  In previous meetings with the humanitarian aid community in 
Arbil, the Minister and others in the Kurdish Regional Government 
(KRG) promoted a development plan for approximately 40 villages 
that were evacuated and destroyed during the past 40 years. 
These villages are now being repopulated by Kurdish returnees. 
 
4.  The Arabs who were moved into some of these communities by 
the GOI have now abandoned the villages, or so it appears.  Some 
Kurdish internally displaced persons (IDPs) previously residing 
in Arbil, have begun returning to their villages.  In most cases, 
when the Kurdish villages were "Arabized", they were destroyed 
and the new Arab villages were built nearby.  The Kurds were sent 
to collective towns or became IDPs in the Kurdish-controlled 
areas.  It is important to note that there was a significant 
population of Arabs who lived in the region independent of 
"Arabization" programs and have remained in their villages. 
 
5.  The DART visited the Gwer sub-district of Arbil.  Located on 
wheat- and barley-covered plains sloping toward Baghdad, the 
villages in Gwer are hot, dry, and dusty.  Homes are made of mud 
and straw, and there are few trees.  Public services are minimal. 
KRG officials claim that the region was neglected by the former 
regime because it was Kurdish, although there are Arab villages 
in the region that received support from the GOI. 
 
6.  The DART visited several villages in the sub-district.  They 
all appeared to have small numbers of returnees.  In each 
village, the DART was informed that more people are preparing to 
return when public services are provided.  There was a lack of 
school-age children in the villages; they will remain in the 
towns to finish the school year.  Employment seems to center 
around animal husbandry and farming.  Previous residents planted 
the large fields of wheat and barley, and it is unclear who will 
harvest the crops. 
 
7.  Outside of the larger towns, there is no electricity.  Water 
is drawn from hand-dug wells or brought in by tanker.  Well water 
is dirty and saline, and wells appeared to be 15 to 20 meters 
deep.  There are bore wells in some villages, but the equipment 
has been looted.  There are health centers in larger villages 
that serve surrounding, smaller villages.  They are poorly 
equipped and staffed.  There are medical centers in the Gwer and 
Makhmur district seats.  Qandil, a Swedish NGO, supports the 
health center in Gwer.  The Center in Makhmur has been assessed 
by several NGOs. 
 
8.  The DART met the Minister and the mayor in Makhmur at the 
mayor's office.  The Minister chaired a short meeting, where the 
mayor offered a brief history of the "Arabization" program.  He 
solicited support from the aid community, recommending that 
returnees be given tents and sources of water.  The DART 
suggested that a comprehensive plan be developed for a more 
orderly return. 
 
9.  There has also been some concern that while the returns may 
be voluntary and without incident, there may be a great deal of 
"encouragement" on the part of the KRG to repopulate the area 
with Kurds.  Furthermore, some Arabs reported that their homes 
have been looted by Kurds.  Two DART Abuse Prevention Officers 
(APOs) will return to Makhmur to investigate these allegations. 
 
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WFP MEETING IN KIRKUK 
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10.  The DART traveled to Kirkuk on 8 May to meet with U.N. World 
Food Program (WFP) local staff.  WFP staff in Kirkuk believe that 
the silos and mills in the governorate are in generally good 
condition, and CMOC/Kirkuk personnel believe there are around 
130,000 metric tons (MT) of wheat in governorate silos, and a 
300,000 MT harvest due in the area next month.   WFP also raised 
concern about the shortage of fuel needed for farmers to bring 
their grain to market next month.  CMOC personnel noted that the 
Bayji refinery should be repaired and sufficient fuel should be 
available in two weeks. 
 
11.  WFP/Kirkuk raised the following as the greatest constraints 
to stepping up the public distribution system (PDS): 1) Security 
of its warehouses (currently guarded by local security 
personnel); 2) Replacement of Ministry of Trade (MOT) furniture 
and equipment that had been looted.  MOT staff in both Mosul and 
Kirkuk have secured disks with database information on food 
agents and beneficiaries, but the offices have no computers or 
other supplies; and 3) Salaries of MOT staff.  MOT staff have not 
yet received the nationwide USD 20 emergency payment for 
government employees, and they are concerned about when they will 
receive their salaries. 
 
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AGRICULTURE MEETINGS 
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12.  The DART met with Ministry of Agriculture technical 
personnel from the three northern provinces to discuss the major 
agricultural needs in the next few months.  The biggest concern 
was marketing for wheat from last year's crop (50,000 to 100,000 
MT) and this year's harvest (approximately 600,000 to 700,000 MT) 
starting in the next few weeks.  If the farmers are to recoup 
their investments, they will need money to pay their costs and 
prepare for future crops. 
JONES