US embassy cable - 03KUWAIT2377

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 KUWAIT 002377 
 
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 
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.  In Kirkuk, the 30-member city council was chosen by Coalition 
authorities on 24 May.  Each of the main ethnic groups (Kurds, 
Turkmen, Assyrians, and Arabs) is represented on the council, 
which has also elected three assistant mayors: an ethnic Turk, an 
Assyrian, and a Kurd.  A mayor and deputy mayor were chosen on 
May 28.  The mayor is a Kurd, and the deputy mayor is an Arab. 
 
2.  ORHA reported that the USD 20 emergency payments were ready 
and would be distributed immediately following the elections. 
The security situation in northern Iraq is currently calm; 
however, the attack on a U.S. Military convoy about 100 
kilometers north of Baghdad is still an indicator that not all is 
well.  End Summary. 
 
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MINISTRY OF RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT 
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3.  The Ministry of Reconstruction and Development (MORAD) hosted 
on 24 May its weekly coordination meeting, at which the United 
Nations Office of Project Services (UNOPS) presented the results 
of a recent survey of internally displaced persons (IDPs) living 
in public buildings.  In an exercise that ended in early May, 
UNOPS surveyed 13,359 IDP families living in 300 public buildings 
in the three northern Governorates of Dahuk, Arbil, and As 
Sulaymaniyah. 
 
3.  According to a 2001 U.N.-HABITAT Site and Family Survey, 
there are 805,505 IDPs living in the Kurdish-controlled region of 
Iraq.  Three quarters of these people were displaced prior to 
1990, either as a result of the former regime's "Arabization" 
program or the al Anfal campaign.  Almost half of the IDPs are 
from former Government of Iraq-controlled areas, most from the 
cities of Kirkuk and Mosul. 
 
4.  The full results of the survey can be found on the 
Humanitarian Information Center's website at 
agoodplacetostart.org.  Some selective results presented in the 
MORAD meeting were: 
 
--  Timetable:  61 percent of the respondents in As Sulaymaniyah 
and 52 percent of the respondents in Arbil said they would like 
to return to their place of origin within three months.  However, 
64 percent of the respondents in Dahuk did not provide a 
timeframe for return.  Apparently this is because the majority of 
IDPs in Dahuk are from areas bordering Turkey that are lesser- 
developed and still unstable because of activities by the 
Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) and the Turkish military. 
 
--  Conditions for return:  66 percent of those surveyed said the 
most important condition for return is shelter.  After shelter, 
respondents cited security (12 percent), employment (9 percent), 
and legal claims (4 percent).  Only 0.3 percent cited food as a 
condition. 
 
--  Where to go:  69 percent of the respondents want to return to 
their place of origin.  19 percent want to be resettled where 
they currently live, and 12 percent want to go to a third 
location. 
 
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FOOD AND AGRICULTURE 
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5.  A DART food officer traveled to Kirkuk on 26 May and met with 
WFP and Ministry of Trade (MOT) staff.  Following insecurity in 
Kirkuk and recent looting of MOT stocks, newly arrived Coalition 
forces are now guarding WFP's warehouse and its perimeter.  WFP 
believes this will deter potential looters.  According to MOT 
silo staff in Kirkuk, Coalition forces also have agreed to secure 
other MOT complexes, although this has not yet happened. 
 
6.  As previously reported, beginning 27 May, WFP Mosul and 
Kirkuk will begin receiving up to 115,000 metric tons (MT) of 
bulk wheat grain over the next two weeks.  WFP will store the 
grain at MOT silos in the two Governorates.  An initial shipment 
of 30,000 MT will go to Mosul.  The DART will monitor the 
shipments. 
 
7.  WFP recently signed an agreement with the MOT to store 50,000 
MT of wheat in open bins at its Kirkuk silo.  There is currently 
60,000 MT of last year's wheat harvest in other bins there and, 
reportedly, a total of 140,000 MT in the Governorate's four 
silos.  The wheat currently stored in Kirkuk appears to be in 
good condition.  MOT staff were awaiting instructions from 
Baghdad on how milling will be done; previously the mix had been 
25 percent local wheat and 75 percent Oil for Food imported 
wheat. 
 
8.  The MOT silo manager stated that he needs 35 million Iraqi 
Dinar (ID) a month to pay staff salaries at all four silos (based 
on pre-war rates).  On 25 May, he used seven million ID from the 
MOT Kirkuk silo bank account (the balance was 16 million ID) to 
pay a 20 percent salary to all silo employees.  The manager noted 
that neither the USD 20 emergency payment nor a formal salary 
from the Coalition Provisional Administration had yet been made 
to his staff. 
 
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DART-FUNDED NGO ACTIVITIES IN NORTHERN IRAQ 
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9.  Three implementation plans were approved on 26 May, and one 
was approved on May 29.  Mercy Corps International (MCI) will 
repair water and sewage systems at schools in Khaniqeen and Save 
the Children will provide essential drugs and supplies to two 
obstetric/gynecology and pediatric hospitals in Mosul.  Also, 
World Vision International will supply IV fluids to medical 
centers in Mosul.  Details of cooperative agreement partner 
activities follow. 
 
International Medical Corps: 
 
--  Kirkuk Medical Centers:  USD 376,000 to re-equip and renovate 
four health centers in Kirkuk that were looted following the war. 
Approved 14 May. 
 
--  Four World Health Organization (WHO) emergency health kits to 
four Kirkuk medical centers.  Approved 14 May. 
 
Mercy Corps International: 
 
--  Short-term Assistance to the Directorate of Water and 
Sewerage in Kirkuk, Tamim Governorate:  USD 8,375 to assist the 
Directorate with transportation for staff and testing equipment. 
Approved 18 April. 
 
--  Short-term Emergency Assistance to the Water Treatment Plant 
in Khaniqeen, Diyala Governorate:  USD 33,700 for short-term 
maintenance requirements and fuel to run the treatment plant. 
Approved 12 May. 
 
--  Two WHO emergency health kits for health facilities in Tekef 
and Ain Sifni, Ninawa Governorate.  Approved 18 April. 
 
--  Khaniqeen Schools Toilets:  USD 145,548 to repair water and 
sanitation systems in 50 schools in Khaniqeen.  Approved 26 May. 
 
Save the Children: 
 
--  Transportation for Health Workers in Mosul, Ninawa 
Governorate:  USD 1,800 to transport health worker to and from 
hospitals and primary health care centers for one month. 
Approved 6 May. 
 
--  Provision of Supplies to Hospitals in Mosul, Ninawa 
Governorate:  USD 2,000 is being provided to pay for gasoline, 
cooking gas, cleaning supplies and emergency repairs at Al Khansa 
and Al Atheer hospitals.  Approved 12 May. 
 
--  Support for supplementary feeding programs at Khansa and Al 
Atheer hospitals in Mosul, Ninawa Governorate:  USD 11,446 is 
being provided for this program.  Approved 7 May. 
 
--  Essential pediatric drugs and supplies for Al Khansa and Al 
Atheer hospitals in Mosul:  USD 17,264 has been provided for this 
project.  Approved 26 May. 
 
--  Essential obstetric and gynecology drugs and supplies for Al 
Khansa and Al Atheer hospitals in Mosul:  USD 7,718 has been 
provided for this project.  Approved 26 May. 
 
--  Two WHO emergency health kits are being provided for Al 
Khansa and Al Atheer hospitals in Mosul.  Approved 26 May. 
 
World Vision International: 
 
--  IV fluids to 13 medical facilities in Mosul.  USD 168,929 has 
been provided for this project.  Approved May 29. 
 
URBANCIC