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Viewing cable 07BASRAH117, BASRAH DEVELOPMENT FORUM HIGHLIGHTS POLITICAL CONSENSUS FOR

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
07BASRAH117 2007-12-16 11:36 2011-08-24 16:30 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY REO Basrah
VZCZCXRO2900
PP RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHBC #0117/01 3501136
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P R 161136Z DEC 07
FM BASRAH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0655
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 0238
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RUEHBC/REO BASRAH 0689
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BASRAH 000117 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON EAID PGOV IZ
SUBJECT: BASRAH DEVELOPMENT FORUM HIGHLIGHTS POLITICAL CONSENSUS FOR 
RECONSTRUCTION AND SECURITY 
 
BASRAH 00000117  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
1. (U) SUMMARY: The "Third Basrah Development Forum" on December 
12 was a resounding success.  PM Maliki's presence on the dais 
next to Basrah Governor Wa'eli was a public announcement that 
the central and provincial governments are working together to 
solve Basrah Province's security and development problems.  This 
was Maliki's first public appearance in Basrah, and the 
attendance of many ministers gave weight to his promise of 700 
billion ID for Basrah reconstruction.  Basrawis applauded 
Governor Wa'eli's reference to political reconciliation. 
Attendees expressed to REO officers hope for a new spirit of 
cooperation with the central government and a focus on 
addressing corruption and security to move Basrah into an 
economic renaissance.  The BDF has helped to set the stage for a 
smooth transition to Provincial Iraqi Control on December 16 and 
fair provincial elections down the road.  END SUMMARY. 
 
BACKGROUND 
---------- 
2. (SBU) The Third Basrah Development Forum on December 12 
inside Basrah's International Airport (BIA) brought together 
most of Basrah's political, cultural and economic actors with 
central government officials.  Earlier development fora were 
useful for public discussion of Basrah's development needs but 
were set in an atmosphere of distrust between Governor Mohammed 
Wa'eli (Fadhila) and the Provincial Council (PC).  PM Maliki 
cancelled at the last minute what would have been the second 
development forum in July in a dispute over Governor Wa'eli 
attendance. 
 
ATTENDEES 
-------- 
3. (U) From the central government, Prime Minister Maliki, 
Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh, and the ministers of 
Finance, Defense, Municipalities and Public Works, Housing and 
Construction, Environment and Health flew in from Baghdad for 
the day.  Governor Wa'eli was joined by a majority of the PC. 
From among the over 250 attendees were prominent business 
leaders, academics from the University of Basrah and religious 
leaders such as the Catholic bishop of Basrah.  All local women 
wore headscarves.  UN SRSG Ambassador Steffan Di Mistura was 
joined by ambassadors from Australia, the UK, Japan and Italy, 
as well as Ambassador Charles Ries from the Embassy.  LTG Rollo 
led the MNF-I contingent that included MG Bergner, MG Scott and 
RDML Driscoll. 
 
ATMOSPHERICS AND MECHANICS 
-------------------------- 
4. (SBU) PM Maliki and Governor Wa'eli appeared cool toward each 
other at first but were chatting amiably by the end.  All 
speakers gave a generally positive view of security 
accomplishments, while admitting the need for further progress, 
and Basrah's great economic potential.  Some in the audience, 
including PC members, asked tough questions about the lack of 
real impact for reconstruction projects so far.  PM Maliki 
expressed interest in a proposal to allocate one dollar from 
every barrel of Basrah oil produced to provincial development. 
 
PRIME MINISTER MALIKI 
--------------------- 
5. (U) According to REO contacts, this was PM Maliki's first 
public appearance in Basrah.  (He reportedly visited once before 
in March 2006.)  He stressed that Basrah was the heart of Iraq 
and needed to develop in order for the rest of the country to 
prosper.  He labeled 2007 as the year for security in Basrah and 
2008 as the year for development.  He proclaimed the door to 
Basrah open for foreign investment and announced the allocation 
of 700 billion Iraqi Dinars (ID) for reconstruction in Basrah. 
 He cautioned that there were still people exerting bad 
influence in Basrah, including "external forces," that create 
problems for women and religious minorities, including 
Christians.  The PM emphasized several times the need to root 
out the corruption interfering with delivery of basic services 
to Basrawis. 
 
Deputy PM Barham Saleh 
---------------------- 
6. (U) DPM Saleh organized this forum along the lines of recent 
development fora.  In his speech he committed to carry over ID 
200 billion in unspent budget funds into 2008; add to Basrah's 
over ID 400 billion 2008 allocation, bringing the total 
available funds to ID 700 billion, (approximately $583 million). 
 The DPM also said Basrah would benefit from $50 million in 
micro-credit programs.  A centerpiece was the announcement of a 
new Basrah development fund for which $30 million in central 
government funds would be the first endowment.  (Note:  The 
Basrah PRT is working to establish the fund.  End note.) 
 
Governor Wa'eli 
--------------- 
7.  (U) Governor Wa'eli echoed PM Maliki's theme that 2007 was 
 
BASRAH 00000117  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
the "year of building security" while 2008 would be the "year of 
development" (suggesting they had coordinated their messages). 
Wa'eli used a long PowerPoint presentation to announce several 
new projects, including a major bridge across the Shatt-al-Arab 
waterway, and reinforce statements made by the national speakers 
on large future projects in Basrah such as the Grand Port in 
Al-Faw and further development of the airport.  One important 
grassroots initiative was the allocation of $30 million for 
development of the impoverished eastern marshes.  Governor 
Wa'eli received the first applause of the day when he stated 
that political reconciliation in Basrah had moved forward and 
received more applause when he promised that Basrah was on the 
road to disarming the militias. 
 
UNITED NATIONS, USG AND JAPAN 
----------------------------- 
8. (U) UN SRSG Steffan de Mistura made the first speech by a UN 
official in Basrah since 2003.  While he did not refer to the UN 
returning to Basrah Province, he stated that 2008 was to be the 
"Year of the Compact" and that European Union funding would be 
used for capacity building.  Ambassador Charles Ries detailed 
the USG's substantial contributions to Basrah, and Japanese 
Ambassador Kenjiro Monji announced that $1.2 billion of the $3.5 
billion in GOJ assistance to Iraq would go to Basrah. 
 
WHO DID NOT COME - THE SADRISTS 
------------------------------- 
9. (SBU) Leaders connected with Jaysh al-Mahdi and the Office of 
Muqtada al-Sadr were invited but did not attend.  REO contacts 
did not find their absence alarming, noting that many Sadrists 
were at the Haj and that there was too much public Coalition 
participation in the event for OMS/JAM leaders to attend. 
 
REACTION IN BASRAH 
----------------- 
10. (SBU) Response by Basrawi leaders after the event has been 
universally positive.  PC members who have frequently clashed 
with Wa'eli told us afterwards that the event was a success, 
providing leaders follow through on the pledges made during the 
conference.  Sayid al-Shuhada (SAS) Secretary General Sayid 
Dagher al-Musawi (Septel), a longtime political opponent of 
Wa'eli, called the event "very positive" while Catholic Bishop 
Imad Al-Banna told us he appreciated the PM's public reference 
to the problems of Christians in Basrah.  In a December 13 REO 
meeting Governor Wa'eli said that he had now established a 
personal relationship with PM Maliki that boded well for the 
future. 
 
11. (SBU) Virtually all of our Basrawi contacts, although 
critical of the PM's performance in the past, saw great promise 
in Maliki's attendance and public promise of support for Basrah. 
 The PC members who talked to the REO deputy director after the 
event admitted that the forum placed a new responsibility on the 
council to work constructively for Basrah's development. 
Several contacts also considered the public reconciliation 
aspect of the event as another step towards free and fair 
provincial elections. 
 
COMMENT - THE SETTING FOR PIC AND ELECTIONS 
------------------------------------------- 
12. (SBU) The forum has generated remarkable expressions of 
hope, reconciliation and determination to cooperate in order to 
usher in an era of security and prosperity for Basrah Province. 
The forum occurred on the heels of the concerted effort to bring 
in all political actors, including JAM/OMS, together for the 
negotiation and signing of the Honor Document.  Together the BDF 
and the Honor Document have created a positive environment for 
the PIC ceremony and a new spirit of cooperation among police, 
governate, militias and the PC. 
 
13. (SBU) While we still expect some PC members to continue 
demanding a bigger piece of the development pie, they will have 
to get in line with the spirit of cooperation.  All actors seem 
invigorated by the hope for free and fair provincial elections, 
as soon as possible. Iraqi speakers were a bit short in 
acknowledging contributions by the USG and others such as Japan; 
the PRT and REO should reach out more to local government 
officials to detail USG-funded reconstruction projects. 
Governor Wa'eli discussed with REO holding an investment forum 
in the near future, perhaps to attract oil and gas companies. 
SIGNATURE