This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 001515
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: DART SITUATION REPORT 17 APRIL 2003
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SUMMARY
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1. The DART food team attended a meeting with Coalition
forces and WFP on 15 April during which WFP requested that
Coalition forces provide security at warehouses, silos, and
mills. Coalition forces agreed to try to provide security
to the food infrastructure sites and to assist in getting
essential fuel and water to the mills. The United Nations
Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq formally endorsed the
Rapid Assessment Process (RAP) and approved the Humanitarian
Information Center's (HIC) plan to re-establish itself in
Iraq. END SUMMARY.
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FOOD
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2. The DART food team attended a meeting on 15 April with
Coalition forces and the World Food Program (WFP). The
purpose of the meeting was for WFP to describe its current
planning to the military and discuss how the Coalition
forces in Basrah could assist.
3. The primary request from WFP was for the Coalition
forces to provide security at the Ministry of Trade (MOT)
warehouses, silos, and mills. WFP also requested
information regarding any pockets of insecurity in Iraq.
WFP is starting to test routes from the south, north, and
west and wants to be regularly briefed about any areas to
avoid. A security incident could stop operations, which
could have drastic consequences due to the volume of food
that must be moved over the coming weeks. WFP stated that
they "don't want to lose life to save life." Coalition
forces agreed to pass along relevant information to WFP.
4. Coalition forces also agreed to try to provide security
to the food infrastructure sites and to assist in getting
power to the mills by bringing fuel for the generators and
the water necessary for milling. Coalition forces also
agreed to begin paying MOT staff. WFP specifically asked
the military not to get involved with locating or organizing
the public distribution system food/flour agents and not to
talk to any transporters.
5. On 15 April in Basrah, WFP national staff held a meeting
with the MOT directors, who agreed that staff for all three
warehouses would return to work on 16 April. The MOT
directors will survey the condition of the warehouses and
determine what materials are needed for resumption of
operations. According to WFP, the general condition of all
three warehouses is fairly good.
6. Beginning on 17 April, WFP national staff will start
meeting with Basra's 1,384 food agents. Meetings will be
held with the agents of three ration centers at a time.
There are a total of 15 ration centers in Basrah. WFP
national staff met with food agents in Khor-Zabyr on 15
April and plan to go to Al Nasariyah on 17 April.
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RAPID ASSESSMENT PROCESS
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7. The Humanitarian Information Center (HIC) for Iraq is a
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs-
facilitated team that is providing a focal point for
operational information management. The HIC maintains a
website and several offices where information will be
assembled, managed, and disseminated. The HIC focuses on
three types of information: baseline reference, assessments,
and response. The HIC's role in assessments is to
coordinate the content and compile the findings. This is
referred to as the Rapid Assessment Process (RAP). The HIC
also maintains information related to the organizations,
locations, and sectors of humanitarian interventions.
8. The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq,
Ramiro Lopez De Silva, formally endorsed the RAP and
approved the plan to re-establish the HIC in Iraq. In his
letter of endorsement, Mr. De Silva strongly encouraged the
participation of the entire humanitarian community, as it is
essential to the success of the activity. To make use of
the RAP and other information, the HIC will establish four
offices in Iraq with a total staff of 38, of which 24 will
be national staff. This will allow for direct access to HIC
offices throughout the country and help ensure a smooth
transition to UNDP as the situation stabilizes. The HIC
will continue to have a strong Internet presence at
www.agoodplacetostart.org and will be adding three people to
the Kuwait City office to meet growing demand.
JONES