INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Tfiz01: Coalition Forces to Assist Wfp In

Published: Sat 10 May 2003 10:21 AM
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
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
----------------
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
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