June 6, 2005

 

 

 Note: New content has been inserted in red, italicized, bold font.

Overview 

Humanitarian Situation:  Continued concern about security, kidnappings, attacks on Iraqi security forces and civilians, crime, and lethal exchanges between multinational force and insurgents; Food distribution seems to be slipping a bit; Infrastructure improving very slowly; Reconstruction and humanitarian operations slow; Security threatens and limits the overland transport of supplies; NGO’s continue to be threatened for perceived associations to multinational force;

 

Political:  Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari travels to Jordan to meet king Abdullah II; Turkey asks Iraq to help curb Kurdish insurgents infiltrating across border; Iraq’s Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari says he will ask for economic, political, and security assistance at EU- and US-hosted June 22 meeting in Belgium for 80 nations and international organizations; Zebari asked for greater US and international assistance in drafting constitution during meetings with US Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice;

 

UN:  Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and UN sign one year renewable administrative agreement on jurisdiction, privileges, immunity, and obligations for UN in Iraq—Zebari addresses UN security plans and progress; Acting head of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), Demetrius Perricos says satellites show material removed from 109 missile, chemical, and biological sites;

 

Refugees:  UNHCR reports over 100,000 Iraqi refugees returned from Iran, including 42,000 of  50,000 long-term camp residents;200,000 to one million Iraqi refugees in Syria; 750 mostly Iranian Kurds moved from no-man’s-land on Iraqi/Jordan border to Jordan’s Ruweished camp in desert—about 200 remain at unauthorized location on Iraqi side of border; Remaining 3,100 Iranian Kurds at Al Tash camp in unstable al-Anbar Province to be moved to camp near Suleimaniyah in Kurdish north;

 

Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs):  Estimated 900,000 to over 1,000,000 IDPs in Iraq, with 250,000 mostly-Marsh Arab long-term IDPs in central and south and 800,000 mostly-Kurdish long-term IDPs in north; Over 100,000 Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen displaced around contested city of Kirkuk; About 100,000 IDPs have not returned to a badly damaged, highly secure Fallujah; Residents again leaving al- Qaim in al-Anbar Province in anticipation of more fighting;

 

Civil Society/Rule of Law: Head of the 55-member legislative committee to draft the constitution, Humam Hammudi says it will be augmented by 13 Sunnis from a list of 25 – 35—currently only two Sunnis on the committee; Kurdish Autonomous Region legislature holds first meeting four months after January elections—speaker, deputy, and secretary selected—both regional president Massoud Barzani and his political rival, President Jalal Talabani in attendance; Saddam Hussein and colleagues to be tried on 12 strongest charges of 500 starting in next few months;

 

Civil–Military Interaction: US Foreign Relations Committee Senator Joseph Biden says that of 107 Iraqi military and police battalions, only three are fully operational and twenty more are partially operational—the Prime Minister’s spokesman Laith Kubba says Iraqi security forces will displace multinational force in cities in next few weeks; Great Britain intends to begin turning over security responsibility to Iraq in south in about six months—Basra police chief says most of his force secretly works for political parties; Iraqi Military Academy reopened southeast of Baghdad with 135 cadets and support from multinational force; Record 270 Iraqi military and police killed in May;

 

Humanitarian Access to Iraq:  UN has small presence in Baghdad’s Green Zone, and, recently, in Erbil in north and Basra in south; NGOs continue to operate mainly from Jordan with low key presence, if any, in Iraq; Several European NGOs clearing the 8,000 sq. km. with mines and unexploded ordinance have had to leave because of security—working to set up local NGO to continue de-mining;

 

Economy/Oil:  Cumulative oil revenue from exports since war at US$30 billion;With a goal of 2.5 million barrels per day, production remains around 2.1 million and exports around 1.4 million; Attacks on pipeline limit oil flow north; About half of petroleum product needs being met with Iraqi production; Head of the US-led Iraq Reconstruction Management Office, Bill Taylor says spending US$200 million a week on reconstruction—Taylor says of US$18.4 billion approved, nearly all obligated or spent;

 

Water/power: UN/Iraqi survey says 85% of households have unreliable electricity, 80% of rural families have unsafe water, and just a little over one third of households are connected to sewers; Electricity Minister Muhsin Shalash says shortages to last for years; Average power production slips to 3,700 megawatts--availability nationwide is about 8 hours a day—peak demand, almost double production, is increasing;Imports of power from Turkey and Iran to increase from 240 MW to 380;

 

Food:  With purchases of flour and rice, Ministry of Trade adding commodities back to food distribution;Delivery started on wheat flour purchased from Turkey; MOT purchases rice from Thailand and US—first of 180,000 MT of US rice to arrive in early June; With MOT responsible, food distribution more erratic and shortfalls in some commodities more common than before war--some items unfit for consumption—prices rise for flour and tea;

 

Health/Medical: Nationwide measles, mumps and rubella immunization going well with 85% coverage; Polio free for five years, Iraq will immunize children in June and July;Nationwide preventative malaria and leishmaniasis spraying complete in many provinces; Cholera in southwest Baghdad—concern about summer outbreak;143 primary health care facilities under construction; More than 80 hospitals and more than 200 health clinics refurbished or rebuilt since war.

 

In Country Humanitarian Assistance Information By Region

North Region

 

 

Central/West Regions

Baghdad

South Region

 

Neighboring Countries’ Humanitarian Activities/Preparations

Jordan

The remaining 743 people, mostly Iranian Kurds, who had been living in the area known as no-man’s land on the Jordan- Iraq border for the last two years have been relocated to al-Ruweished camp some 37miles (60 km) inside Jordan.  However another 209 Iranian Kurds still remain in an unofficial camp on the Iraq side of no-man’s land.  (Tuesday, May-31-05)

 

The remaining refugees at al-Ruweished refugee camp have reportedly been on a hunger strike since last week to protest the Jordanian government’s refusal to allow them to enter Jordan. Only 123 refugees remain at al-Ruweished refugee camp on Jordan’s border after 386 were accepted for resettlement in Sweden and 23 in Ireland.  (Thursday, May-19-05)

 

Jordan and Iraq will collaborate in the establishment of a new border center that is to be located 2.5 miles (4 km) within Jordan territory.  The center will accommodate the increased flow of passengers and goods at the border. (Monday, April-25-05)

 

Flow of goods between Jordan and Iraq is very low with more than 11,000 Jordanian truckers, who formerly hauled goods to and from Iraq, unemployed because transporting goods between the countries has become too dangerous with reportedly 30 truckers killed and 300 trucks destroyed or stolen in the last year. This disruption in the flow of goods impacts the transportation of aid to Iraq flowing through Jordan. (Thursday, Feb-03-05)

 

Royal Jordanian airline makes two daily flights to Baghdad. (Wednesday, May-04-05)

 

Air Serv continues to provide humanitarian flights out of Amman, transporting goods and aid workers to and from Baghdad, Erbil, and Basrah. (Thursday, Feb-03-05) 

 

The Humanitarian Action Coordination Center (HACC-West) has advised that it needs 24-hour advance notice of vehicle movement into Iraq from Jordan.

 

During the last year, a number of UN and NGO staffers working in Iraq have evacuated their international staff members to Jordan due to insecurity. Amman seems to be the center of activity for these groups.

 

In addition to the international relief efforts operating from Jordan, the government has played a significant role in playing host to the US $100 million Jordanian International Police Training Center.  The center, opened in November 2003, and has served as a primary training facility for the Iraqi police. The center conducts a 6-week training course serves up to 1,500 police recruits per class.  Under agreement the facility will train some 32,000 Iraqi police between November 2003 and November 2005.  As of mid-January 2005, the training facility has graduated some 12 classes of recruits.

 

The Jordanian government is also providing training to Iraqi soldiers at Zarqa Military College in Jordan.

Iran

The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Ja’afari is to pay a diplomatic visit to Iran next month, the first visit of a high ranking Iraqi official since the formation of the new government.  (Tuesday, May-31-05)

 

According to Iraq’s Ambassador to Iran, Mohammad Majid al-Sheikh, Iran is the most qualified of Iraq’s neighboring countries to assist Iraq in its reconstruction.  He further stated that groundwork has been laid for an increase the level of bilateral transactions between the two countries and to this end, Iraq’s embassies in Iran are ready to issue short- and long-term visas to Iranian construction companies. (Wednesday, June-1-05) 

 

Iran has increased electricity exports to Iraq from 90 megawatts per day to 150 megawatts. (May-28, AFP) 

 

Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity has signed a deal with Iran to increase the flow of electricity from Iran to Iraq from 90 megawatts to 124 megawatts in June 2005. (Monday, March-28-05)

 

Iran’s Minister of Displacement and Immigrant Affairs said it will open an office to track Iraqi residents in Iran and determine strategies for their return. (Wednesday, June-1-05)

 

UNHCR and the Bureau of Aliens’ and Foreign Immigrants’ Affairs of the Ministry of Interior (BAFIA) reached an agreement to close 12 Iraqi camps with a mission scheduled this month to review the implementation process of the closures and consolidation. The number of Iraqi refugees in Iranian camps has fallen to 8,000 from 50,000. The World Food Program is currently providing food assistance to these refugees.

 

Of the 22 camps in Iran, 6 are empty and 14 camps are nearly empty.  Iran has an estimated 95,000 remaining Iraqi refugees.  Prior UNHCR reports recorded more than 200,000 Iraqi refugees in Iran. Current UNHCR reports estimate that approximately 107,000 of these refugees have returned to Iraq.  Many have returned on their own accord, while some 12,500 returned with UNHCR assistance. Some 330 Iraqi refugees were repatriated with UNHCR assistance from refugee camps in Iran between December 15 2004 and January 5 2005. (Tuesday, Jan-10-05)

 

Some 1,000 Iraqi border guards and 100 US soldiers patrolling 60-mile central Iraq-Iran border.  The border is provided with additional security from the Kurdish peshmerga in the north and the British and Polish troops in the south. (Tuesday, March-22-05)

 

UNHCR has organized convoys from Iran to the southern Iraqi city of Basrah since November 2003, but due to the security situation in Iraq, the convoys are sporadically put on hold. Returnees receive a package of relief items, a one-month food ration, travel assistance, and mine-awareness training.

 

Turkey

In the village of Cicekli in Tunceli province in southeastern Turkey, members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) ambushed a Turkish military unit killing four soldiers and wounding another.  This incident highlights the ongoing conflict between the Kurdish rebels and Turkey. On Sunday (June-5), Turkish authorities also rounded up seven Kurdish rebels in Istanbul, suspected of planning bomb attacks in the city.  In response the this ongoing struggling, the Turkish government has requested that Iraqi (both national and regional Kurdish authorities) as well as US officials to work with Turkish official in their efforts to crack down on the PKK fighters hiding out in Iraq (particularly in the north). (June-05, AP)

 

Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al Jaafari met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reaching an agreement between the two countries on security cooperation and increased power exports sold to Iraq.  Turkish energy exports will provide one-fifth of Iraq’s energy supply.  The countries also reached an agreement to open a second border crossing at the Turkey-Iraq border.  Turkey offered to assist Iraq in military training and security and discussed the security of Turkish truck drivers, some 100 have been killed in Iraq. Prime Minister Erdogan also provided Jaafari with a list of Turkish paramilitaries the Turkish government would like extradited to Turkey.  Further talks are planned between the countries through the various ministry counterparts.  (Friday, May-20-05)

 

In southeast Turkey clashes between the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) left up to 21 PKK fighters and three Turkish soldiers dead. (Friday, April-15-05)

 

Turkey will increase electricity exports to Iraq from the current 150 megawatts per day to the 250 megawatts per day as agreed upon in March. (May-28, AFP)

 

Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity reports that Turkey has expressed willingness to increase the flow of electricity from Turkey to Iraq from the current 70 megawatts to 250 megawatts though this increase will depend upon timely construction of infrastructure necessary to link the countries’ power grids. (Monday, March-28-05)

 

Reports of future Kurdish desire for the creation of independent Kurdish state with oil-rich Kirkuk as its center, poses a national concern to Turkey, who worries that its own Kurdish population of 12 million will secede in such a movement.  Prior to the elections in Iraq, Turkish officials questioned the judgment allowing Kurds expelled from Kirkuk region by Saddam Hussein to return and participate in elections in Al Tamim province and the expulsion of Turkish speaking Iraqi Turkmens from Kirkuk by the Kurds.  Turkish officials claim that more Kurds have returned to the area of Kirkuk than had been kicked out by Saddam Hussein and that this movement represents a Kurdish effort to dominate the area.  The Turkmen group in this area is a group that the Turkish government has vowed to protect and will resort to force on this group’s behalf.

 

Another national concern for Turkey is the presence of some 5,000 militants of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), also known as the People’s Congress of Kurdistan or Kongra-Gel (KGK), in northern Iraq.  This group represents a separatist insurgency from Turkey that has claimed more than 30,000 lives since its rise in 1984.  After the group’s leader, Abdullah Ocalan, was captured in 1999, many of the remaining insurgents fled to northern Iraq.  In 2004, the group ended its ceasefire and is believed to be responsible for an increasing number of attacks. In January, US Deputy Secretary of State said that three-way talks would be held between US, Turkish, and Iraqi officials to discuss the PKK matter.

 

Turkish authorities have signed a one-year extension of the agreement to allow the US to use Incirlik airbase for planes supplying US and allied forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. (Wednesday, April-20-05)

 

Turkish authorities have agreed to allow Britain to use Incirlik air base for rotating its military units in Iraq. However the British forces may only use the base to land, change crews and refuel and will not be permitted to troops or military cargo at the base. (Saturday, April-02-05)  

 

While the border with Turkey is considered less dangerous than Iraq’s borders with Syria, Jordan, and Iran, 80 Turks have been killed in the last two years and most of them have been truckers.  Turkish truckers went on strike almost two months ago demanding higher wages and more security.  Since the strike was called, a few truckers have returned but many continue to stay away.  Keeping the border between Turkey and Iraq open is crucial to Iraq’s economy.  Iraq’s oil refineries are still not operating at pre-war levels and must therefore send much of the oil from Iraq’s northern reserves to Ceyhan in Turkey to be refined before being transported back into Iraq. (Wednesday, Feb-09-05)

 

UNHCR scaled down its operations along the border between Turkey and Iraq to focus on relief efforts already underway in Iraq. Turkey will continue assistance to Iraqi refugees who fled Iraq prior the recent war and who now wish to return to Iraq. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is also scaling down their operations in Silopi, Turkey, but said it would be ready to assist in the repatriation of Iraqis.

 

In January 2004 Iraqi, Turkish, and UNHCR officials agreed on return of up to 13,000 Turkish citizens (ethnic Kurds) to Turkey from Iraq who have lived in exile in Iraq since the early 1990s. An estimated 9,200 of these refugees are living in Mahmour Camp, near Erbil, while others are living in Dahuk and Erbil governorates. Iraqi authorities will ensure that the return is voluntary and that the refugees are not subjected to pressure. UNHCR will have full and unhindered access to the refugees both on Iraqi territory and once they have gone back to Turkey. Turkish authorities are to ensure that the refugees who volunteer to go back to Turkey are free to return to their former places of residence or any other places of their choice within Turkey.

Kuwait

The Humanitarian Operations Center (HOC) requests 7-10 days to issue a clearance to agencies to carry out cross-border operations. Established by the Pentagon and the Kuwaiti military in January 2003, the goal of the HOC is to coordinate and facilitate transportation and distribution of aid to Iraq from various sources in Kuwait, other governments, or international and local relief agencies. Kuwaiti officials, U.S., Polish and British military officers staff the HOC.

 

Humanitarian flights are exempt of all landing and parking fees. The Government of Kuwait has issued a statement that it must be notified 24 hours in advance to issue approved legal passes.

 

UN staff wishing to travel to Iraq through Kuwait need security clearance and must complete a Kuwaiti immigration form. The immigration form, in addition to a copy of a mission plan, must be given to the transportation office by 1600 hours one day prior to the mission.  Normal work hours are 0800-1400, Saturday – Wednesday.  For NGO VISA requests contact Mohammad K. Mahussian @ mmahussain_slr@yahoo.com. (Monday, Jan-31-05) Note: HOC information generated by email sent to PDMIN from HOC staff member in Kuwait.

Syria

Syria to restore diplomatic ties with Iraq after 25-year break that began when Syria sided with Iran during the Iran-Iraq war in 1982. (Sunday, May-01-05)

 

Syrian President Bashar al-Asad says the Syrian government has two priorities regarding Iraq, Iraq’s integrity and the establishment of a constitution that will institutionally support and secure this integrity. (Saturday, March-5-05) 

 

The US Ambassador has been withdrawn from Syria over increased tensions between the US and Syria over the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri of Lebanon.  This move may impact the coordination of efforts between the US and Syrian governments to secure the borders between Iraq and Syria. (Tuesday, Feb-15-05)

 

Dr. Abdulhamid El Ouali, resident representative of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Syria, reports that while there are no official statistics about the number of Iraqis in Syria, local authorities estimate the number is approximately 400,000 with only 13,000 registered with the UNHCR office in Damascus. This number is much lower that the number recently reported by Syrian authorities, claiming some 700,000 Iraqis are living in Syria. This means an increase of 100,000 Iraqis who have fled Iraq since October 2004, when Syrian officials reported 300,000 Iraqis in Syria.  This influx, has caused reported housing shortages, employment competition and increase in informal labor, and overcrowding issues, as well as reports of child prostitution and labor.  Reports of Iraqis living in Syria have varied from some 200,000 up to 1,000,000. As of December 2004, the official number of Iraqi refugees in Syria was 45,000. (Monday, Feb-21-05)

 

The Government of Syria has granted UN agencies and International Organization for Migration (IOM) a number of exemptions for fees, taxes and levees related to the import/export of humanitarian transit cargo to Iraq. New border crossing procedures have improved cross border movements.

 

While addressing the United Nation’s Security Council, Iraq’s Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari responded to Syria’s recent announcement that in recent weeks it has arrested some 1,200 foreign fighters trying to cross into Iraq, by saying; “We welcome this action but note that it confirms our long-held view that Syria has been one of the main transit routes for foreign terrorists, as well as for remnants of the previous regime.” Accordingly Zebari, made a public request for Syria to do more to prevent “extremist elements” from entering Iraq. (Tuesday, May-31-05)

 

Fayssal Mekdad, Syria’s Ambassador to the United Nations, says that in recent weeks Syria has arrested some 1,200 foreign fighters trying to cross the border into Iraq.  Mekdad further stated that Syria sent the fighters back to their home countries including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Libya. (Thursday, May-26-05)

 

Imad Moustapha, Syrian Ambassador to the US, issues statement saying that Syria has  “severed all links” to the US military and Central Intelligence Agency over recent accusation by the US government that Syria was not doing enough to secure its border with Iraq to prevent foreign fighters from entering into Iraq. (Thursday, May-26-05)

 

Syrian officials denied recent accusations from the Iraqi and US governments as “baseless”, claiming Syrian has not been aiding insurgents in Iraq or enabling foreign fighters to enter Iraq and is willing to cooperate with Iraq on security issues. Syrian officials further stated that the US and British governments had not yet provided equipment promised to Syria for implementing better border security along the 375 mile (600 km) border.  Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al Jaafari reported that Iraq will soon send a delegation to Damascus to seek Syria’s help in stopping the infiltration of insurgents at the Syria-Iraq border.  (Friday, May-20-05) 

 

While on brief visit to Iraq, US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice criticizes the Syrian government for its unwillingness to deal with foreign fighters crossing the border into Iraq. (Monday, May-16-05)

 

The Iraqi government imposed tighter controls at Iraqi-Syrian border after accusations that Syrian government was not doing enough to prevent insurgents from crossing the border.  Under the new border control Syrian men between the ages of 15-50 may not enter Iraq.  A close Iraqi female relative must accompany the Syrian men outside those age limits. (Monday, March-7-05)

 

In July 2004, Iraq reached an agreement with Syria to seal their 370-mile (600-km) border in an effort to stop the infiltration of foreign insurgents into Iraq. The border is to be controlled form both sides using special security forces.

Saudi Arabia

Senior Saudi Arabian defense officials express concern to US chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Richard B. Myers, over terrorists in Iraq crossing into Saudi Arabia and the groups discussed how both parties could work to improve security along the border.  The meeting also included discussions regarding military exercises and the nearly 500 US troops in Saudi Arabia helping to train the Saudi National Guard. (Thursday, March-17-05)

 

According to Saudi Assistant Defense Minister Prince Khaled bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, talks are underway to secure the safe return of the nearly 400 remaining Iraqis at the Rafha camp on the Saudi Arabia-Iraqi border.  A UNHCR spokesman reported 386 refugees remained at the border camp after 15 were repatriated last week.  There is concern amongst the remaining refugees regarding Iraq’s current security situation and UNHCR is working to assist those refugees with voluntary and safe returns to Iraq. (Tuesday, April-26-05)