24 June 2003
Iraqi Officials Tell U.N. "We Are Back"
(Senior bureaucrats part of Coalition Authority at two-day U.N. session) (1260) By Judy Aita Washington File United Nations Correspondent United Nations -- Saying proudly "Iraq is back," senior Iraqi officials are at U.N. headquarters to help plan the future of their country for the first time since the end of Saddam Hussein's regime. Senior officials from several Iraqi ministries are participating in the June 23 launch of a U.N. appeal for $259 million for humanitarian and emergency reconstruction programs for Iraq and a June 24 U.N. Development Program (UNDP) meeting on the reconstruction and recovery of Iraq. "We came to New York to be present at the donor conference and tell everybody that Iraq is back into the international community and Iraq is willing to participate in every U.N. and international activity and to ask donor countries and donor organizations to help Iraq in this period of transition," said Akila Al Hashimi of the Coalition Provisional Authority Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a press conference June 23. Al Hashimi, spokesperson of the delegation, explained the relationship of the 12 members of the group. "We are Iraqi technicians and we represent Iraq" and are working in close cooperation with the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), she said. The delegation will present an overview of the problems a well as discuss how to reconstruct their country and put it on the path to economic recovery at both sessions. "We know the ins and outs" of Iraq's infrastructure, said Faris Abdulrazzaq Alasam, interim deputy mayor of Baghdad. "We can identify priorities. We can do excellent assessment for the present situation. We can get things done on short, mid-term, and long-term." Before assuming his new position, Alasam began working with the coalition because his task was "to keep the water supply flowing during the war," he said. For the past three years he was director general for the planning of Baghdad's water and sewer systems. After April 9 he began providing security for water facilities and transferred fuel for stand-by generators. "This is what we are -- the senior staff," Alasam said of the group. "We intend to fulfill our job stemming from our dedication to our work and to our country." Ramiro Lopes Da Silva, U.N. Coordinator for Iraq, said that the Iraqis are well known to the United Nations "for their professional capabilities." "They are here on their professional capacities as civil servants in the different ministries and I do not think they represent any political agenda whatever," Da Silva said during a separate press conference on the U.N. aid appeal. "I respect very much their professional capability and knowledge." "It is important that the coalition brought a wide group of Iraqi professionals to the launching of the appeal and particularly ... for the informal discussion on how we go about preparing a reconstruction plan," Da Silva said. Al Hashimi was the head of the U.N. section of the Iraqi foreign ministry and has continued to work with the United Nations and the coalition as the interim deputy director general of the department of international organizations. Other members of the group who met with journalists June 23 to discuss their work were Fakhridin M. H. Rashan from the ministry of trade and Nasreem Sideek Barwari, who is a consultant for reconstruction and development. Barwari, who is from the northern Kurdish provinces, said that before the conflict she was the regional administrator for reconstruction and development. "We had a successful history of reconstructing our part [of Iraq] since we were freed from the regime 12 years ago" she said. So she is now using her experience to help the rest of Iraq. Rashan first met with coalition authorities about the food rations. "I used to be the director general of the foreign economic relations in the ministry of trade. My concern after the military campaign ended was how can I preserve the food security in Iraq," he said, explaining that the ministry of trade had been responsible for distributing the "food basket" program rations. Prior to the conflict, 60 percent of Iraqis were dependent on the food basket, which was provided through the oil-for-food program. "At the end of the day we are technocrats," Rashan said, "or we would not have been able to restart the food basket." "Throughout our work in our ministries we were, of course, serving the Iraqi people. We are now also, through our work and through our coordination with CPA and the coalition, also serving the Iraqi people," Rashan said. Rashan said that press reports of a lack of government services are not giving "a proper conception of what's going on in Iraq." "Most of the sectors and ministries started to work" with the coalition, Rashan said. "Though my ministry has been looted and also burned we have had to get an alternative headquarters for the ministry. We've started working in the ministry and we've started procurement of wheat for distribution to the Iraqi population." "As of June 1 we are distributing the ration basket," he said. The delegation will ask the international community "to help the Iraqi institutions to start [rebuilding], especially the oil sector which needs a lot of investment," he said. But he quickly added that he does not envision many years of international aid. "Iraq is a relatively rich country with the second largest proven oil reserves," Rashan said. "Our expectation is to at least try to work out a short-term investment plan. ... Once Iraq can stand on its feet for a short period of time, we will start depending on ourselves and international financial institutions to support Iraq in its development." Rashan also said that the ministry has started to work on transforming the Iraqi economy from a completely controlled central economy to a free market economy that will provide opportunities for foreign direct investment. Using an "Arab investment law" passed one year ago, the ministry is working with the Coalition Provisional Authority to see if that framework can be applied to foreign investment now. Once a national government is in place, foreign investment will then be taken up by the new government, he said. "Foreign investment should have a stable, secure investment," Rashan said. "We've been approached by many companies and countries -- neighboring countries or others in Europe and the United States asking to invest and take risks and invest in Iraq." Over the last two weeks, the trade ministry and coalition authority have been working on a business facilitation center to encourage investors coming into Iraq and to encourage Iraqi companies to enter into joint ventures with foreign investors, he added. Other members of the delegation are: Amir Dawood Sulaiman from the Irrigation Ministry; Abdul Aziz Fatah Al-Karagolly, interim director general for planning and follow-up, Ministry of Agriculture; Emaddin Saod Al Kidher, primary healthcare specialist; Weil Nourildean Al Rifaie, acting president, University of Technology, Ministry of Higher Education; Muhamad A. Ala Aldin, interim supervisor of administration, Ministry of Industry and Minerals; Dr Wallid Jallo, interim technical director of the Iraqi Telephone and Postal Company; Sami Mati Polous, interim director general of regional planning, Ministry of Planning; and Judge Madhat Al-Mahmood from the Ministry of Justice. (The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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