NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND 7115 South Boundary Boulevard MacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101 Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 |
April 21, 2003
Release Number: 03-04-167
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
POOL REPORT OF MR. GARNER'S TRIP TO BAGHDAD (PART 3 OF 3)
Pool Report continued:
At 9:30 they left for Baghdad South Water Sewer Treatment Plant, the
largest such facility in Baghdad, according to ORHA workers. Arrived 10:15.
The facility consisted of several very large buildings in what looked to be
poor repair. Crumbled pipes lay outside the buildings. However, the Iraqi
water officials they believed would meet them at the plant weren't there.
The group milled around a bit, then decided to eat a lunch of MREs.
Stephen Browning, an engineer with ORHA who will spearhead work on
water and sewer problems and also become advisor for the Ministry of
Transport and Communications, said the sewage plant is not operating
because of a lack of power. Sewage is now draining into the Tigris River,
he said. "The critical path is getting the power going. Once that happens,
this will work. The waste currently is going into the river, untreated."
He said health problems have been mitigated somewhat by the fact that
river levels have been unusually high, due in part to gates being opened at
dams upstream. "Somebody opened the gates of the dams," Browning said. "We
don't know who, but it we don't think it was the guys tending the dams."
Garner slipped out of his jacket. He wore pins of the American and
Iraqi flags on the collar of his blue shirt. He joked about eating lunch at
a sewage plant. "We're trying to say everything will get better."
At 11:10, the convoy left the sewage plant to go to Baghdad South
Power Station, also on the city's southern half.
They arrived at about 11:30. The plant, an industrial complex of
sand-colored buildings, services about 10 percent of Baghdad. ORHA advance
teams have set up 100 kilowatt generator to provide partial power. The
convoy arrived at 11:33. Garner and Maj. Gen. Carl Strock, who is
overseeing reconstruction issues and oil field restoration for Garner,
greeted Karim Hasan, 47, director general of the technical department of
the Commission of Electricity. Hasan said the outages at the plant were due
to shelling "on both sides."
Maj. Andy Backus with the Army Corps of Engineers said he has spent
the last three days assessing the power station. He outlined several
problems for Garner and his staff. Many of the city's overhead lines
suffered damage from shelling, and getting replacement lines is difficult
because of looting at warehouses, he said. Seven power lines on central
routes were broken, he said, in addition to an unknown number of smaller
breaks. The National Power Control Center was destroyed by vandals on April
14, he said, and will have to be completely replaced. Security also
continues to be a problem, he said, even though coalition troops guard the
station. "Even with our security here, we've had looters try to come over
our back fence," he said. Other problems continue to be poor communications
in Baghdad and technical complications due to a wide variety of
multi-national equipment used in Baghdad's power system.
Hasan suggested that the coalition encourage Chinese and German
contract workers who had been doing work on the city's power system to
return to the city they left before war broke out.
Stephen Browning (see ID above), said power is being restored slowly
but surely. "Yesterday there were about 100,000 more people with power than
there were the day before."
Backus said: "Hopefully this evening we'll have lights on in 10
percent of Baghdad. Insha'ala." Backus praised the competence of Iraqi
engineers.
Backus also said a key concern is fuel. They are having problems
getting natural gas piped from Kirkuk to Baghdad due to a lack of pressure
in damaged lines, he said.
Garner and crew walked up a flight of stairs in a large, stone
building to enter the station's control room. The narrow halls were very
crowded with officials from the plant and the ORHA delegation. Most of the
Iraqis were casually dressed, like Garner, though a handful wore jackets
and ties. Most of the equipment in the room was installed by General
Electric between 1967 and 1987, Hasan said. Garner then announced he wanted
to make a statement to American reporters: "What would be really great, a
great tribute to the Iraqi people, is for General Electric to come over
here and donate some new parts and things that help us get this straight."
After exiting the building, Garner offered his impressions. He
reiterated he has no timetable. He referred back to the earlier visit to
the hospital.
"The doctors there are fairly capable of doing things themselves, all
they need is the equipment to do it. I walked in here (power station) and I
saw the Iraqi engineers who are incredibly competent doing all that with
some assistance from U.S. engineers. But again, all they needed was just
equipment to help them. And I think what you see here is what you're going
to see throughout the country. You're going to see the Iraqis fixing things
themselves. And we're going to facilitate that, we're going to help them
where we can, where we can provide them with supplies, where we can get
things for them we'll do that. But they're going to fix their country. I
have all the faith in the world that's going to happen. In fact, I know
it's going to happen." Are you the new ruler of Iraq: "The new ruler of
Iraq is going to be an Iraqi. I don't rule anything. I'm the coalition
facilitator to establish a different environment where these people can
pull things together themselves and begin self-government process. And with
our assistance begin a reconstruction process, and end up with a democracy
that represents the freely elected will of the Iraqi people." Is that in
line with what Iraqi people want? "I think it is, thus far they've
responded. But we're flexible.... This is a work in progress." Impression
of city so far? "It's drive-by, so it's hard to see. In fact I didn't think
there was that much destruction, to be truthful with you. Less than I've
seen in places I've fought before." A reporter tells him some people feel
humiliated by his presence because it's almost like a "victory march" into
power stations and all that. What say to appease that sentiment. "If they
feel that way, it's certainly not my intent. And I don't think they did
feel that way. I'm not here on a victory parade at all. I'm here on a
humanitarian reconstruction, to help change the environment and do what I
can for the Iraqi people." At about 12:20, Garner was ushered away from
reporters by Tutwiler and into the Suburban. After he left, Hasan was asked
about comments he made recently that were critical of the Americans. "We're
not blaming anybody, we're blaming the situation." "[We blame] not only
Americans. Anybody who tries to occupy our country." He is asked if he
feels country is occupied now: "We don't know now. We are still waiting
from the aid and from the electricity to be restored soon." He said Garner
is not an occupying force. "He seems to be a very kind man and hopefully
he's trying to help the Iraqi people." He suggested sanctions should be
lifted immediately. FOLLOWING IS FROM TRIP BACK TO ORHA TEMPORARY
HEADQUARTERS: Upon leaving the power station at about 12:30 p.m., Garner's
convoy headed through the heart of Baghdad to a former presidential palace
compound called Qasr Al Fao, which houses part of the operations of CFLCC
(Coalition Forces Land Component Command). On the ride, the scenery showed
the occasional burned-out buildings, some still smoldering, tea shops with
onlookers pausing to view the vehicles, a charred Ministry of Planning, and
a demonstration against American interests in Iraq. The convoy was stuck in
congestion in downtown Baghdad, particularly near the Sheraton at the
square (Paradise Square ? the one where the statue came down). People waved
at the convoy, showing no signs of hostility. The convoy rolled outside the
city's core to the compound, which was a temporary meeting place for the
members of ORHA. A spokesman for ORHA said the group would be looking for
new headquarters in the coming days. He said the site of that had not yet
been determined, but that the group was seeking a large building where 500
to 1,000 people could work and sleep.
The palace at Qasr Al Fao was surrounded by a moat-like body of water.
Huge columns greeted the staff at the entrance, and the inside was full of
marble and gilded Arabic script engraved into it. There was no power or
running water inside. CFLCC had several generators outside which were able
to provide limited power. The staff spread out into rooms and set up cots,
where they planned to sleep for the night. Four portable toilets were set
up behind the building. The side of the building featured broken windows
and gaping holes ? damage from bombing during the war. In addition to the
main palace building, the compound featured several other living quarters
in smaller buildings spread throughout.
The group held a staff meeting at 5:30 p.m., which was closed to the
media.
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