OPERATIONAL PLANNING FOR THE IRAQI MINISTRIES TRANSITION

UNCLASSIFIED,FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY UNCLAS BAGHDAD 000799 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV, PREL, IZ SUBJECT: OPERATIONAL PLANNING FOR THE IRAQI MINISTRIES TRANSITION 1. (SBU) SUMMARY: In early October, Embassy participated in an interagency planning session for the transition from the Iraqi Transitional Government (ITG) to its successor Iraqi government to avoid or mitigate loss of momentum in the development of the Iraqi government's capacity to govern. The outcome of the exercise was the development of a ministerial transition action plan and creation of a Ministerial Transition Action Group (MTAG) to oversee the execution of the plan. A main focus of the MTAG action plan was to obtain buy-in from the ITG for a smooth transition led by the ITG. Since October, weekly MTAG meetings have been held with participation from across the Embassy, MNF-I and Coalition partners. The Iraqi government has made significant progress in planning for the transition. END SUMMARY. ---------- Iraqi Lead ---------- 2. (SBU) A successful government transition requires the Iraqi government to articulate clearly and carry out its commitment to manage the planning for the upcoming transition. The USG, with support from the UK's Department for International Development (DFID), has supported the Prime Minister's office and the Council of Ministers Secretariat (COMSEC), encouraging them to lead the transition planning process. Results from these meetings include the issuance of a letter by the Prime Minister on December 12, 2005 instructing ITG ministers to clarify the limitations imposed on ITG ministries during the transition, prepare a handover brief for the new ministers, and identify a deputy to coordinate the handover process. These plans include, but are not limited to, a list of issues that will require immediate attention by new ministers, organizational charts, approved budgets for 2005 and 2006, and staffing levels and trends. 3. (SBU) Key ministry staff received transition training. With USG and DFID encouragement, the COMSEC held a transition training session for ministry deputies and staff on January 23, 2006. IRMO was informed that 36 ministry staff attended the training session. One of the sessions focused on preparation of the handover brief. 4. (U) Handover briefs were generally rated as good to excellent by COMSEC. As of March 5, 2006, 30 out of 32 Iraqi ministries have submitted handover briefs to the COMSEC office. The COMSEC assembled a team to review the briefs for completeness and quality. 5. (U) The Iraqi Government has been issuing press statements on the status of ministry transition. The GOI released several press articles about the transition process to show the public that it was progressing smoothly and was being well-handled. ------------------------------------------ IRMO's Assistance with Transition Planning ------------------------------------------ 6. (U) Since early fall, IRMO Senior Consultants have been conducting discussions with ministers and key ministry staff to familiarize them with the idea of a smooth transition to the next government in order to minimize disruptions within the ministries. During these meetings, IRMO Senior Consultants encouraged the ministries to establish transition teams and develop handover briefs for the incoming ministers, and they stressed the importance of securing Iraqi assets (e.g., vehicles, trucks, cranes, and other equipment purchased/donated with IRRF dollars) and registering these assets as Iraqi government-owned property. Ministry staff has been very receptive to IRMO recommendations. 7. (SBU) IRMO has been recognized as playing a key role in assisting with transition planning. Mr. Emad Dhia, Acting General Secretary for the Council of Ministers, told IRMO that he credited the success of the handover briefs to IRMO's support, and he agreed to share with IRMO copies of all transition handover briefs. KHALILZAD