Posted on 08/27/2007 4:46:42 PM PDT by SandRat
WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2007 The U.S. provincial reconstruction team in Iraqs Diyala province is working to connect provincial leaders with Iraqs central government and foster reconciliation in an area where security is still challenging, the teams leader said today. The PRT, which was established in April 2006, includes about 46 military and civilian members from various government agencies who work directly with the provincial government, John Melvin Jones said during a conference call with online journalists and bloggers. The teams biggest challenge right now is getting enough involvement in Diyala from other agencies, because the security situation isnt stable, he said.
Everything is based around security; if we have security, then we can bring in agencies like (the United States Agency for International Development), he said. Its going to take a while before the security situation gets stable enough so that you can even have all these other agencies involved.
Jones was in Baghdad today with the Diyala provincial governor and governors from three other northern provinces to meet with Iraqs deputy prime minister about the problems in Iraqs north. The key issue that needs to be worked out is a disconnection between the central government and provincial governments when it comes to getting funding for reconstruction, Jones said.
The central government understands that its going to make promises and so forth; the guys at the provincial level are waiting for action, he said. We see our role here as facilitating the contact, making sure that when the deputy prime minister says hes going to give a certain amount of money to the province to rebuild houses, that theres a way the province governor can get access to that money.
Access to fuel and electricity remain a problem in Diyala, Jones said, and many employers are not hiring new workers because of the security situation. However, in the past month and a half, there has been a rebirth of commerce in Baqubah, the provincial capital. Because of the intense combat operations in the Diyala River Valley, shops and markets have been able to open in Baqubah and people venture into the streets, he said.
The important thing to understand about northern Iraq is that sectarian and tribal divisions have been in place for thousands of years, Jones said. The PRT is working to get reconciliation among these groups, he said, but it is not something that will be achieved overnight.
Our problem here is to try to get them to understand that they can work together for the good of the entire province, Jones said. Its something thats been going on for thousands of years out here, and we need to change the mindset of those persons involved.
Yet, State, like typical didn't produce d*ck...and it took the Pentagon and DoD to put the needed PRTs into the field....
I like the point about the tribal conflicts being very old. We cannot expect them to suddenly start liking each other. It will take time.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.