*EPF110 12/16/2002
Iraqi Working Group Sees Need for a Development, Reconstruction Council
(Interview with Nisreen Sideek, Minister of Reconstruction and Development, Erbil) (730)

By Vicki Silverman
Washington File Staff Writer

During the first week of December, Iraqi experts, free from the control of Saddam Hussein's regime, convened in Washington for a second round of discussions aimed at developing the future infrastructure and economy of Iraq.

The December session "was really marked by mature discussion," Nasreen Sideek, a member of the Economic and Infrastructure Working Group, told the Washington File December 7.

"I think the most important thing to come out of the December meeting was our unanimous support for the idea of establishing an Iraqi Development and Reconstruction Council (IDRC)," said Sideek, who is currently serving as Minister of Reconstruction and Development for the city of Erbil.

"Following our last meeting [Nov. 8], there was a vigorous email exchange of drafts and commentary among the sub-working groups. The information we shared, focusing on the priority issues����electricity, communications, future of Oil-for-Food, economic policy and the establishment of the IDRC����really enabled the group, in this second session, to up with some strong joint drafts," Sideek said.

"For some of the issues, particularly the specific services like electricity and commutations, we know will need more data before solid planning can begin...but we agreed on the immediate actions to be taken...We all agreed it would be very important for the ����day after' to have a council in place to set sound development policy and promote public understanding of issues of national and international importance to the people of Iraq," she said.

The Iraqi Development and Reconstruction Council, as the working group sees it, would be set up as an independent, non-political body to advise an Iraqi transitional authority.

"From a public interest point of review, it is a very important council because it will not only help to maintain the existing services, but also work to develop new policies for the transitional authority, which will be busy establishing itself," Sideek said.

She noted the IDRC would rely on the existing "backbone" of Iraq's trained civil servants to continue basic services but also act as an agent for progress. "There is a wealth of human resources in Iraq. The problem has always been that the policies serve the regime and not the people's interests. In our discussions, we agreed on the necessity of injecting new thinking into the system." For that reason, she explained, the IDRC might be composed initially of experts who have lived and worked outside of Saddam Hussein's control.

"At the end of the day, what we all agreed on was that the people of Iraq are tired. They need change and they all they really care about is that Iraq have a government structure that will give them freedom and prosperity ���� and that's what the council hopes to achieve."

Reflecting on the ten years she has worked on rebuilding northern Iraq, Sideek said it is impossible to meet every need in the first stages of reconstruction. She believes prioritization is key. "Sometimes policymakers take the lead in establishing the priorities, but we also learned a great deal by talking to the population, "she said. "People in different regions will have different needs and the council is likely to be mindful of the differences."

As Iraq sheds the debilitating mind-set and policies of the old regime and an administrative structure free to work in the public interest begins to take root in Iraq, Sideek says the policy-making role of the IDRC would probably be phased out.

Asked if the working group's recommendations were being discussed among Iraqi opposition groups, Sideek stressed that the Economic and Infrastructure Working Group's discussions are non-political, professional discussions. Participants are volunteering their professional time and expertise in the interest of building a better future for Iraqis. "That said, we want to see our efforts materialize, and upon the suggestion of some people in our group, we will be sending several of our papers out to be discussed by Iraqi opposition figures in London December 14-15."

Economic and Infrastructure Working Group activities are facilitated by the State Department as part of the "Future of Iraq Project." It will meet again in January to discuss ways of stabilizing Iraq's currency, encouraging investment and promoting the growth of non-oil sectors of Iraq's economy.

(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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