BUDGET CUTS

SAAD YOUSIF AL-MUTTALIBI

At what pace should the draw back of troops be executed, there must many factors to be considered, but from an Iraqi point of view, I can point out two that should take precedence; the performance of the coalition troops since 2003 to date and the delivery of agreed on tasks within SOFA till the referendum in 2009 and so on till 2011. President Obama's strategy with its three sections of Diplomatic, Regional and Military cooperation is based on the general improvements of the security environment in Iraq.

Improving the security environment is conditioned on a number of variables; the acceleration of developing the armed forces, political reforms, constitution amendments, better intelligence, capacity building, projects execution, and the reconciliation process.

The reconciliation process has faced yet another setback by removing its entire budget. The parliament voted on the most politicized budget in the short history of modern Iraq. The Ministry of National Dialogue and Reconciliation budget was not reduced but completely canceled, the vote came as a number of political blocks felt threatened by committing funds to the reconciliation process, in case these funds were used to pay for the Support Councils, taking in consideration the results of the Provincial Elections, these Councils that act as an intelligence centers. With the absence of national intelligence agencies that are capable of information gathering and data processing, the role of the Support Councils becomes a strategic necessity, regardless of conflicting political views.

The Reconciliation national policy were put on hold, with all projects of international activities, regional conferences, with most dangerously endangering the fragile relationship between the Federal Government and the Awaking Councils (Al-Sahwa), or the so called "Sons of Iraq".

Previously the Ministry of Dialogue and Reconciliation made a historic break through by obtaining an executive decree to supervise over the running affairs of the "Follow up and Execution of the Reconciliation Committee" and to form a new "High Committee for Reconciliation" made of representative of all major political parties at the Council of Representatives (Parliament). To set a national strategic policy for Reconciliation that has the backing of all political parties.

The budget was also designed to cover for the costs of setting up an Archive Center in Baghdad for the safe keeping of the Bath documents archives that are kept at the United States at present. These documents that are numbered at approximately 3 Million documents were moved to the United States after the downfall of Saddam's Regime by an Iraqi NGO Foundation and constitute a vast archive of Iraq's modern history.

As a summery, reconciliation process is facing yet another hurdle, international backing is still required to insure that Iraq gains its position among free nations to insure good governance and justice to all Iraqis.