Fallujah's Sunnis, Living on Handouts From U.S., Blame Maliki

By Daniel Williams

June 22 (Bloomberg) -- With only two suicide bombings to report so far in June, the municipal council of Fallujah, one of Iraq's most battered and belligerent towns, turned its attention to routine community matters: water and electricity supplies, repairs to the city hall.

A problem soon became apparent: ``We have no money,'' said Sheikh Abdel Hamid, the council chairman. ``Really, we are getting nothing from Baghdad.''

In a country where just about all public funds come from the central government, Fallujah gets almost none. It's been living on handouts from the nearby U.S. Marine contingent and irregular supplies of power from Iraq's unpredictable electricity grid.

The city provides a ground-level view of the failure of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Iraqi government to reconcile the country's warring sectarian groups. Fallujah is a Sunni Muslim city that rebelled against the U.S.-led occupation. Its population is suspicious of the government dominated by the Shiite majority.

The Bush administration has designated reconciliation between Iraq's Shiites and the minority Sunnis a key benchmark as it considers whether to keep supporting al-Maliki. Peace between the warring groups is essential to U.S. plans to turn security duties over to the Iraqi government and withdraw troops.

U.S. officials have repeatedly criticized al-Maliki for the shortcomings -- most recently Secretary of Defense Robert Gates during a visit to Baghdad last week.

`Doing Their Best'

``To be honest, the Americans are doing their best,'' Sheikh Hamid, 46, said in an interview at his office. ``The problem is with the Iraqi government. It simply does not want to help.''

Sunni rebels took over Fallujah in 2004. A Marine counterattack drove most of them out. Homes and businesses were damaged; crumbled remains still line streets and alleyways. At least half the 350,000 population fled and remains in exile, mostly outside Iraq.

The town is currently under tight military and police control; residents enter only with a special pass and vehicles drive through only under police escort. The central government pays for the police, through the Interior Ministry, and for an army garrison, through the Defense Ministry.

Tangled Power Lines

In much else, Fallujah leaders who cooperate with the Americans feel abandoned. Most electric power is supplied by private generator operators who string tangled webs of lines across neighborhoods.

``I even pay for my own security guards,'' said Mayor Saad Rashid al-Dulaimi. ``Baghdad basically thinks Fallujah is a terrorist city.''

Marine officials in charge of safeguarding Fallujah say that a revolving door of city governments and chronic violence make it difficult to receive and use aid. In April, al-Dulaimi's predecessor was impeached by the council for rebel sympathies. There have been at least five mayors of Fallujah since 2004, Marine officials said. Sheikh Hamid's two predecessors were assassinated.

The most recent local council session June 19 provided a bleak picture of the city's needs. A half-dozen councilmen sat among about 20 spectators, all twirling worry beads. They met inside a compound fortified with cement barricades and barbed wire, guarded by Iraqi police, soldiers and U.S. Marines.

Garbage Collection

One councilman presented a $100,000 plan for garbage collection. For most of the past four years, residents have been throwing trash onto vacant lots and then setting piles on fire. The councilman said he needed 30,000 liters (8,000 gallons) of truck fuel. Marine representatives took notes and said they would see what they could do.

A police officer who identified himself as Chief Faisal stood up and said his men would collect the garbage if that was what it took. ``I will be the first with the broom,'' he said.

The city's main power plant had broken down two days earlier and the substitute generator lacked diesel, another councilman said. The mayor suggested he go to the provincial capital of Ramadi to see if anyone there had some. In the meantime, electricity from the grid would be rationed to two hours a day, down from three.

`We Try to Help'

The meeting broke up after an hour and Mayor al-Dulaimi huddled in his office with Marine Lieutenant Colonel Bill Mullen. ``We try to help them connect with the central government as much as we can,'' said Mullen, 43.

Al-Dulaimi, 35, said he had asked the Finance Ministry for money to repair the city hall -- some of the walls had fallen in from winter moisture -- and received no answer.

``We were told there would be a reconstruction budget sent from Baghdad in January. It is June,'' the mayor said. ``For this year we need $40 million to operate at a minimum. The year is already half over and we have nothing.''

Al-Dulaimi appealed to the Marines to find money for some sort of major project. ``We have to show our people that there is more to Fallujah than just keeping it in a cage,'' he said. ``What about a plant to convert trash into power?''

``I get messages,'' he continued. ``The terrorists say they are going to send me a Tunisian. That means some foreign killer is going to get me. I don't mind. We need to fight these people. But there is not much real progress in Fallujah. Not even the scent of progress.''

Mullen said the Marines were looking into converting a nearby irrigation dam into a hydroelectric facility. In the meantime, he said, they could offer some school supplies. ``This can show that the council cares,'' Mullen said.

``People don't believe they will ever be part of Iraq,'' al-Dulaimi responded. ``They will fight again.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Daniel Williams in Fallujah, Iraq at dwilliams41@bloomberg.net

Ellie