Program Review Board (PRB) Minutes Summary – March 29, 2004

Attendees:
* Rodney Bent Chairman/Director Office of Management and Budget
* Absent Iraq Ministry of Finance
* Behnam Puttrus Iraq Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation
* Frederick C. Smith Deputy Senior Advisor for the Office of Security Affairs
* Absent USAID
* COL Frank Boynton Director, Office of Operations & Infrastructure
* Dean Pittman Governance
* Maj Todd Gondeck Coalition Joint Task Force – 7, Comptroller
* Yusaf Samiullah, Representative of the United Kingdom Government
* Neil Mules Representative of the Australian Government
* Absent Economic and Development Policy
* Neil Hawkins Council for International Cooperation
Absent Program Review Board - Regional Programs Manager
Absent CPA – General Counsel
Col Don Davis CPA Comptroller
BGen Steve Seay CPA – HCA
COL Bob Speer CPA – Program Management Office
Ihsan K. Ghanim Board of Supreme Audit
George Wolfe CPA -- Office of Management and Budget
Efraim Cohen Governance
Lt Col James Reitzel Coalition Joint Task Force – 7, Comptroller
Brendan Lund CPA – Office of Management and Budget
COL Eric Engelbrektsson CPA – Office of Management and Budget
Lt Col Robert Gurner CPA – Office of Management and Budget
LTC Jose Quero-Munoz CPA – Office of Management and Budget
Sarah Horrigan CPA – Office of Management and Budget
John Moore CPA – Office of Management and Budget
Dr. Faik Ali Abdul-Rasool Iraq Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation
Michael Powers CPA – Program Management Office
Patricia W. Hatcher CPA – Program Management Office
Steve Newhouse CPA – Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation
*Voting Members

The minutes from the PRB meetings of 6 March and 10 March 2004 were approved.

The Chair opened the meeting by welcoming the representatives of the Iraqi Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation (MoPDC) and the Board of Supreme Audit (BSA) as newly appointed members of the PRB. MoPDC joins as a voting member and BSA as a non-voting member. Representatives of each organization were asked to make remarks.

The Chair introduced Mr George Wolfe as the incoming Senior Advisor for the Ministry Finance. He replaces Mr Rodney Bent and will assume his appointment as Chair of the PRB.

The Chair introduced COL Eric Engelbrektsson, CPA – Ministry of Finance, as the new Program Coordinator for the PRB.

The Chair distributed an overview of the 2004 Amended Iraqi National Budget and invited discussion. He pointed out that most pressing budget issues were considered in the amended budget, but still expected emerging issues to continue to come before the PRB. He urged all parties to work to solve budget issues within their respective ministry budgets before coming to the PRB. PRB members made the following comments:

• The Australian representative asked why the amended budget had not been considered in whole by the PRB. The Chair stated that most items in the budget had come before the PRB in various form and the Administrator was comfortable the due consideration was taken.
• The United Kingdom representative asked for clarification on two specific line items. Information was provided.
• CPA Office of Operations and Security asked for a timeline for the fulfillment of Kuwaiti reparations. The chair stated that the issue was under consideration.
• CPA Office of Operations and Security asked if procedures were being in place for preparing the 2005 Iraqi National Budget. He was informed that procedures are being drafted and will be forthcoming and the process would begin prior to sovereignty. He replied that the CPA should strive to continue to have input into the 2005 budget to the extent possible.
• CJTF-7 introduced their new C-8 (Comptroller); Lt Col James Reitzel
• The Iraqi MoPDC representative asked for clarification about asset transfers to the Central Bank in the 2004 budget. The Chair asked that there be a follow-up discussion outside the PRB.

In closing, the Chair thanked the PRB for it’s cooperation and due diligence during his term as chairman. Members expressed their thanks to Mr Bent and wished him well in his future pursuits.