State Department
Issues Affecting Funding of Iraqi National Congress Support Foundation Gao ID: GAO-04-559 April 30, 2004As part of the efforts by the United States to oust Saddam Hussein, a critical element of U.S. policy included funding the Iraqi National Congress as the lead Iraqi opposition coalition. In 1999, the Iraqi National Congress Support Foundation (INCSF) was established to provide an organizational structure for Department of State funding. From March 2000 until September 2003, the Department of State funded several INCSF programs, including television broadcasting. INCSF's broadcasting goals included broadcasts into Iraq focusing on providing the Iraqi people unbiased news and information and updating them on efforts to bring democracy to Iraq. GAO was asked to review (1) the history of the Department of State's funding of INCSF broadcasting activities and (2) the key issues affecting State's funding decisions.
State's funding of INCSF programs totaled nearly $33 million for the period March 2000 through September 2003. This money was made available through 23 cooperative agreements and amendments that provided shortterm funding at irregular intervals. The funds were provided for several purposes, including establishing new satellite television capability (Liberty TV), newspaper publication, and information collection programs. About $10 million was earmarked for Liberty TV broadcasting activities, which included hiring staff, establishing studio operations, and actual broadcasting. There were several periods during which State did not have an agreement to fund INCSF's program, causing State to later fund INCSF activities retroactively. State's funding approach affected INCSF's ability to conduct television broadcast operations. Liberty TV broadcasted from August 2001 to May 2002, when funding shortages caused by funding and policy disputes between State and INCSF resulted in termination of broadcasting. Attempts to restart Liberty TV failed due to a combination of factors, including continued disagreements between INCSF and State over funding requirements for the broadcasts, the rapidly changing conditions associated with the war in Iraq, and INCSF's relocation of operations to Iraq in May 2003. INCSF repeatedly complained to State that the short-term nature of the funding agreements made it difficult to run an effective television broadcasting operation. State cited three reasons why it was unable to reach long-term funding agreements with INCSF: (1) State was concerned about INCSF's accountability for funds and operational costs, based largely on results of audits of INCSF, and remained concerned even after INCSF took steps to improve its accountability during late 2001 and 2002; (2) INCSF resisted U.S. government policy prohibiting INCSF operations inside Iraq; and (3) State questioned both the usefulness of INCSF's information collection program and whether it was appropriate for State to fund it. (In May 2002 State decided to drop its funding for the information collection program, effective August 2002.) Against this background and the sporadic funding arrangements that characterized the program, the process of proposal and counterproposal continued without producing agreements that could lead to restarting Liberty TV. Through their inability to work together to restart Liberty TV, State and INCSF missed a chance to reach the Iraqi people at critical times prior to and during the March 2003 war in Iraq.
GAO-04-559, State Department: Issues Affecting Funding of Iraqi National Congress Support Foundation
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Report to Congressional Requesters:
April 2004:
STATE DEPARTMENT:
Issues Affecting Funding of Iraqi National Congress Support Foundation:
[Hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-559]:
GAO Highlights:
Highlights of GAO-04-559, a report to congressional requesters
Why GAO Did This Study:
As part of the efforts by the United States to oust Saddam Hussein, a
critical element of U.S. policy included funding the Iraqi National
Congress as the lead Iraqi opposition coalition. In 1999, the Iraqi
National Congress Support Foundation (INCSF) was established to provide
an organizational structure for Department of State funding. From
March 2000 until September 2003, the Department of State funded several
INCSF programs, including television broadcasting. INCSF‘s broadcasting
goals included broadcasts into Iraq focusing on providing the Iraqi
people unbiased news and information and updating them on efforts to
bring democracy to Iraq.
GAO was asked to review (1) the history of the Department of State‘s
funding of INCSF broadcasting activities and (2) the key issues
affecting State‘s funding decisions.
What GAO Found:
State‘s funding of INCSF programs totaled nearly $33 million for the
period March 2000 through September 2003. This money was made available
through 23 cooperative agreements and amendments that provided short-
term funding at irregular intervals. The funds were provided for
several purposes, including establishing new satellite television
capability (Liberty TV), newspaper publication, and information
collection programs. About $10 million was earmarked for Liberty TV
broadcasting activities, which included hiring staff, establishing
studio operations, and actual broadcasting. There were several periods
during which State did not have an agreement to fund INCSF‘s program,
causing State to later fund INCSF activities retroactively. State‘s
funding approach affected INCSF‘s ability to conduct television
broadcast operations. Liberty TV broadcasted from August 2001 to May
2002, when funding shortages caused by funding and policy disputes
between State and INCSF resulted in termination of broadcasting.
Attempts to restart Liberty TV failed due to a combination of factors,
including continued disagreements between INCSF and State over funding
requirements for the broadcasts, the rapidly changing conditions
associated with the war in Iraq, and INCSF‘s relocation of operations
to Iraq in May 2003. INCSF repeatedly complained to State that the
short-term nature of the funding agreements made it difficult to run an
effective television broadcasting operation.
State cited three reasons why it was unable to reach long-term funding
agreements with INCSF: (1) State was concerned about INCSF‘s
accountability for funds and operational costs, based largely on
results of audits of INCSF, and remained concerned even after INCSF
took steps to improve its accountability during late 2001 and 2002; (2)
INCSF resisted U.S. government policy prohibiting INCSF operations
inside Iraq; and (3) State questioned both the usefulness of INCSF‘s
information collection program and whether it was appropriate for State
to fund it. (In May 2002 State decided to drop its funding for the
information collection program, effective August 2002.) Against this
background and the sporadic funding arrangements that characterized the
program, the process of proposal and counterproposal continued without
producing agreements that could lead to restarting Liberty TV. Through
their inability to work together to restart Liberty TV, State and INCSF
missed a chance to reach the Iraqi people at critical times prior to
and during the March 2003 war in Iraq.
www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-559.
To view the full product, including the scope and methodology, click on
the link above. For more information, contact Jess Ford at (202)
512-4268 or fordj@gao.gov.
[End of section]
Contents:
Letter:
Results in Brief:
Background:
State's Funding Was Generally Provided on a Short-term Basis:
Inability to Reach Long-term Agreements Centered on Concerns over
Financial Management, Operations in Iraq, and Information Collection:
Agency Comments and Our Evaluation:
Scope and Methodology:
Appendixes:
Appendix I: Comments from the Department of State:
Appendix II: Comments from the Iraqi National Congress Support
Foundation:
Table:
Table 1: Description of State's Cooperative Agreements with INCSF:
Abbreviations:
INC: Iraqi National Congress:
INCSF: Iraqi National Congress Support Foundation:
OIG: Office of the Inspector General:
Letter April 30, 2004:
The Honorable Norm Coleman
Chairman
Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
Committee on Governmental Affairs
United States Senate:
The Honorable Sam Brownback
The Honorable Jon Kyl
The Honorable Rick Santorum
United States Senate:
As part of long-standing efforts by the United States to oust Saddam
Hussein, the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998[Footnote 1] noted that regime
change in Iraq should be the policy of the United States. Consistent
with that act and other legislation, a critical element of U.S. policy
included funding the Iraqi National Congress as the lead Iraqi
opposition coalition. In 1999, the Iraqi National Congress Support
Foundation (INCSF) was established to provide an organizational
structure for Department of State funding. From March 2000 until
September 2003, the State Department provided funds to the INCSF for
several programs, including planning for the renewal of Radio Hurriah
broadcasts and establishing new satellite television capability
(Liberty TV), newspaper publication, and public information and
information collection programs.[Footnote 2] INCSF's broadcasting
goals included direct radio and television broadcasts into Iraq
focusing on providing the Iraqi people unbiased news and information
and updating them on efforts to bring democracy to the country.
In response to your questions about the amounts and timing of
Department of State funding for INCSF broadcasting activities, this
report (1) describes the history of the Department of State's funding
of INCSF broadcasting activities and (2) examines the key issues
affecting State's funding decisions for the broadcasting programs. To
perform our work, we reviewed State's cooperative agreement documents
with the INCSF and met with State officials in the Bureau of Near
Eastern Affairs and the Bureau of Administration. We also examined
audit files in State's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and met
with OIG officials.[Footnote 3] In addition, we met with a consultant
hired by INCSF to help improve the foundation's accounting and
financial management systems and who frequently acted as a
representative on behalf of INCSF in discussions with State, and we
obtained information from INCSF's former controller and from its
Liberty TV manager. To assess the reliability of the data used in this
report, we reviewed relevant documents and obtained necessary
information from State and INCSF personnel. We conducted our review
from September 2003 to April 2004 in accordance with generally accepted
government auditing standards. (See p. 16 for the details of our scope
and methodology.):
Results in Brief:
State's funding of cooperative agreements for INCSF totaled nearly $33
million for the period March 2000 through September 2003 when State's
funding ended. This money was made available through 23 cooperative
agreements and amendments that provided short-term funding at irregular
intervals. Moreover, there were several periods during which State did
not have an agreement to fund INCSF's program, causing State to later
fund INCSF activities retroactively. State's funding approach affected
INCSF's ability to conduct broadcast operations. State provided seed
money for radio broadcasting but did not provide additional funding
because it could not identify a location for a transmitter that was
acceptable to both State and the INCSF. About $10 million was earmarked
for Liberty TV broadcasting activities, which included hiring staff,
establishing studio operations, and broadcasting. Liberty TV
broadcasted from August 2001 to May 2002, when funding shortages caused
by funding and policy disputes between State and INCSF resulted in
termination of broadcasting. Attempts to restart Liberty TV failed due
to a combination of factors, including continued disagreements between
INCSF and State over funding requirements for the broadcasts, the
rapidly changing conditions associated with the war in Iraq, and
INCSF's relocation of operations to Iraq in May 2003. INCSF repeatedly
complained to State that the short-term nature of the funding
agreements made it difficult to run an effective broadcasting
operation.
State cited three reasons why it was unable to reach long-term funding
agreements with INCSF: (1) State was concerned about INCSF's
accountability for funds and operational costs, based largely on
results of audits, and remained concerned even after INCSF took steps
to improve its accountability during late 2001 and 2002; (2) INCSF
resisted U.S. government policy prohibiting INCSF operations inside
Iraq; and (3) State questioned both the usefulness of INCSF's
information collection program[Footnote 4] and whether it was
appropriate for State to fund it. (In May 2002, State decided to drop
its funding for this program.) Against this background and the sporadic
funding arrangements that characterized the program, the process of
proposal and counterproposal continued without producing agreements
that could lead to restarting Liberty TV. Through their inability to
work together to restart Liberty TV, State and INCSF missed a chance to
reach the Iraqi people at critical times prior to and during the March
2003 war in Iraq.
Background:
The Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 authorized U.S. assistance to support a
transition to democracy in Iraq in key areas, including radio and
television broadcasting. In 1999 President Clinton designated the Iraqi
National Congress (INC) as eligible to receive assistance under the
act.[Footnote 5] INC was formed in the early 1990s when the two main
Kurdish militias--the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic
Union of Kurdistan--participated in a June 1992 meeting of dozens of
opposition groups in Vienna.[Footnote 6] INC subsequently developed
into a broad-based coalition of political organizations opposed to
Saddam Hussein. In 1999, INCSF was established as a foundation to
provide support to INC and to provide an organizational structure for
State's funding of INC.[Footnote 7] A seven-member board of directors
(the INC Leadership Council) governed INCSF. INCSF was headquartered in
London, England, until the end of the war, when its operations were
relocated to Baghdad. During its cooperative agreements with State,
INCSF also maintained field offices in Washington, D.C.; Damascus,
Syria; and Tehran, Iran. In April and May 2003, INCSF began the process
of relocating its offices to Baghdad.
From the beginning of its relationship with State, INCSF's plans for
broadcasting into Iraq represented one of its major initiatives, along
with plans for resuming publication of a newspaper INC had established
in 1992, participating in Department of Defense training programs, and
establishing humanitarian and information collection programs. INCSF
envisioned radio as a key medium for the dissemination of information
to the Iraqi people. It planned to reestablish Radio Hurriah and have a
signal receivable in Iraq by early 2001.[Footnote 8] To expand the area
of coverage, INCSF also planned to purchase a high-power transmitter in
Iraq. Radio broadcasting was to focus on news, current affairs, and
programs dedicated to democracy and human rights. Based on its prior
television experience (from August 1993 to August 1996, INC operated a
television production and transmission facility in Iraqi Kurdistan),
INCSF's plans for Liberty TV included setting up a studio in London and
using satellite equipment to broadcast directly to Iraq. Planned
programming included news, current affairs, and programs censored by
the regime in Baghdad.
State's Funding Was Generally Provided on a Short-term Basis:
Beginning in March 2000, State entered into a series of cooperative
agreements with INCSF that included funding totaling nearly $33 million
as of September 2003, but most of this funding came under agreements
and amendments provided at irregular intervals, involved some
retroactive funding, and were short-term and thus affected INCSF's
ability to broadcast. Table 1 describes State's cooperative agreements
with INCSF in further detail.
Table 1: Description of State's Cooperative Agreements with INCSF:
Agreement: 1;
Award date: 3/31/00;
Effective date: 3/31/00;
Agreement period: 3/31/00 to 9/31/00;
Amount: $267,784;
Purpose: Establish INCSF office and develop plan/proposal for long-term
U.S. support.
Agreement: Amendment 1;
Award date: 9/19/00;
Effective date: 3/31/00;
Agreement period: (No change);
Amount: 0;
Purpose: Administrative change to revise budget with no additional
funds or change in performance period.
Agreement: Amendment 2;
Award date: [A];
Effective date: [A];
Agreement period: Extended to 11/30/00;
Amount: 0;
Purpose: Extend agreement period.
Agreement: Amendment 3;
Award date: [A];
Effective date: [A];
Agreement period: (No change);
Amount: 0;
Purpose: To reflect new address of;
recipient.
Agreement: 2;
Award date: 9/29/00;
Effective date: 9/29/00;
Agreement period: 9/29/00 to 2/28/01;
Amount: $4 million;
Purpose: Support INCSF's programs, including headquarters and regional
operations, broadcasting, humanitarian activities, and information
collection.
Agreement: Amendment 1;
Award date: 2/28/01;
Effective date: 2/28/01;
Agreement period: Extended to 3/31/01;
Amount: 0;
Purpose: Extend agreement period.
Agreement: Amendment 2;
Award date: 3/30/01;
Effective date: 3/31/01;
Agreement period: Extended to 5/31/01;
Amount: 0;
Purpose: Extend agreement period.
Agreement: Amendment 3;
Award date: 5/30/01;
Effective date: 6/1/01;
Agreement period: Extended to 6/30/01;
Amount: 0;
Purpose: Extend agreement period.
Agreement: Amendment 4;
Award date: 6/29/01;
Effective date: 6/29/01;
Agreement period: Extended to 9/30/01;
Amount: $4 million;
Purpose: Continue funding of INCSF's core programs.
Agreement: Amendment 5;
Award date: 6/29/01;
Effective date: 6/29/01;
Agreement period: No change;
Amount: $2 million;
Purpose: Continue funding of INCSF's core programs.
Agreement: Amendment 6;
Award date: 9/29/01;
Effective date: 9/30/01;
Agreement period: Extended to 10/15/01;
Amount: 0;
Purpose: Extend agreement period.
Agreement: Amendment 7;
Award date: 10/15/01;
Effective date: 10/15/01;
Agreement period: Extended to 10/31/01;
Amount: 0;
Purpose: Extend agreement period.
Agreement: Amendment 8;
Award date: 10/31/01;
Effective date: 10/15/01;
Agreement period: Extended to 11/15/01;
Amount: 0;
Purpose: Extend agreement period.
Agreement: Amendment 9;
Award date: 12/04/01;
Effective date: 11/01/01;
Agreement period: Extended to 12/31/01;
Amount: $1.7 million;
Purpose: Continue funding of INCSF's core programs.
Agreement: Amendment 10;
Award date: 2/08/02;
Effective date: 1/1/02;
Agreement period: Extended to 3/31/02;
Amount: $2.9 million;
Purpose: Continue funding of INCSF's core programs.
Agreement: Amendment 11;
Award date: 8/20/02;
Effective date: 3/31/02;
Agreement period: No change;
Amount: $900,000;
Purpose: Add funds in August 2002 for "prior expenses".
Agreement: 3 "bridge grant";
Award date: 5/17/02;
Effective date: 4/1/ 02;
Agreement period: 4/01/02 to 5/31/02;
Amount: $2.4 million;
Purpose: "Austerity budget" support for personnel, direct services,
television, newspaper, and other costs.
Agreement: 4;
Award date: 11/15/02;
Effective date: 6/1/02;
Agreement period: 11/15/02 to 1/31/03;
providing pre-award costs from 6/01/02 to 1/31/03;
Amount: $6.58 million;
Purpose: Renew funding for headquarters and regional operations,
television costs,
(including returning Liberty TV to the air), humanitarian activities,
newspaper, and trainee expenses.
Agreement: Amendment 1;
Award date: No date[B];
Effective date: 12/12/ 02;
Agreement period: Signed 2/05/03;
Amount: $282,042;
Purpose: Add funds and authorize London conference expenses.
Agreement: Amendment 2;
Award date: 3/02/03;
Effective date: 1/23/03;
Agreement period: Extended to 7/31/03;
Amount: 0;
Purpose: Extend agreement period.
Agreement: Amendment 3;
Award date: 6/2/02;
Effective date: 2/5/03;
Agreement period: 2/05/03 to 7/31/03;
Amount: $7 million;
Purpose: Continue funding of agreement categories except humanitarian.
Agreement: Amendment 4;
Award date: 10/30/03;
Effective date: 7/31/03;
Agreement period: Extended to 9/30/03;
Amount: 0;
Purpose: Extend agreement period.
Agreement: 5;
Award date: 11/15/02;
Effective date: 6/1/02;
Agreement period: 6/01/02-7/31/02;
Amount: $619,800;
Purpose: Transition costs for information collection program, until
another agency could begin funding.
Total;
Amount: $32.65 million.
Source: GAO analysis of State Department data.
[A] Information not available in State's files.
[B] According to State, the amendment was undated but covered specific
costs incurred during December 2002.
[End of table]
Agreement 1 laid the groundwork for initial planning, and Agreement 2
described what INCSF hoped to achieve in the broadcasting area. These
goals included (1) setting up a satellite television facility in London
to broadcast directly into Iraq and (2) planning and preparing to
resume broadcasting of Radio Hurriah from inside Iraq and via satellite
and the Internet. From March 2000 through May 2002, State provided
about $17 million to INCSF through the first two cooperative agreements
and amendments and Agreement 3 (the 2-month "bridge grant" for April
and May 2002).[Footnote 9] Of this $17 million, only limited funding
was for Radio Hurriah, largely because an acceptable location for a
transmitter could not be found. About $5 million was earmarked for
Liberty TV broadcasting activities, which included hiring staff and
establishing studio operations. Liberty TV broadcasting actually began
in August 2001. However, upon becoming operational, Liberty TV
encountered technical problems that forced it to broadcast from the
United States based on a signal transfer from London. Liberty TV had
goals of original broadcasting for 24 hours a day, but at the peak of
its operations it only had original broadcasts of 4 hours. It went off
the air on May 1, 2002, because of funding disputes between State and
INCSF which, according to an INCSF representative, left the INCSF
seriously short of funds to pay its bills. After the bridge grant
expired on May 31, 2002, State and INCSF did not conclude a new
agreement until November 2002.[Footnote 10] Funding in that new
cooperative agreement (Agreement 4) and its amendments included about
$4.67 million for (1) restarting Liberty TV and (2) "pre-award" costs
incurred by INCSF for the period not under the agreement, including
salaries for Liberty TV staff retained by INCSF.
Parties Made Serious Attempts to Reach Long-term Accord but Were Unable
to Do So:
In the course of the relationship between the two parties, State
several times offered INCSF longer-term agreements that INCSF would not
accept. For example, for the period March 2000 through February 2001,
State and INCSF had concluded the first two cooperative agreements
totaling about $4.27 million. In April 2001, as an alternative to
short-term amendments to Agreement 2, INCSF requested a new 5-month
agreement totaling $29 million that included funding for 24-hours-a-day
satellite television broadcasting, installation of a small transmitter
in Iraq, and 24-hours-a-day radio broadcasting from inside Iraq. State
rejected the proposal. Similarly, in September 2001, INCSF requested
$23 million over 5 months. According to the proposal, Liberty TV
operations would be expanded to 24 hours a day, and radio operations
would be initiated via a transmitter inside Iraq. State rejected
INCSF's proposal but in late September 2001 made a counteroffer of $8
million for a 5-month cooperative agreement. State renewed the same
offer in early November 2001. While emphasizing that it was not
prepared to fund INCSF activities inside Iraq, State did offer to fund
a series of activities, including publication of the newspaper,
satellite TV broadcasting, information collection analysis, and startup
of radio broadcasting using a transmitter based in Iran. INCSF declined
State's offer.
Inability to Reach Long-term Agreements Centered on Concerns over
Financial Management, Operations in Iraq, and Information Collection:
Three main concerns affected State's funding decisions for INCSF and
thwarted the parties' ability to negotiate and conclude long-term
funding agreements: concerns over INCSF's financial management and
accountability based largely on the results of audits of INCSF; the
desire of INCSF to operate inside Iraq, which was inconsistent with
U.S. policy; and State's increasing concerns about the appropriateness
and merits of funding INCSF's information collection program. State
officials acknowledged that the use of frequent short-term amendments
to the cooperative agreements, plus the substantial period of time that
an agreement was not in force in 2002, significantly complicated
management of the program and made it difficult for INCSF to accomplish
its objectives. However, State officials said that these arrangements
were necessary in view of the financial management, policy, and
operational issues that arose during the program. INCSF repeatedly
claimed that the short-term nature of State's funding led to financial
problems in the organization and disrupted Liberty TV's ability to pay
its bills.
Financial Management and Accountability Concerns:
In the very early stages of State's agreements with INCSF, State
received strong indications that INCSF had inadequate controls over
cash transfers. For example, in 2000, a CPA firm reviewed INCSF's
controls as part of Agreement 1. The review identified concerns about
INCSF's travel reimbursement procedures, use of non-U.S. flag-carriers,
and its cash payment practices. Also that year, State notified INCSF
that it needed to rectify certain compliance issues before it could
draw down funds. These issues included INCSF's lack of proper
documentation to support expenditures and the questionable use of cash
payments. In early 2001, another CPA audit examined INCSF's operations
as part of State's agreements and identified significant noncompliance
and control issues affecting implementation of Agreement 2. According
to a State document, the auditor "appear[ed] to confirm what we [State]
suspected--that the INCSF is not complying with the myriad of
regulations that grantees are required to comply with.":
Audit by State's Inspector General:
Concern grew in State that there were serious mishandling of money
issues that needed to be examined in INCSF to avoid a potentially
embarrassing situation for the administration and for State. In early
2001, some allegations about fraud within INCSF also circulated within
State. State's concerns about accountability and the potential for
misuse of funds led to an audit of INCSF by State's Office of the
Inspector General (OIG) in mid-2001. The OIG audit covered the initial
$4.3 million in awards to INCSF under Agreements 1 and 2. The OIG found
serious financial management and internal control weaknesses,
particularly in the cash management aspects of INCSF's information
collection program.[Footnote 11] The OIG also found that INCSF had an
inadequate accounting and financial management structure, insufficient
accounting staff, and inadequate banking procedures and that State had
not created a total budget for the second cooperative agreement
incorporating the funding that had been awarded to the INCSF up to that
point. The OIG questioned approximately $2.2 million in INCSF costs. As
a result, the OIG recommended that State withhold, or at least
restrict, future funding to INCSF until it implemented adequate and
transparent financial controls. The OIG also recommended that INCSF
acquire expert financial management assistance to set up a standardized
accounting system, hire a financial officer, establish cash management
procedures, develop written accounting policies and procedures, and
incorporate into its agreements with State a budget that accurately
reflected approved costs. Although several accounting and internal
control weaknesses were identified, OIG officials said that they found
no evidence concerning the prior accusations of fraud. An INCSF
representative acknowledged that it had financial management and
accountability weaknesses in the early stages of the agreements.
However, the representative believed that INCSF made significant
improvements in late 2001 and early 2002 to correct the weaknesses and
to respond to the OIG audit.
OIG officials said that their audits of INCSF were done in accordance
with generally accepted government audit standards and that their work
was similar to other grant and cooperative agreement audits they had
conducted.
Concerns about Operations in Iraq and Information Collection:
From the beginning of its relationship with INCSF, State had policy
concerns that ultimately affected funding decisions and plans for
several programs, including Radio Hurriah and Liberty TV. At the
beginning of the cooperative agreements with INCSF, State officials
said that the U.S. government had adopted a general policy of
prohibiting INCSF operations inside Iraq. State officials said that the
presence of U.S.-funded INCSF staff within Iraq could open the door to
potentially disastrous diplomatic situations if INCSF operatives were
caught and/or killed by Iraqi troops. INCSF resisted this policy. From
INCSF's perspective, working inside Iraq was vital for the success of
many of its programs. To begin radio broadcasting inside Iraq, INCSF
wanted to purchase and install a suitable transmission tower within the
country. The INCSF also wanted the existing information program to
collect data on the Hussein government's military, political, and
economic activities for input into its newspaper, Al Mutamar, and for
Liberty TV broadcasts. In addition, INCSF believed that elements of
that data could be used in its diplomatic activities to reinforce views
of the international community that the Hussein government represented
a danger to its neighbors. Further, INCSF saw the program as an effort
to gather information on the government's alleged weapons of mass
destruction programs and its ties with international terrorist groups.
However, State maintained its position, refusing to fund radio
activities inside Iraq and limiting its funding of information
collection to areas outside and bordering Iraq. In commenting on a
draft of this report, State noted that, as the grantor, it had entire
discretion to determine whether a grant to the INCSF would further and
be consistent with U.S. government policies, and to condition any such
grant to ensure that it would. State further believed that as a
grantee, INCSF was an instrument of U.S. government policy, and, as
such, was not in a position to disagree with State on how State's funds
could be used.
In addition to concerns about operating inside Iraq, State's OIG had
questioned the nature of INCSF's information program and its lack of
controls over cash transactions, particularly those that were used as
part of activities in the field. In State's view, the potential for
fraud in an officially State-sponsored program posed a risk that State
was not prepared to take. Finally, State officials doubted the value of
the information obtained through the program, a claim that the INCSF
vigorously disputed.
Continued Efforts to Reach Long-term Agreements:
As these financial management and policy issues were emerging, State
and INCSF continued their efforts to conclude new long-term agreements,
with little success. For example, in fall 2001, State offered INCSF an
$8 million agreement for 5 months that would provide television and
radio funding but did not fund operations in Iraq. INCSF did not accept
State's proposal, largely because it held firm to the position that not
letting INCSF operate inside Iraq would result in the disintegration of
the organization. In February 2002, INCSF proposed another long-term
agreement totaling $37.5 million covering March through December 2002.
As part of that proposal, INCSF believed that several elements of
INCSF's mission needed to be addressed by both parties, including the
lack of a complete INCSF communications strategy without a radio
program and the need for a higher-quality television operation. In
addition, INCSF believed it was imperative that its information
collection program be expanded to ensure timely and reliable
intelligence on developments inside Iraq and provide critical
information on Saddam's alleged weapons of mass destruction program and
involvement in international terrorism. State determined around mid-
March that the proposal was incomplete and, because INCSF indicated
that it needed funds quickly, recommended that the overall proposal be
considered in stages, with the first priority to get current operations
in order, including Liberty TV.[Footnote 12]
In late March 2002, State said it stood ready again to discuss a
cooperative agreement for 9 months (April through December 2002), with
an initial period funded at $3.6 million for 3 months to provide
funding continuity until full accord on the elements of the agreement
could be achieved. Concerning INCSF's continuing proposals for starting
up radio operations, State said that INCSF's proposals were no longer a
priority because (1) the Kurdish Democratic Party and the Patriotic
Union of Kurdistan opposed the plans and (2) both of those groups
operated radio stations in Iraq, and the United States funded its own
Radio Free Iraq. INCSF believed that State's response to its proposal
called into question State's commitment to a new relationship and its
general commitment to the INCSF. Of significant concern to INCSF were
State's demands for a short-term (3-month) funding period, as well as
its continuing lack of support for a radio station.
Negotiating Stalemate in May 2002:
In lieu of a long-term agreement, State notified INCSF that it planned
to award Agreement 3, referred to as the "bridge grant," for 2 months
(April through May 2002). State viewed its proposal as an austerity
budget that would enable INCSF to get its house in order, including
Liberty TV, and notified INCSF that what State considered as cost
overruns under the prior grant would be handled with one or more "mop-
up" amendments.[Footnote 13] As discussed below, INCSF regarded its
unpaid bills as resulting from a failure on State's part to meet its
funding obligations. State's initial proposal for the bridge grant
caused great concern in INCSF for several reasons. First, it called for
"heightened federal stewardship," including on-site State
participation in INCSF's budget management and approval of all costs.
INCSF believed that such conditions were unjustified and unacceptable,
stating that it had already taken a number of steps to improve
financial management consistent with the OIG recommendations. According
to INCSF, it had hired internal accounting staff and a management
consultant and implemented new and consolidated accounting systems. It
also said that new procedures for documenting cash transactions were
being installed. According to OIG officials, in a follow-up audit in
mid-2002, OIG found that INCSF had taken several steps to implement
recommendations for improved financial management and controls but had
not fully implemented them. According to OIG officials, limited funding
by State contributed to INCSF's difficulties in improving its financial
systems. INCSF said that such funding made it difficult for INCSF to
pay for implementation of a new accounting system and contributed to
delays in making reforms of the foundation's accounting systems.
Discussions between the two parties concerning the bridge grant further
illuminated the financial issues faced in the program. Specifically, at
the end of April 2002, INCSF complained to State that it had been
operating for a month without a funding agreement and had incurred a $2
million shortfall. According to INCSF, that shortfall occurred because
State had erroneously estimated INCSF's monthly core operating costs at
$850,000 to $900,000 during implementation of Agreement 2, whereas
INCSF believed it was operating under a previously approved budget with
estimated costs of $1.24 million. Implications for Liberty TV were
particularly serious. Because of its financial shortcomings, INCSF had
received notice that its service provider would terminate service for
Liberty TV on April 30 because INCSF had not paid its bills.[Footnote
14] On May 1, 2002, Liberty TV stopped its broadcasting operations.
State subsequently modified its proposal and signed the bridge grant
agreement on May 17, awarding $2.4 million for the period April to May
2002 but deleting requirements for its on-site participation in budget
management and approval of costs. Although the grant budget included
funding for Liberty TV, broadcasting did not resume.
No Agreement from June to November 2002:
INCSF operated without an agreement from June until November 2002,
largely due to an impasse between the two parties over the information
collection program. At a meeting of top INCSF and State officials in
late May 2002, State officials said that the department would no longer
fund the information collection program. However, State offered INCSF a
new 7-month cooperative agreement totaling $8 million for the period
June 10 through the end of 2002 that included about $4.2 million for
Liberty TV and represented a substantial increase over the $400,000 per
month funding levels previously supported.[Footnote 15] According to an
INCSF representative, INCSF reacted negatively to the proposal for
three reasons. First, INCSF negotiators received the proposal in the
early morning of May 29, 2002, the day set for U.S./INCSF negotiations
and 2 days before the bridge agreement was due to expire. Second, the
proposal left INCSF with no funding for operations for the 10 days
between the end of the bridge grant on May 31, 2002, and the effective
date of the proposed new agreement on June 10, 2002. Third, and most
important, INCSF was not willing to accept an agreement without funding
for the information collection program.
INCSF documents indicated that INCSF was in serious financial
difficulty by October 2002, with staff being evicted and landlords
threatening legal action.[Footnote 16] Several freelance employees of
Liberty TV were released, but Liberty TV core staff were retained in
the belief that State remained committed to Liberty TV broadcasting. In
an attempt to successfully conclude a new agreement, INCSF sent a draft
budget proposal to State that would cover costs from June through
December 2002 and envisioned renewed Liberty TV broadcasting as soon as
November 2002. State noted, however, that INCSF's proposed budget
differed in significant ways from State's proposals and that
modifications were needed for it to serve as a basis for a new
agreement. State and INCSF were able to successfully conclude a new
agreement in November 2002, in part because the Department of Defense
agreed to take over funding of the information collection program. The
new agreement included about $2 million in funding for Liberty TV costs
incurred from June through the end of January 2003. However, Liberty TV
did not become operational, primarily due to disagreements between
State and INCSF over the amount of the funding provided and the time
period of State's commitment. Specifically:
* INCSF expressed concern that the new agreement did not include an
additional $1 million it requested for long-term investment costs for
television operations.[Footnote 17] State attributed this decision to
its unwillingness to fund long-term capital costs and the uncertainty
of congressional approval of additional funding for INCSF beyond
January 2003. State indicated that one possible option for INCSF might
include reducing costs of other budgeted items to cover television
costs for one additional month but noted that option did not provide
the type of commitment that INCSF was seeking.
* According to INCSF documents and an INCSF representative, the
continued negotiations and lack of agreement over costs and commitment
time periods for funding Liberty TV delayed resumption of broadcasting.
INCSF told State in November 2002 that it was not prepared to begin
Liberty TV broadcasts only to go off the air in 3 months. According to
an INCSF representative, Liberty TV technically could have renewed
limited broadcasting at this time because INCSF had retained many of
the professional television staff on its payroll. However, INCSF's
representative said it was not willing to run an operation that, if
taken off the air once again due to a shortage of funding, would
further damage INCSF's credibility.
Agreement Extension Did Not Result in Broadcasts Before and During War:
INCSF continued planning for options to restart Liberty TV. INCSF
proposed that Liberty TV rent fully operational facilities on a short-
term basis rather than invest in its own facilities. Quotes for rental
facilities were obtained, and one organization was tentatively
selected. In February 2003, State extended the agreement to July 2003,
and $7 million was also added to INCSF's funding, including about $2.67
million for television operations. INCSF notified State that it had
signed two letters of intent with contractors that it hoped would get
Liberty TV on the air: one for television and newspaper premises and
another for television satellite capability. An INCSF official believed
that Liberty TV could be operational 2 to 3 days after signing the
satellite contract. According to an INCSF representative, these
contracts were never signed because the drawdown of funds on the new
February amendment was not received until March 12, just 7 days before
the war began.
INCSF at this point developed yet another strategy: to open offices and
install a television and radio station in northern Iraq for a 4-month
period commencing upon the issuance of an Iraqi Sanctions Regulations
License.[Footnote 18] According to an INCSF representative, this plan
also fell through as the war began, and INCSF decided to move its
operations to Baghdad. In early April 2003, State began working with
INCSF to support its transition to Iraq, including the redirection of
funding already committed to INCSF programs. According to State, those
programs should include radio and television broadcasting at a time
when it was critically important that Iraqis opposed to Saddam's regime
take control of the airwaves. State funding of INCSF continued through
September 2003 and funds were available for television
operations.[Footnote 19] According to an INCSF representative, INCSF
decided in May 2003 that it did not have a dependable offer from the
Department of State to resume Liberty TV broadcasts. Echoing a similar
decision in November 2002, INCSF wanted to avoid a second shutdown of
Liberty TV due to a gap in State funding. INCSF instead decided to
concentrate its energies on establishing offices and hiring support
personnel in Baghdad.
Agency Comments and Our Evaluation:
The Department of State and INCSF provided written comments on a draft
of this report (see apps. I and II). State said that our draft report
provided a generally accurate account of the complex and difficult
relationship that existed between the Department of State and INCSF.
State said its actions with respect to INCSF were responsible and fully
in accordance with U.S. law and administration policy. State also said
it believed our observation that State and INCSF, through their
inability to work together to restart Liberty TV, missed a chance to
reach the Iraqi people at critical times prior to and during the war in
Iraq lay outside the scope of our review. We disagree and believe that
it is important to lay out the potential consequences of not
successfully restarting Liberty TV, particularly in view of the
significance that both State and INCSF attributed to television
broadcasting into Iraq. State also provided some technical comments and
suggested wording changes, which we have incorporated into the report
as appropriate.
INCSF agreed that due to the inability of State and INCSF to work
together to restart Liberty TV, important opportunities to broadcast to
the Iraqi people were lost. INCSF also provided technical comments on
some of the points raised in our draft report concerning financial
management, negotiation with State, and Liberty TV funding. We
incorporated those comments into our report as appropriate.
Scope and Methodology:
To document the history of State's funding for INCSF programs and the
issues affecting its funding decisions, we reviewed State's cooperative
agreement files. We also reviewed documentation gathered by the OIG as
part of its audits. We also obtained files and other documentation from
INCSF's consultant. The documentation we reviewed included proposed and
finalized cooperative agreements and amendments, letters of
correspondence between State and INCSF, and e-mail traffic. We met with
officials of State's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and Bureau of
Administration and also officials in State's OIG who were responsible
for audits of INCSF. In addition, we met with the consultant hired by
INCSF to help improve the foundation's accounting and financial
management systems, and we obtained information from INCSF's former
controller and its manager of Liberty TV operations. The funding and
related program data in this report were contained in State's
cooperative agreement files, OIG audit files, and documentation
provided by INCSF's consultant and its former controller and Liberty TV
manager. Based on our examination of those data and discussions with
State and INCSF's consultant, we concluded that the documents we were
able to obtain were sufficiently reliable for purposes of this
engagement.
We conducted our review from September 2003 to April 2004 in accordance
with generally accepted government auditing standards.
As agreed with your offices, unless you publicly announce the contents
of this report earlier, we plan no further distribution of it until 30
days from the date of this letter. At that time, we will send copies to
the Secretary of State and interested congressional committees. We will
also make copies available to others upon request. In addition, the
report will be available at no charge on GAO's Web site at [Hyperlink,
http://www.gao.gov].
If you or your staff have any questions about this report, please
contact me at (202) 512-4128. Janey Cohen, Richard Boudreau, John
Brummet, and Lynn Moore made key contributions to this report.
Signed by:
Jess T. Ford:
Director, International Affairs and Trade:
[End of section]
Appendixes:
Appendix I: Comments from the Department of State:
United States Department of State
Assistant Secretary and Chief Financial Officer
Washington, D.C. 20520:
APR 20 2004:
Ms. Jacqueline Williams-Bridgers
Managing Director:
International Affairs and Trade
General Accounting Office
441 G Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20548-0001:
Dear Ms. Williams-Bridgers:
We appreciate the opportunity to review your draft report, "STATE
DEPARTMENT: Issues Affecting Funding of Iraqi National Congress Support
Foundation," GAO-04-559, GAO Job Code 320223.
The enclosed Department of State comments are provided for
incorporation with this letter as an appendix to the final report.
If you have any questions concerning this response, please contact
Aaron Jost, Iraq Desk Officer, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, at
(202) 647-5211.
Sincerely,
Signed by:
Christopher B. Burnham
cc: GAO - John Brummet
NEA - James Larocco
State/OIG - Mark Duda
State/H - Paul Kelly:
Department of State Comments on GAO Draft Report STATE DEPARTMENT:
Issues Affecting Funding of Iraqi National Congress Support Foundation
(GAO-04-559, GAO Code 320223):
Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment on your draft
report "Issues Affecting Funding of Iraqi National Congress Support
Foundation." The GAO draft is generally accurate in answering the two
issues GAO was asked to review, i.e. the history of State Department's
funding of the Iraqi National Congress Support Foundation and the key
issues affecting the State Department's funding decisions. However, the
report also contains analysis that mischaracterizes the relationship
between the State Department and INCSF, and certain hypothetical
assertions, which we do not think the GAO is able to demonstrate. The
presentation of the history of State funding for INCSF and key issues
affecting State's decisions is generally an accurate account of a
complex and difficult grant relationship. However, the report implies
on page 3 of the draft that INCSF was funded under the Iraqi Liberation
Act of 1998. In fact, State funding for INCSF came exclusively from
appropriations made to carry out the Economic Support Fund (ESF)
provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, and was subject to
all statutory conditions applicable to the obligation and expenditure
of those appropriations.
The draft report also suggests that the relationship between State and
the INCSF was one between equals, rather than one between grantor and
grantee. As grantor, State had entire discretion to determine whether a
grant to the INCSF would further and be consistent with U.S. Government
policies, and to condition any such grant to ensure that it would. As a
grantee, INCSF was an instrument of U.S. Government policy, and as such
was not in a position to "disagree" with State on how State's funds
could be used. It was U.S. Government policy that ESF not be used to
fund INCSF operations inside Iraq. The first sentence of the second
paragraph of the report's "What GAO Found" section, point (2) would
more accurately state, "INCSF would not accept U.S. Government policies
upon which the availability of funding was conditioned." The fourth
sentence of the second paragraph of page 2 might better begin with
"INCSF's continued refusal of the terms for the grant proposed by State
affected/prevented..." The first full sentence on page 8 would be more
accurate if it stated, "INCSF declined State's offer.":
The last sentence in the draft report's "What GAO Found" section
(repeated in the second paragraph on page 3) lies outside the scope of
what GAO was asked to review.
More broadly, we take this opportunity to reiterate that State's
actions with respect to the INCSF were responsible and fully in
accordance with U.S. law and Administration policy.
[End of section]
Appendix II: Comments from the Iraqi National Congress Support
Foundation:
Iraqi National Congress:
Baghdad:
15 April, 2004:
John Brummet Assistant Director
International Affairs and Trade
US General Accounting Office
Washington, DC 20548:
Dear Mr. Brummet:
We wish to express our appreciation to the General Accounting Office
for this study of issues concerning the funding of the Iraqi National
Congress Support Foundation (INCSF) by the Department of State (DOS).
We wish to clarify several points raised in the report regarding issues
of financial management, negotiations with DOS and the funding of
Liberty TV.
Financial Management.
We note at the outset that the GAO report highlights the fact that
allegations of fraud circulated by officials within the DOS against the
INCSF have been shown to be untrue.
It is important to note that within three months INCSF had complied
with all of the requirements set out by the DOS Grants Officer in
regard to the initial Office of the Inspector General (OIG) audit in
mid-2001. As reflected in the subsequent OIG audit in 2002, INCSF
continued to improve its financial management to meet the stringent and
myriad requirements for receiving federal funds. All the findings under
the first audit were resolved and closed except where DOS action was
required. Of special importance were the cash management procedures for
the ICP, which INCSF designed and implemented in the fall of 2001
following the release of the first audit. DOS had:
still not responded to the INCSF's request for approval of these
procedures at the time of the second audit several months later. The
OIG reviewed the cash management procedures and found them acceptable
but could not close the finding due to the lack of action on the part
of the DOS. The DOS Near East Affairs Bureau's lack of attention to
such a critical area as cash management appears to contradict their
stated concerns regarding INCSF's financial management.
Negotiations with DOS.
This report shows a clear pattern of late, erratic and at times
insufficient funding of INCSF by DOS. It is difficult to convey the
negative impact of these funding deficiencies on the INCSF's ability to
carry out its programs, on the safety of field
operatives, and on the overall credibility of US policy towards the
democratic Iraqi opposition.
For example, stipends to Iraqi trainees at US military facilities were
often late, in some cases by several months, causing undue hardship for
the trainees and their families and a consequent decline in morale.
INCSF suspended its training program under the Iraq Liberation Act
because many of the courses lasted longer than the terms of the grants
offered by DOS. After receiving verbal and written guarantees from the
DOS Deputy Director for Northern Gulf Affairs that trainees would
continue to be supported for the duration of their courses, INCSF
restarted the training program only to find trainees again stranded
without any means of support. Trainees who were scheduled to begin
their coursework in July 2002 either had to pull out of the class at
the last minute or provide their own funds.
Liberty TV:
With regard to TV Liberty, the INCSF fully concurs with the report's
finding that important opportunities to broadcast to the Iraqi people
were lost in the pre-and post-war periods.
Despite the chaotic conditions in the immediate post-war period, by
early May 2003, 30 days after arriving in Baghdad, the INCSF had
finalized plans to re-start television broadcasting inside Iraq. The
INCSF had received earlier written and verbal assurances of support for
television broadcasting through December 31, 2003 and submitted a
budget and proposal in May. As of mid-June 2003, there had been no
response from the DOS and hence the INCSF put its plans to restart the
TV on hold. It simply did not make sense to broadcast for a short time
period.
The INCSF expresses sincere gratitude to the men and women of the
United States armed forces, to the US Congress, and to the American
people for the liberation of Iraq from Saddam Hussein's tyranny and the
bright future you have opened up for millions of Iraqis. INCSF remains
a steadfast partner of the United States in our mutual goals of
establishing a free and democratic Iraq at peace with its neighbors and
its people.
Sincerely,
Signed by:
Ahmad Chalabi:
On behalf of the Iraqi National Congress Support Foundation:
[End of section]
(320223):
:
FOOTNOTES
[1] Public Law 105-338.
[2] The INCSF's information collection program consisted of INCSF field
officers stationed in countries surrounding Iraq maintaining contact
with Iraqi dissidents living inside Iraq and collecting information
from them on the political, economic, and military activities of Saddam
Hussein's regime.
[3] OIG conducted two audits of INCSF: Review of Awards to Iraqi
National Congress Support Foundation (01-FMA-R-092, September 2001) and
Follow Up Review of Iraqi National Congress Support Foundation (AUD/CG-
02-44, September 2002).
[4] INCSF intended its information collection program to gather data on
several issues, including the Hussein government's military, political,
and economic activities, and information about its alleged weapons of
mass destruction programs and its ties to terrorist groups.
[5] Subsequent funding for INC came from appropriations made to carry
out the Economic Support Fund provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act
of 1961, as amended.
[6] In October 1992, major Shiite Islamic groups joined the coalition.
[7] INCSF was established as a foundation to provide administrative,
financial, and other support to the Iraqi National Congress and was
incorporated as a nonprofit organization in August 1999 in the state of
Delaware.
[8] Until 1996, INC had operated Radio Hurriah from a U.S. government
tower in Kuwait and broadcast into Iraq in Arabic for 14 hours daily.
[9] This total excludes $900,000 provided under amendment 11 in August
2002.
[10] In August 2002, State provided an additional $900,000 under
Amendment 11 to Agreement 2, for expenses incurred through March 31,
2002.
[11] For example, the OIG found nearly $600,000 in unsupported cash
transactions in the first audit. The OIG described the situation as
including questionable disbursement policies and limited
documentation.
[12] State officials visited Liberty TV in late 2001 and identified
significant management and personnel issues.
[13] In August 2002, State provided INCSF an additional $900,000 to
cover expenses incurred under the last amendment to Agreement 2.
[14] According to INCSF documents, Liberty TV managed to stay on the
air until May 2002 by delaying payment to suppliers and withholding
employees' salaries. However, INCSF said it could not pay many of its
bills including satellite TV services, satellite transmission, and news
services.
[15] State's proposal was in response to INCSF's earlier proposal of
April 22, 2002.
[16] Although State provided about $900,000 remaining on Agreement 2,
State said that INCSF could not use the funds for expenses incurred
after March 31--the closing date for that agreement.
[17] These cost proposals included purchase of a broadcasting studio.
[18] According to an INCSF document, Treasury had issued several prior
licenses to the foundation, including authorizations to transfer money
to Iran and to gather informational materials in Iraq.
[19] Of the $13.865 million provided under Agreement 4, about $4.67
million was for television costs for June 2002 through September 2003.
According to INCSF, part of the money was used to pay salaries of
television staff retained and other nonbroadcast costs, and the
remainder was used to help set up INC operations in Baghdad.
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