Israel not on U.S. list of 63 countries eligible to compete for billions in Iraqi reconstruction

Haaretz News Ticker ^ | 12/10/2003

[yonif]

Dec. 10, 2003
Israel left out of Iraq reconstruction
By JPOST.COM STAFF

The Pentagon has released a list of countries from which companies can bid on 26 infrastructure projects in Iraq.

The 63 countries on the list are the members of the coalition in Iraq. Traditional American allies who opposed the war - including France and Canada - are excluded.

Israel does not appear on the list, though Israeli advisers are helping train US special forces in counter-insurgency operations in Iraq, The Guardian reported on Tuesday,

"We recently travelled to Israel to glean lessons learned from their counterterrorist operations in urban areas," wrote General Vane, deputy chief of staff at the army's training and doctrine command, in the July issue of Army magazine.

The directive regarding reconstruction contracts, from US Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, says the restrictions are "necessary for the protection of the essential security interests of the United States."

Germany criticized the decision as "unacceptable," France questioned its legality, and Russia issued an implicit threat that it might take a harder line on the restructuring of Iraqi debt that Washington seeks.

"We noted with astonishment today the reports and we will be speaking about it with the American side," German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said.

"We are studying these decisions' compatibility with international competition law, in liaison with our partners, notably the European Union and the (European) Commission," said French Foreign Ministry Spokesman Herve Ladsous.

"As far as the Russian government's position on this, it is not planning any kind of a write-off of that debt," Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov told a news conference, "Iraq is not a poor country."

"If these comments are accurate ... it would be difficult for us to give further money for the reconstruction of Iraq," said Canada's deputy prime minister, John Manley. Canada says it has contributed more than US$190 million to the rebuilding effort.

But a Pentagon spokesman, Maj. Joe Yoswa, noted the order does not prohibit companies from the excluded countries from getting subcontracts in Iraq. Indeed, French telecom giant Alcatel will carry out about a third of the two-year contract awarded to Egyptian group Orascom to build a new mobile phone network for central Iraq, including Baghdad. US firm Motorola is the other major partner in the deal.

The White House said that nations that want to be eligible for a slice of the $18.6 billion that the US Congress approved last month can do so by participating militarily in Iraq - though Israel is presumably excluded from the offer.

[DannyTN]

Ok the list isn't fair. I also saw post 50 where they added arab countries that didn't participate.

Still I think this is a different senario than Nazi Germany. The hatred of Jews is deeper set, it's much more long term, and it's religious based.

It is equally wrong. But I don't think you overcome it by giving Israel construction contracts this soon after the war. I really think that would be counterproductive.

I don't think construction contracts were an issue in Nazi Germany. We should immediately change the laws, just as we did then. And we need to figure out some way of getting rid of hatemongering mullah's. But I don't know how to do that. I don't really want to clean up Islam, I want to get rid of it completely.

Besides we need Israel designing and building new weapons for our mutual benefit, not reconstructing Iraq.

[faithincowboys]

Do I think their hatred of Jews is pathological? Absolutely. But right now we have 130,000 of America's sons and daughters dealing with a conspiratorial minded, barbaric population. We are occupying their country and currently managing their natural resources -- the Gulf media is portraying this in an entirely dishonest and inciteful way. I am in no mood to have them say ,which they will, that America did this for Israel (which they are already saying) and for "global Jewish interests."

Sorry, but Israel getting a couple hundred million in exchange for more American body bags coming home is not a deal worth making.

[faithincowboys]

So? Forgive me, but Israel has benefitted enough from Saddam's ouster. The Arabs hate the Jews and the jewish state like poison. Giving Israel contracts and allowing it to operate in "occupied" Iraq is a non-starter.

The tendency by otherwise intelligent people to be dangerously myopic is troubling.

[faithincowboys]

Smart. Dean has already stated that he will have an "even-handed" approach in the Mideast and that Hamas terrorist are soldiers.

It really is stunning how incoherent and moronic some of us get. You're smarter than that post suggests. I hope you are being sarcastic.

[graycamel]

Smart. Dean has already stated that he will have an "even-handed" approach in the Mideast and that Hamas terrorist are soldiers. It really is stunning how incoherent and moronic some of us get. You're smarter than that post suggests. I hope you are being sarcastic.

I guess I was exaggerating. Now that whole "vote for Dean" idea has been nixed by the capture of the Butcher of Baghdad. I never would have really considered voting for Dean, but possibly for Loserman.

[graycamel]

Woops! I forgot to unitalicize the last post.