Berlusconi calls US decision on Iraq contracts "logical"

AFP/EU Business.com ^ | 12-12-03 | Staff

[veronica]

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, the EU's current chairman, called Thursday a US decision to freeze opponents of the Iraq war out of reconstruction contracts "quite logical".

Berlusconi, who supported the war and has sent Italian troops to Iraq, appeared to contradict criticism by the EU's executive Commission of the move by US President George W. Bush.

"It seems to me that Bush has said he would be happy to have this possibility of collaboration if countries that have so far held back from collaborating (militarily) decide to do so," he told reporters here.

"It's quite logical," he said, as EU leaders began to gather for two-day summit talks starting Friday.

The European Commission, however, said there was no justification in offering lucrative contracts to rebuild Iraq only to countries that supported the war or have offered troops to the US-led coalition.

The Brussels EU executive refused to rule out taking Washington to the World Trade Organisation to contest the move, which has also been condemned by France and Germany -- two of the countries whose companies are most affected.

[Guillermo]

One the one hand, I hear the French whining because they're being locked out, on the other hand I'm hearing those same French say no company would want to work in Iraq because of the security situation "created by the American failure."

[kallisti]

i think i'll eat italian for lunch today.

[luv2ndamend]

The Brussels EU executive refused to rule out taking Washington to the World Trade Organisation to contest the move,..."

LOL

[milan]

I am, in fact, having Italian for lunch today.

[Free Vulcan]

As usual, the lying leftist scumbag French are talking out both sides of their mouths.

Bottom line: France, Germany, China, and Russia are the predominate players who built and supported Saddam's death machine while their companies made billions in blood money. They didn't want us to go into Iraq for no other reason than to protect their greedy self interest, and now they want a piece of the post war pie to get the cash pipeline flowing again.

They have been dishonest brokers from start to finish, so frankly they can go screw themselves.

[Texas_Dawg]

Silvio Berlusconi and Donald Rumsfeld are the two greatest public officials in the world today.

[Michael81Dus]

Provide evidence for your claims. Give me statistics regarding Germany! How many billions on imports/exports etc. And while we are on it, do you remember Helmut Kohl?

[Norse]

Free Vulcan was mostly right...with exception to Germany. Mostly the French and Russians.

Hey Michael, my roomate is a German... His most used line is, "F'ing French"

[George W. Bush]

I laugh every time I see one of these articles.

Isn't it strange that every single time the French and Germans are angry these days, it's because of something said or done by the Polish, the Italians, the Spanish or the British? Namely, the countries who were our leading partners in Iraq?

As I mentioned many times during the Iraq war, France and Germany drew our attention to Europe at the wrong time. We are using our entire Iraq policy as a subtext for defeating their plans to dominate a new federal Europe. That is our real revenge upon the two of them and the Little Weasels.

The Axis of Weasels is starting to understand the real price of their betrayal of their NATO allies. Our retaliation will feel like a long dull toothache to them. It'll just go on and on.

Sweet.

[Michael81Dus]

Hi Norse,

hope you like him. I increasingly got angry about the French, some credits to FR for that. It´s not the French people but their arrogant leadership. The French do not feel as Europeans, they are French.

Regards,

Michael

[Broadside Joe]

Well here are some tidbits. From the CIA world fact book 2002.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/879550/posts

Germany

a. Direct trade between Germany and Iraq amounts to about $350 million annually, and another $1 billion is reportedly sold through third parties.[8]

b. It has recently been reported that Saddam Hussein has ordered Iraqi domestic businesses to show preference to German companies as a reward for Germany's "firm positive stand in rejecting the launching of a military attack against Iraq." It was also reported that over 101

German companies were present at the Baghdad Annual exposition.[9]

c. During the 35th Annual Baghdad International Fair in November 2002, a German company signed a contract for $80 million for 5,000 cars and spare parts.[10]

d. In 2002, DaimlerChrysler was awarded over $13 million in contracts for German trucks and spare parts.[11]

e. German officials are investigating a German corporation accused of illegally channeling weapons to Iraq via Jordan. The equipment in question is used for boring the barrels of large cannons and is allegedly intended for Saddam Hussein's Al Fao Supercannon project.[12]

[mewzilla]

You want Germany? Here's Germany, among others. An this list is just for nuke tech.

[Michael81Dus]

Cool stuff, as far as I could see, nearly all western countries were engaged there - and the engagement ended in 1991. The two mentioned cases for Germany do not sound too serious.

[mewzilla]

Another article on German involvement. Click here.

[mewzilla]

The two mentioned cases for Germany do not sound too serious.

Speak for yourself, Michael. You're not in harm's way, are you?

[Michael81Dus]

350 million US $ a year. Wow. And where´re the arm sales approved by the government? Face it: Germany did what the US, UK, France, Italy did - and it stopped cooperation between the governments with the regime just after Iraq attacked Kuwait. What´s wrong with selling cars to an evil regime? Buying cars from an evil regime is different, but selling?

[Michael81Dus]

Then take a look on the two mentioned cases. Help to produce a chemical thing - have you looked what british companies sold even in 1994??

[Michael81Dus]

You cannot provide evidence that the German government sold weapons to Iraq when the US didn´t anymore, can you?

[Smile-n-Win]

Silvio Berlusconi and Donald Rumsfeld are the two greatest public officials in the world today.

Ain't that the truth!