US reserves lion's share of Iraq construction projects for itself

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20031021/pl_afp/iraq_reconstruction_us&cid=1521&ncid=1480

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US companies have received the lion's share of contracts during the first six months of rebuilding Iraq, as countries prepare for a donors conference in Madrid designed to raise billions of dollars to finance other development projects.

The first bidding proposals were unveiled last spring by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US Army Corps of Engineers, the two organizations in charge of distributing contracts for priority work, following the fall of the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein.

According to an official account published at the end of September by the USAID, these contracts were primarily awarded to US companies. Construction giant Bechtel received, for example, 10 of them.

"That is US law," argued Ellen Jansen, spokeswoman for the USAID. "Under federal acquisition regulations, we are required to issue the prime contracts to American big companies essentially because these are US taxpayers' dollars."

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[Mal]

1. I don't care who gets the contracts

as long as it's the yanks who pay for it. As they say, you broke it, you bought it.

[J B]

2. Hey, isn't the Pentagon seizing control of contracts now?

I read that somewhere recently...

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

3. The way I read this is it is the American Taxpayer's responsibility to

support "American big companies." Sweet.

"That is US law," argued Ellen Jansen, spokeswoman for the USAID. "Under federal acquisition regulations, we are required to issue the prime contracts to American big companies essentially because these are US taxpayers' dollars."

[MadHound]

4. "Lion's Share"?!?!

From what I've heard ALL of the contracts have gone to US corporations. The lion's share part comes into play when discussing which US corporations. And suprise suprise, Haliburton, Bechtel, and other BushCo holdings are the ones getting the lion's share. Just gotta love those no-bid contract awards!

[Skittles]

5. 'ITSELF"??? Or "HALLIBURTON" ?

Oh by the way, in today's Dallas Morning News there is a letter to the editor from some woman babbling about how proud she is to work for Halliburton. No doubt she is proud she voted for Bush, too. :puke:

[zonmoy]

6. This is how

we are looting both iraq and our own treasury.