Iraqi aid pledges fall short of estimated needs

[Spazito]

MADRID (AFP) - Pledges of aid to Iraq (news - web sites) made ahead of a two-day conference on the issue starting here Thursday look set to meet the expectations of host nation Spain in raising some 15 billion dollars -- but are set to leave a sizeable shortfall given the country's estimated needs.



The World Bank (news - web sites) and the United Nations (news - web sites) have put at 36 billion dollars Iraq's reconstruction needs through to 2006.


The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Iraq has identified a further 20 billion of needs, the bulk for security and environmental programmes, taking the overall projected total needs to 56 billion.


While organisers are looking to raise some 15 to 20 billion dollars here that still ostensibly leaves a gap of 36 billion.

more

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1521&e=1&u=/afp/iraq_reconstruction_sums

[Beetwasher]

1. All they do is fail fail fail

This donors conference is a sick joke...

[Voltaire99]

2. Here's my pledge of. . .NOT ONE RED CENT!

Here's the exit strategy:

Repeal the tax cut, pay the Iraqis for the damage we've done, fax them the US Constitution, declare "victory," and get the hell out.

[Guaranteed]

4. LOL!

That's hilarious!

[Mokito]

6. One minor problem there, Voltaire99

Nobody in the adm. seems to remember with which trashbin they send out those shreds of the US Constitution. And then we're not even talking about puzzling those shreds back together!

[Guaranteed]

3. I coulda sworn we just gave them $20B.

What the hell happened to that? That's a fuzzy numbering system they have there.

[revcarol]

5. Ah, but did you remember that 90% of that $20 BILLION

is PROFIT for the contractors?

Actually, Iraq will be lucky if even 5% gets invested into rebuilding any infrastructure besides oil.