Over $13 Billion in Aid Is Pledged to Rebuild Iraq

[aeon flux]

Only $3-4 billion is in the form of grants. The rest must be paid back. Donors/lenders do not exactly trust the Bush Gang with the money either.

<snip>

"Accompanying the pledges were heated demands and warnings from donor nations and from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and other international institutions that the United States and Iraq must do a better job in disclosing how money is spent.

"So far there hasn't been a good accounting of how the money was used," said Mark Malloch Brown, head of the United Nations Development Program, referring to the several billion dollars already spent in Iraq from oil revenues and seized Iraqi assets.

American officials bridled at those accusations, saying there had been a full accounting even though it had not yet been made public. L. Paul Bremer III, administrator of the American-led Iraqi occupation, said the accounting would be on a Web site soon.

<snip>


article

[Don_G]

1. $17 Billion Total

If they ever discover the missing 4 Billion in US controlled CPA funds.

[xray s]

2. Weren't they looking for $55 Billion?

$20B from the US taxpayer (no, check that, since we are borrowing the cash it will cost the taxpayers much more than $20B) and $35B from the rest of the world?

So we are, what, $22B short?

Is that the cost of Rummy's little spittle about "old Europe" and the infantile reaction of the Republicans in Congress, renaming a fast food "Freedom Fries"?

And they say the adults are in charge....

[Don_G]

3. They Were Looking For Grants

Loans require that the money be accounted for....

[xray s]

4. I'd like to be the loan officer!

"And you want this money for WHAT?"

[aeon flux]

5. Pledges don't mean a whole lot

Especially in light of the recent investigation by Christian Aid, the Bush gangsters will be lucky to get their sticky fingers on a quarter of the pledged donations and loans.

Most countries will probably end up channeling much of the aid in the form of food, medicine, etc. They'd be crazy to hand over cash to the regime.

[papau]

6. . 75% loans with US controlled World Bank and IMF only real B donors

Japan split 1.5 B between loan and grant , and spread it over several years. And it was the big giver

It was a disaster

First Gulf war others paid 90% of cost - this one is on us.

I like the Iranian "donation" - 100,000 tourists to visit every year!