Germany says exclusion from Iraq contracts "unacceptable"

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20031210/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_us_rebuild_germany&cid=1514&ncid=1480

BERLIN (AFP) - Germany said that a reported US decision to bar companies from countries that refused to join the US-led coalition in Iraq (news - web sites) from reconstruction contracts would be "unacceptable."


Government spokesman Bela Anda said Wednesday that if the reports were true, "it would be unacceptable."


"It would not correspond either to the spirit of what we had agreed together, which is about looking together toward the future and not the past," he told a regular government news conference.


A Pentagon (news - web sites) memorandum made public Tuesday said that Washington has barred firms from France, Germany, Russia, Canada and other anti-war nations from competing for billions of dollars in prime rebuilding contracts.

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[imax2268]

1. Isn't that illegal...

I heard somewhere that it is...from another thread on here...somewhere...

[cspiguy]

6. irresponsible (surprise?) but not illegal.

this is because it only applies to reconstruction payed for by the U.S. money package. Actually, Germany-France-Russia should refuse to take our blood-tainted dollars.

[Just Me]

2. Does this jive with the latest UNSC resolution?

[rvgwinn]

3. Barred Countries

By doing this, cheney's companies will reap all the profits. They won't have share. money,money,money!!!!!!!!!I suppose we should be glad that our tax money stays in the country!

[Kremer]

4. God this is so petty and childish.

We are an utter embarassment to our allies; who were already pissed at us. I'm sure Fox is ecstatic that the dreaded enemy France was barred. France should tell chimpy they were just about to deploy 10k of our own troops to help you in Iraq but since you barred us we've decided not to!!!

[Spoon]

5. They opposed the war.

Did they hope to "morally" oppose the war, yet reap the benifits of being part of it? You can't have your cake and eat it too...

[cthrumatrix]

7. If facts for the war mean anything...Germany was right

They opposed action and wanted more inspections for WMD...there was no immenent threat they claimed.

In hindsight....who was right?

[dansolo]

12. If we expect any help from them

And why should France agree to help the US get out of this mess? Out of the goodness of their hearts?

[theorist]

8. Is this just the same old cronyism in action...

or a veiled attempt to spark up WWIII? :)

[JackSwift]

9. Iraq is not "liberated"

if its "conqueror" has the power to decide which other countries are barred from doing business there.

[ze_dscherman]

10. Thank you, Wolfowitz!

This will hopefully stop any German efforts to appease the U.S. by supporting the deployment of NATO troops to Iraq.

See also: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=261792

[hadrons]

11. and James Baker is looking for debt forgiveness ....

shitheads

[Whoa_Nelly]

13. Divisiveness

We have more divisiveness between groups of people than ever within our country. Now, the move is on for global instability and divisiveness. The stage is being set for major wars.

[truthspeaker]

14. and do we really want to piss off Germany?

At some point I expect the CDU to regain power and say "Look, Chimpy, here's how you REALLY run an expansionist military dictatorship!"

[Don Claybrook]

15. Why is someone in the DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE making this decision?

Wouldn't one think this would be a task of, say, the State Department? I'm not surprised, unfortunately, but are the warmongers in the war department now making all of the official Iraqi rape and exploitation decisions?

[CaptainClark23]

18. Thank You!

Was reading this on the Subway, saw it was Wolfowitz of Arabia's call and started bitching and cursing aloud.

It got me a little more room at rushour.

Y'know, its funny to realise you've become one of those people that curse and talk to themselves. Thats what this regime has done to me.

[ze_dscherman]

16. BBC list of companies involved in Iraq

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3201680.stm

[aquart]

17. This should play well in Douglaston. Tee hee.

Douglaston is German-American. Famous for its restrictive covenants and private country club. Families regularly visit back and forth with relatives in Germany.

Good, dependable Republican voters. But when their relatives are stiffed because of American policies?

Maybe George just pissed off another bunch of voters. He forgets. America is NOT the homeland of most of us. It's our country. Our nation. But not our homeland.

[Frances]

19. If I were Germany, France, or Russia, I would

encourage OPEC to use the euro rather than the dollar.