US names retired diplomat at Iraq reconstruction chief (Timothy Carney)

[Barrett808]

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced the appointment of a retired diplomat, Timothy Carney, to head a US push to boost Iraq's moribund economy.

Carney, a former ambassador to Haiti and Sudan, will be the Coordinator for Iraq Transitional Assistance under

President George W. Bush's just announced new plan for stabilizing Iraq, she said.

"Our military operations must be fully supported and integrated with our civilian and diplomatic efforts across the entire US Government to help Iraqis clear, hold and build throughout all of Iraq," she said.

Rice said a key element of the new strategy will involve increasing the number of so-called Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT) tasked with helping develop economic projects and provide jobs.

"We are ready to strengthen, indeed, to surge our civilian efforts," she said, saying the number of PRT's around Iraq will be increase from 10 to 18, including five new units for Baghdad and a tripling of the teams in Anbar province, a center of anti-US insurgency, from one to three.

(more)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070111/pl_afp/usiraqreconstruction

[maddezmom]

1. duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2684126