NYT: U.S. Seeks Help With Iraq Costs, but Donors Want a Larger Say

[Nambe]

Faced with the huge cost of rebuilding Iraq, the United States has called for an international conference in October to be attended by dozens of nations — many of which opposed the war to oust Saddam Hussein — to raise billions of dollars to restore Iraq's economy.

But the Bush administration has run into a now familiar diplomatic problem. Potential donor nations say they are uneasy about financing a military occupation, and some American officials concede there will have to be more participation by other countries in deciding how money for Iraq is raised and spent.

"The donors want a say on the allocation of funds," said a Western diplomat involved in aiding Iraq. "They want credit for what they give, and they don't want to commingle their money with money for the occupation. The way things are set up now will have to be changed." ---

Banish bush From Texas Too

[acmavm]

1. What??? They aren't willing to put money in a slush fund and let Rummy

disperse it as he sees fit. And they want credit for their help as well. You mean they won't be bullied like the Bush Administration is trying to bully humanitarian groups by making them say they are receiving aid thank to "Bush &Co."? Go figure.

[Cha]

2. The Countries better be careful if they want to get mixed up..

in that Quagmire!

Anybody getting on board with the bushwa had better watch their back!
:grr:

[jmatthan]

3. India to say NO

Between Iraq and a hard place, Govt to say no
Sending troops: Today’s CCS meeting on the issue will be a formality
Jyoti Malhotra

http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=27572


Peacekeepers: A gamble

How we could gain
• Would Cement India’s relations with US in its hour of need
• Helped Indian companies bag lucrative contracts in Iraq’s reconstruction

Losses could be greater
• Troop casualties in election year would be suicidal for BJP
• Hostilities with Iraqis and their neighbours could land us in a mess



New Delhi, July 13: Unnerved by the possibility of casualties in Iraq in an election year, the BJP-led NDA Government is believed to have decided not to send combat troops to maintain peace in northern Iraq. The meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) here tomorrow morning to decide on the issue is now believed to be a mere formality. more.....

[w4rma]

4. My understanding of why Bush didn't go this route from the begining

Bush wants to "privatize" Iraq's oil by giving it to formerly U.S./now Cayman Islands-based oil corporations. It will be tougher for him to give the oil to his special intrests if he allows the U.N. to help us.

Also, he seems to want to install an Iraqi government who will allow these Cayman Islands-based oil companies to walk all over the Iraqis. We need to help the Iraqis set up a true democratic republic that allows the Iraqis to vote and fight by changing minds instead of assassinating whatever dictator is there. Provisions for a free-press, free-speech and a fair vote must be there and the Iraqis need to decide most of the rest. Their government needs a strong foundation with strong checks and balances to make it as hard as possible for a dictator to take control, that we help build, for them to build the rest on.

Then we need to pull out and buy some of our oil from the state-run Iraqi oil services (you can't privitize the oil, because who would you give it's ownership to? The Iraqis, but if all the Iraqis own it, then that means that it might-as-well be run by the government that they will own so that they can vote in changes to how it is run and how the revenues will help support the other public works such as water, police, fire, road building/maintanance and power).

[xxqqqzme]

5. Who would get the ownership?

Ask the Native Americans about ownership transfer!