Irak 113

De New York Times bericht

´Iraq Says It Needs $100 Billion in Aid.
Kuwait City - War-ravaged Iraq needs around $100 billion in the next four to five years to recover and rebuild its infrastructure, a government spokesman said Tuesday at the opening of an international aid meeting.
"Until the oil sector picks up ... we will need this much for the infrastructure and for investment expenses," Ali al-Dabbagh told reporters at a preparatory meeting for the International Compact for Iraq, a five-year plan to ensure Iraq's government has funds to survive and enact key political and economic reforms.
Al-Dabbagh called the $100 billion an "unofficial figure," and said he hoped more countries, especially Arab states, would participate in the program.
Iraq's deputy prime minister, Barham Saleh, told the meeting: "You can participate by offering serious and new financial and economic support to cover for the shortage in budget revenues needed for enhancing Iraq's security capabilities, to build the infrastructure and to enable the Iraqi government to improve public services."
The Iraqi government established the International Compact for Iraq in June, shortly after Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki took office. Tuesday marked one in a series of meetings to discuss details before the compact is finalized by the end of this year.
A donor's conference for Iraq held in Madrid in 2003 raised pledges for $13.5 billion, but so far only around $3.5 billion has made its way to the country, mired in sectarian fighting.
The remaining $10 billion is being held up by a lack of viable projects or by fears that aid will be siphoned away in Iraq's corrupt contracting environment.
"The government of Iraq, needless to say, has the primary responsibility for tackling the grave challenges it faces today," Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, the special representative of the United Nations secretary-general, told the meeting. "But given their magnitude, the support of the international community and particularly of its compact partners is indispensable if Iraq to succeed."
Robert Kimmit, U.S. deputy treasury secretary, headed the American delegation at the one-day meeting in oil-rich Kuwait, a major ally of Washington. Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Spain, the United Kingdom, the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund were also present.
"Iraq is a very rich country," that does not need donations, but it needs to know it has "friends and brothers" willing to help, Kuwait's foreign minister, Sheik Mohammed Al Sabah, told reporters.
"All that we ask for as neighbors is that Iraq stays united and does not slip into civil war," he said.´

Lees verder http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Iraq-Aid.html?_r=1&oref=slogin Of
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/110106P.shtml

Als Irak al 100 miljard nodig heeft, hoeveel heeft Afghanistan na meer dan een kwart eeuw oorlog nodig. Hoeveel trekt Nederland uit voor die wederopbouw dat zeker meer dan 100 miljard dollar gaat kosten. Weet iemand dat in Nederland.