Sunday, February 27, 2011
Report: Billions lost on contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan
Washington (CNN) -- A new report blasts the U.S. government for wasting tens of billions of dollars in Iraq and Afghanistan by relying too much on contractors and doing too little to monitor their performance.
The interim report from the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan points out that contractors in the war zones sometimes have exceeded the number of military personnel. Numbering 200,000, contractors now roughly match the military force.
"Misspent dollars run into the tens of billions," the report said. The 64-page report was released Thursday and will be followed up next week with a hearing on how to improve contractor accountability.
"War by its nature entails waste. But the scale of the problems in Iraq and Afghanistan also reflects the toxic interplay of huge sums of money pumped into relatively small economies and an unprecedented reliance on contractors," the report said.
Sen. James Webb, D-Virginia, who helped establish the commission three years ago, said Friday that its latest proposals deserve attention from Congress and the Department of Defense and called for a hearing on the matter.
"The report's specific recommendations to address the federal government's overreliance on contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan and failure to control the process underscore the importance of the Commission's charter," Webb said in a prepared statement.
The report repeatedly criticized the federal government for turning to contractors for too many purposes, including monitoring other contractors.
"The government has abdicated its contracting responsibilities -- too often using contractors as the default mechanism, driven by considerations other than whether they provide the best solution, and without consideration for the resources needed to manage them," the report said.
The commission is calling for major reforms to how the government awards and monitors contractors on military, reconstruction and training programs.
"When it comes to oversight of contingency contracting, we've been driving beyond the reach of our headlights," Commission Co-Chairman Michael Thibault said in a statement released with the report. "Reforms are badly needed."
The report says that contractors often face great risks. "Between September 2001 and December 2010, over 2,200 contractor employees of all nationalities have died and over 49,800 were injured in Iraq and Afghanistan," the report says. "These contractors' deaths and injuries should not be ignored, but should be a part of the public debate on the cost of war."
Among the proposals to rein in contractors is the creation of special teams of full-time federal workers to be ready to deploy and monitor projects. The report says the government also should restrict reliance on contractors for security by embedding government workers responsible for command and control and oversight.
The interim report from the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan points out that contractors in the war zones sometimes have exceeded the number of military personnel. Numbering 200,000, contractors now roughly match the military force.
"Misspent dollars run into the tens of billions," the report said. The 64-page report was released Thursday and will be followed up next week with a hearing on how to improve contractor accountability.
"War by its nature entails waste. But the scale of the problems in Iraq and Afghanistan also reflects the toxic interplay of huge sums of money pumped into relatively small economies and an unprecedented reliance on contractors," the report said.
Sen. James Webb, D-Virginia, who helped establish the commission three years ago, said Friday that its latest proposals deserve attention from Congress and the Department of Defense and called for a hearing on the matter.
"The report's specific recommendations to address the federal government's overreliance on contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan and failure to control the process underscore the importance of the Commission's charter," Webb said in a prepared statement.
The report repeatedly criticized the federal government for turning to contractors for too many purposes, including monitoring other contractors.
"The government has abdicated its contracting responsibilities -- too often using contractors as the default mechanism, driven by considerations other than whether they provide the best solution, and without consideration for the resources needed to manage them," the report said.
The commission is calling for major reforms to how the government awards and monitors contractors on military, reconstruction and training programs.
"When it comes to oversight of contingency contracting, we've been driving beyond the reach of our headlights," Commission Co-Chairman Michael Thibault said in a statement released with the report. "Reforms are badly needed."
The report says that contractors often face great risks. "Between September 2001 and December 2010, over 2,200 contractor employees of all nationalities have died and over 49,800 were injured in Iraq and Afghanistan," the report says. "These contractors' deaths and injuries should not be ignored, but should be a part of the public debate on the cost of war."
Among the proposals to rein in contractors is the creation of special teams of full-time federal workers to be ready to deploy and monitor projects. The report says the government also should restrict reliance on contractors for security by embedding government workers responsible for command and control and oversight.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Iraqi oil output rises but remains below pre-war 2003 level
By Tony Capaccio
Bloomberg News
International oil companies in Iraq have increased production slightly since October, with better than expected output in southern Basra’s fields — indications the country’s most important industry continues its recovery, according to a new U.S. Defense Department audit.
Crude oil production averaged 2.40 million barrels per day, more than 3 percent above the previous quarter and 1 percent less than the same period in 2009, Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector for Iraq Reconstruction, said in his latest quarterly report released today.
That level is below Iraq’s February, 2003, 2.8 million barrels per day production, the month before the U.S.-led invasion. Then-U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney said in April 2003, after Saddam Hussein was driven from office, that Iraq could increase oil production to 2.5 million to 3 million barrels daily by year’s end. Production in May 2003 fell to 1.4 million barrels a day and then to 1.3 million later that year. It’s slowly grown since.
“This quarter was good for Iraq economically,” Bowen wrote in his 28th congressionally mandated quarterly report that assesses the expenditure of $58 billion in U.S. reconstruction funds and Iraq’s political and economic progress, as the remaining U.S. troops prepare to leave by December.
“The Iraqi government’s aggressive efforts to attract foreign capital investment continued to bear fruit. Moreover, several international oil companies working to develop Iraq’s lucrative southern oil fields, reported better-than-expected progress, including the super-giant al-Rumaila field,” Bowen wrote.
The Anglo-Chinese consortium of BP Plc and the Chinese National Petroleum Corp. reported this month increased production at al-Rumaila by more than 10 percent above the initial rate of 1.066 million barrels per day agreed to with the Iraq government when it won the oil business in 2009.
In northern Iraq, the Ninewa Oil Commission announced in November that production of the Batna oil field had resumed for the first time in 20 years.
Better Coordination
“Amid this increased activity,” the U.S. government’s International Oil Company Support Team created in August has been coordinating with oil companies “regardless of country origin to help them deal with administrative, logistical and bureaucratic challenges,” Bowen wrote.
Pipeline security has improved, with the number of daily attacks “significantly reduced as government cooperation grows with local residents,” he wrote.
Iraq is the world’s 12th largest oil producer and has the fourth largest proven petroleum reserves after Saudi Arabia, Canada, and Iran. Just a fraction of its known fields are in development, according to data from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Information Administration.
The majority of Iraq’s oil production comes from three giant fields in North and South Rumaila in southern Iraq and Kirkuk in the north.
The Iraqi government told Bowen’s office how it planned to achieve its “ambitious goal of 12 million barrels a day by 2017, or about five times the current level.”
The oil ministry projected production would reach 3.26 MBPD by December 31.
Bowen said outside experts view these goals with skepticism because meeting the government target would require “making a significant investment — estimated by some to be $150 billion or more.” Iraq also would need to overcome “considerable political, logistical, transportation and infrastructure challenges,” Bowen wrote.
Bloomberg News
International oil companies in Iraq have increased production slightly since October, with better than expected output in southern Basra’s fields — indications the country’s most important industry continues its recovery, according to a new U.S. Defense Department audit.
Crude oil production averaged 2.40 million barrels per day, more than 3 percent above the previous quarter and 1 percent less than the same period in 2009, Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector for Iraq Reconstruction, said in his latest quarterly report released today.
That level is below Iraq’s February, 2003, 2.8 million barrels per day production, the month before the U.S.-led invasion. Then-U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney said in April 2003, after Saddam Hussein was driven from office, that Iraq could increase oil production to 2.5 million to 3 million barrels daily by year’s end. Production in May 2003 fell to 1.4 million barrels a day and then to 1.3 million later that year. It’s slowly grown since.
“This quarter was good for Iraq economically,” Bowen wrote in his 28th congressionally mandated quarterly report that assesses the expenditure of $58 billion in U.S. reconstruction funds and Iraq’s political and economic progress, as the remaining U.S. troops prepare to leave by December.
“The Iraqi government’s aggressive efforts to attract foreign capital investment continued to bear fruit. Moreover, several international oil companies working to develop Iraq’s lucrative southern oil fields, reported better-than-expected progress, including the super-giant al-Rumaila field,” Bowen wrote.
The Anglo-Chinese consortium of BP Plc and the Chinese National Petroleum Corp. reported this month increased production at al-Rumaila by more than 10 percent above the initial rate of 1.066 million barrels per day agreed to with the Iraq government when it won the oil business in 2009.
In northern Iraq, the Ninewa Oil Commission announced in November that production of the Batna oil field had resumed for the first time in 20 years.
Better Coordination
“Amid this increased activity,” the U.S. government’s International Oil Company Support Team created in August has been coordinating with oil companies “regardless of country origin to help them deal with administrative, logistical and bureaucratic challenges,” Bowen wrote.
Pipeline security has improved, with the number of daily attacks “significantly reduced as government cooperation grows with local residents,” he wrote.
Iraq is the world’s 12th largest oil producer and has the fourth largest proven petroleum reserves after Saudi Arabia, Canada, and Iran. Just a fraction of its known fields are in development, according to data from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Information Administration.
The majority of Iraq’s oil production comes from three giant fields in North and South Rumaila in southern Iraq and Kirkuk in the north.
The Iraqi government told Bowen’s office how it planned to achieve its “ambitious goal of 12 million barrels a day by 2017, or about five times the current level.”
The oil ministry projected production would reach 3.26 MBPD by December 31.
Bowen said outside experts view these goals with skepticism because meeting the government target would require “making a significant investment — estimated by some to be $150 billion or more.” Iraq also would need to overcome “considerable political, logistical, transportation and infrastructure challenges,” Bowen wrote.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Iraq Raises 2011 Budget To $81.86 Billion On Oil Price Hike
Iraq Raises 2011 Budget To $81.86 Billion On Oil Price Hike
By Hassan Hafidh, Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
Iraq raised its proposed 2011 budget to 96.6 trillion Iraq dinars ($81.86 billion), compared with last year's budget of $71.3 billion due to recent hike in oil prices, a government spokesman said Sunday.
Oil prices have spiked due to political protests and tensions in Egypt. Brent crude hit $100 a barrel for the first time since 2008 on fears instability could spread through the Middle East, which together with North Africa pumps over a third of the world's oil.
The Iraqi cabinet in an emergency meeting Sunday decided to raise its 2011 oil prices estimates to an average of $76.50 a barrel, instead of the $73 a barrel it proposed earlier, Ali Al Dabbagh said in a statement.
The budget estimates revenue from oil sales in 2011 to be IQD80.9 trillion ($ 68.5 billion), compared with a total of $52.2 billion the country earned from oil exports in 2010, said Dabbagh, who is also a minister of state.
-By Hassan Hafidh; Dow Jones Newswires; +962 799 831 831;hassan.hafidh@ dowjones.com
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Invest AD launches Iraq equities fund
Invest AD launches Iraq equities fund
Abu Dhabi: Sun, 3 Oct 2010
Abu Dhabi’s Invest AD has launched an Iraq Investment Fund to channel investment into high-growth companies in a country where improving stability and increased oil production should fuel strong economic expansion in coming years.
Invest AD is seeding the fund and is marketing it alongside its other equities and private equity funds that invest in the Middle East and Africa.
“As Iraq stabilise, it should take its place as one of the major economies in this vibrant region,” said Invest AD chief executive officer Nazem Fawwaz Al Kudsi.
“The country is overcoming difficult circumstances to make real progress towards an open economy, and we see tremendous opportunities in the long term. By entering the market early, we hope to capitalise fully.”
The new fund, which is open to institutional and high-net-worth investors early in October, will make investments primarily in listed equities, and also in unlisted opportunities.
Iraq is widely considered one of the last frontiers in emerging markets, although the stock market is tipped to grow rapidly in coming years as the country recovers from conflict.
Invest AD, established by the Abu Dhabi government in 1977, is among a handful of companies to offer global investors access to Iraqi equities, and the only one based in the Middle East.
Al Kudsi said that Invest AD is seeing growing regional and international investor interest in Iraq. “They see the growth potential, whether through fixed or portfolio investments. The Iraqi equity market is still quite small by regional standards, but from small beginnings come big opportunities. We expect our fund to grow in line with this.”
Iraq’s economy will grow by over 7 per cent annually in the next couple of years, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), with the country’s current account and fiscal deficits turning to surplus as oil production increases.
Iraq has the world's third-largest proven oil reserves and the country has signed 11 oilfield development deals with major oil firms including Royal Dutch Shell, Italy's Eni, Exxon Mobil, Occidental Petroleum Corp and South Korea's Kogas. These deals are projected to lift the country's capacity within seven years to just under Saudi Arabian levels of 12 million barrels per day, from 2.5 million now.-TradeArabia News Service
Al Hilal Publishing & Marketing Group
Abu Dhabi: Sun, 3 Oct 2010
Abu Dhabi’s Invest AD has launched an Iraq Investment Fund to channel investment into high-growth companies in a country where improving stability and increased oil production should fuel strong economic expansion in coming years.
Invest AD is seeding the fund and is marketing it alongside its other equities and private equity funds that invest in the Middle East and Africa.
“As Iraq stabilise, it should take its place as one of the major economies in this vibrant region,” said Invest AD chief executive officer Nazem Fawwaz Al Kudsi.
“The country is overcoming difficult circumstances to make real progress towards an open economy, and we see tremendous opportunities in the long term. By entering the market early, we hope to capitalise fully.”
The new fund, which is open to institutional and high-net-worth investors early in October, will make investments primarily in listed equities, and also in unlisted opportunities.
Iraq is widely considered one of the last frontiers in emerging markets, although the stock market is tipped to grow rapidly in coming years as the country recovers from conflict.
Invest AD, established by the Abu Dhabi government in 1977, is among a handful of companies to offer global investors access to Iraqi equities, and the only one based in the Middle East.
Al Kudsi said that Invest AD is seeing growing regional and international investor interest in Iraq. “They see the growth potential, whether through fixed or portfolio investments. The Iraqi equity market is still quite small by regional standards, but from small beginnings come big opportunities. We expect our fund to grow in line with this.”
Iraq’s economy will grow by over 7 per cent annually in the next couple of years, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), with the country’s current account and fiscal deficits turning to surplus as oil production increases.
Iraq has the world's third-largest proven oil reserves and the country has signed 11 oilfield development deals with major oil firms including Royal Dutch Shell, Italy's Eni, Exxon Mobil, Occidental Petroleum Corp and South Korea's Kogas. These deals are projected to lift the country's capacity within seven years to just under Saudi Arabian levels of 12 million barrels per day, from 2.5 million now.-TradeArabia News Service
Al Hilal Publishing & Marketing Group
Monday, February 7, 2011
Executive Order 13303 of May 22, 2003
Executive Order 13303 of May 22, 2003
Protecting the Development Fund for Iraq and Certain Other Property in Which Iraq Has an Interest
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, as amended (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), section 5 of the United Nations Participation Act, as amended (22 U.S.C. 287c) (UNPA), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,
I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, find that the threat of attachment or other judicial process against the Development Fund for Iraq, Iraqi petroleum and petroleum products, and interests therein, and proceeds, obligations, or any financial instruments of any nature whatsoever arising from or related to the sale or marketing thereof, and interests therein, obstructs the orderly reconstruction of Iraq, the restoration and maintenance of peace and security in the country, and the development of political, administrative, and economic institutions in Iraq. This situation constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States and I hereby declare a national emergency to deal with that threat.
I hereby order:
Section 1. Unless licensed or otherwise authorized pursuant to this order, any attachment, judgment, decree, lien, execution, garnishment, or other judicial process is prohibited, and shall be deemed null and void, with respect to the following:
(a) the Development Fund for Iraq, and
(b) all Iraqi petroleum and petroleum products, and interests therein, and proceeds, obligations, or any financial instruments of any nature whatsoever arising from or related to the sale or marketing thereof, and interests therein, in which any foreign country or a national thereof has any interest, that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of United States persons.
Sec. 2. (a) As of the effective date of this order, Executive Order 12722 of August 2, 1990, Executive Order 12724 of August 9, 1990, and Executive Order 13290 of March 20, 2003, shall not apply to the property and interests in property described in section 1 of this order.
(b) Nothing in this order is intended to affect the continued effectiveness of any rules, regulations, orders, licenses or other forms of administrative action issued, taken, or continued in effect heretofore or hereafter under Executive Orders 12722, 12724, or 13290, or under the authority of IEEPA or the UNPA, except as hereafter terminated, modified, or suspended by the issuing Federal agency and except as provided in section 2(a) of this order.
Sec. 3. For the purposes of this order:
(a) The term ``person means an individual or entity;
(b) The term ``entity means a partnership, association, trust, joint venture, corporation, group, subgroup, or other organization;
(c) The term ``United States person means any United States citizen, permanent resident alien, entity organized under the laws of the United States or any jurisdiction within the United States (including foreign branches), or any person in the United States;
(d) The term ``Iraqi petroleum and petroleum products means any petroleum, petroleum products, or natural gas originating in Iraq, including any Iraqi-origin oil inventories, wherever located; and
(e) The term ``Development Fund for Iraq means the fund established on or about May 22, 2003, on the books of the Central Bank of Iraq, by the Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority responsible for the temporary governance of Iraq and all accounts held for the fund or for the Central Bank of Iraq in the name of the fund.
Sec. 4. (a) The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense, is hereby authorized to take such actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by IEEPA and the UNPA as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this order. The Secretary of the Treasury may redelegate any of these functions to other officers and agencies of the United States Government. All agencies of the United States Government are hereby directed to take all appropriate measures within their statutory authority to carry out the provisions of this order.
(b) Nothing contained in this order shall relieve a person from any requirement to obtain a license or other authorization in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Sec. 5. This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right, benefit, or privilege, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by a party against the United States, its departments, agencies, entities, officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
Sec. 6. This order shall be transmitted to the Congress and published in the Federal Register.
(Presidential Sig.)B
THE WHITE HOUSE,
May 22, 2003.
Protecting the Development Fund for Iraq and Certain Other Property in Which Iraq Has an Interest
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, as amended (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), section 5 of the United Nations Participation Act, as amended (22 U.S.C. 287c) (UNPA), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,
I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, find that the threat of attachment or other judicial process against the Development Fund for Iraq, Iraqi petroleum and petroleum products, and interests therein, and proceeds, obligations, or any financial instruments of any nature whatsoever arising from or related to the sale or marketing thereof, and interests therein, obstructs the orderly reconstruction of Iraq, the restoration and maintenance of peace and security in the country, and the development of political, administrative, and economic institutions in Iraq. This situation constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States and I hereby declare a national emergency to deal with that threat.
I hereby order:
Section 1. Unless licensed or otherwise authorized pursuant to this order, any attachment, judgment, decree, lien, execution, garnishment, or other judicial process is prohibited, and shall be deemed null and void, with respect to the following:
(a) the Development Fund for Iraq, and
(b) all Iraqi petroleum and petroleum products, and interests therein, and proceeds, obligations, or any financial instruments of any nature whatsoever arising from or related to the sale or marketing thereof, and interests therein, in which any foreign country or a national thereof has any interest, that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of United States persons.
Sec. 2. (a) As of the effective date of this order, Executive Order 12722 of August 2, 1990, Executive Order 12724 of August 9, 1990, and Executive Order 13290 of March 20, 2003, shall not apply to the property and interests in property described in section 1 of this order.
(b) Nothing in this order is intended to affect the continued effectiveness of any rules, regulations, orders, licenses or other forms of administrative action issued, taken, or continued in effect heretofore or hereafter under Executive Orders 12722, 12724, or 13290, or under the authority of IEEPA or the UNPA, except as hereafter terminated, modified, or suspended by the issuing Federal agency and except as provided in section 2(a) of this order.
Sec. 3. For the purposes of this order:
(a) The term ``person means an individual or entity;
(b) The term ``entity means a partnership, association, trust, joint venture, corporation, group, subgroup, or other organization;
(c) The term ``United States person means any United States citizen, permanent resident alien, entity organized under the laws of the United States or any jurisdiction within the United States (including foreign branches), or any person in the United States;
(d) The term ``Iraqi petroleum and petroleum products means any petroleum, petroleum products, or natural gas originating in Iraq, including any Iraqi-origin oil inventories, wherever located; and
(e) The term ``Development Fund for Iraq means the fund established on or about May 22, 2003, on the books of the Central Bank of Iraq, by the Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority responsible for the temporary governance of Iraq and all accounts held for the fund or for the Central Bank of Iraq in the name of the fund.
Sec. 4. (a) The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense, is hereby authorized to take such actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by IEEPA and the UNPA as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this order. The Secretary of the Treasury may redelegate any of these functions to other officers and agencies of the United States Government. All agencies of the United States Government are hereby directed to take all appropriate measures within their statutory authority to carry out the provisions of this order.
(b) Nothing contained in this order shall relieve a person from any requirement to obtain a license or other authorization in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Sec. 5. This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right, benefit, or privilege, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by a party against the United States, its departments, agencies, entities, officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
Sec. 6. This order shall be transmitted to the Congress and published in the Federal Register.
(Presidential Sig.)B
THE WHITE HOUSE,
May 22, 2003.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Iraq urges approval of settlement for US victims
By SINAN SALAHEDDIN
The Associated Press
Wednesday, February 2, 2011; 11:24 AM
BAGHDAD -- The Iraqi government called on parliament Wednesday to approve a $400 million settlement for Americans who claim they were abused by Saddam Hussein's regime.
Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh also said that Iraq will set up a system to protect funds that have been deposited abroad from unsettled claims of victims who say they were affected by Saddam's 1990 invasion of Kuwait and the U.N.'s mandated war reparations to that country.
The twin moves come as the Iraqi government seeks to restore the country's international standing and to emerge from the shadow of sanctions imposed following the Kuwait invasion, which led to the 1991 Gulf War.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Cabinet unanimously approved the compensation plan in September after Baghdad and Washington reached an agreement to end years of legal battles by U.S. citizens who claim to have been tortured or traumatized during Saddam's 1990 invasion of neighboring Kuwait.
But the requisite parliamentary approval was delayed due to the nine months of political wrangling as the prime minister fought rival factions to hold onto his job after inconclusive March 7 elections. He finally cobbled together a fragile coalition government in late December.
"The Iraqi government is keen to fulfill its international obligations and to put an end to the pending issues resulting from previous policies," al-Dabbagh said in a statement.
Saddam's regime held hundreds of Americans hostage during the run-up to the Gulf War, using them as human shields in hopes of staving off an attack by the U.S. and its allies.
Many of the Americans pursued lawsuits for years against Saddam's government and kept up their legal fight after Saddam was overthrown in 2003 and a new government came to power.
The measure is likely to face opposition in the 325-member parliament, which includes a large number of Shiite lawmakers from the bloc loyal to anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr as well as hard-line Sunnis.
Many Iraqis consider themselves victims of both Saddam's regime and the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and wonder why they should pay money for wrongs committed by the ousted dictator.
Al-Dabbagh has said the $400 million sum is a compromise, given that the U.S. claims "exceed $10 billion."
The United Nations established the Development Fund of Iraq to handle oil and other revenues after Saddam's ouster. The international protection of Iraqi funds offered by the DFI will expire on June 30.
The Associated Press
Wednesday, February 2, 2011; 11:24 AM
BAGHDAD -- The Iraqi government called on parliament Wednesday to approve a $400 million settlement for Americans who claim they were abused by Saddam Hussein's regime.
Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh also said that Iraq will set up a system to protect funds that have been deposited abroad from unsettled claims of victims who say they were affected by Saddam's 1990 invasion of Kuwait and the U.N.'s mandated war reparations to that country.
The twin moves come as the Iraqi government seeks to restore the country's international standing and to emerge from the shadow of sanctions imposed following the Kuwait invasion, which led to the 1991 Gulf War.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Cabinet unanimously approved the compensation plan in September after Baghdad and Washington reached an agreement to end years of legal battles by U.S. citizens who claim to have been tortured or traumatized during Saddam's 1990 invasion of neighboring Kuwait.
But the requisite parliamentary approval was delayed due to the nine months of political wrangling as the prime minister fought rival factions to hold onto his job after inconclusive March 7 elections. He finally cobbled together a fragile coalition government in late December.
"The Iraqi government is keen to fulfill its international obligations and to put an end to the pending issues resulting from previous policies," al-Dabbagh said in a statement.
Saddam's regime held hundreds of Americans hostage during the run-up to the Gulf War, using them as human shields in hopes of staving off an attack by the U.S. and its allies.
Many of the Americans pursued lawsuits for years against Saddam's government and kept up their legal fight after Saddam was overthrown in 2003 and a new government came to power.
The measure is likely to face opposition in the 325-member parliament, which includes a large number of Shiite lawmakers from the bloc loyal to anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr as well as hard-line Sunnis.
Many Iraqis consider themselves victims of both Saddam's regime and the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and wonder why they should pay money for wrongs committed by the ousted dictator.
Al-Dabbagh has said the $400 million sum is a compromise, given that the U.S. claims "exceed $10 billion."
The United Nations established the Development Fund of Iraq to handle oil and other revenues after Saddam's ouster. The international protection of Iraqi funds offered by the DFI will expire on June 30.
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