Uganda to bid for contracts

2003-12-13 15:30

Kampala, Uganda - The United States has formally invited Uganda to participate in the multi-billion dollars project meant for the reconstruction of Iraq, the foreign ministry has announced on Saturday.

"The US Administration has officially informed the Ugandan government that Ugandan companies can now bid on prime and sub-contracts for the reconstruction of Iraq," said a press statement.

Uganda is among the only four African countries including Rwanda, Ethiopia and Eritrea - that joined the US coalition which removed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and his government from power.

The one-page release did not provide any details on how Ugandan firms could contribute to the US funded-US$18.6bn Iraq reconstruction program and foreign ministry officials were not available for a comment. However, the minister for the presidency, Ali Kirunda Kivejinja, said the Ugandan government has started passing the message to Ugandan firms.

He also said that he was not in position to give the nature of business that Ugandan firms would most likely undertake in the Gulf state.

"If we have created friends like we did with the Americans, and they invite you for something, you communicate that opportunity to the people. It is up to the Ugandan companies to take it up," Kivejinja said.

The United States angered Russia, France and Germany last week the Pentagon published a list of nations that would be allowed to bid on the contracts funded by the United States for rebuilding Iraq. Only countries that supported the US war in Iraq were on the list.

Larry Di Rita, spokesperson for Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, said the decision was designed to encourage more countries to join the US-led coalition; those not now in the coalition may qualify as bidders for the contracts by contributing troops or simply declaring themselves members of the coalition, he said.

"This is not a fixed, closed list," he said. "This is not meant to be exclusive. This is meant to be forward looking and potentially expansive."

He said it would be a welcome gesture if a country decided to join the coalition, even if it simply offered public support by stating its intention to join without sending troops to Iraq.

Neither Uganda, nor any other African country, has contributed troops to the war in Iraq and all four countries are too poor to contribute financially. But the governments have pledged support for the US position on Iraq.

- AP