Blitzes foil Iraqi rebuilding
2003-10-31 12:29
Cairo - A string of bloody attacks this week in Iraq prompted the two main international organisations there to pull out at least temporarily, casting a shadow on plans to rebuild the war-devastated country.
The decision by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the United Nations to withdraw their staff came just days after donors pledged $33bn in loans and grants to rebuild Iraq.
Their decision came after an attack targeted offices of the ICRC on Monday. The UN headquarters in Baghdad was bombed in August, prompting a withdrawal of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which also had offices there.
The United States emerged by far as the largest contributor to Iraq, offering about $20bn. Other major donors include Japan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
The World Bank and the IMF said they would provide loans of up to $9.25bn over the next three to five years.
The total commitment was lower than the World Bank's estimate of Iraq's needs for the period until 2007 - $36bn - and way under the US-installed interim Governing Council's estimate of $56bn.
33 attacks a day
The past week has seen a surge of violence, with an average of 33 daily attacks against coalition forces, up from 26 the previous week.
"The message to international groups is don't come here and rebuild the country. The message to Iraqi police is if you think you can work with the Americans, you're wrong," said an official from the US led coalition.
But Iraq has proven highly profitable for US oil industry services giant Halliburton. The company said on Thursday that its Kellogg Brown and Root unit profits rose four-fold and sales leapt 80 percent.
The US army has given Halliburton a $700m contract to rehabilitate Iraq's oil fields. Democrats in Congress last week charged the contract has ballooned to $1.25bn.
Iraq's oil network has been repeatedly targeted by saboteurs in an apparent bid to deprive the US-led coalition from a major source of cash. An export pipeline to Turkey that was blown up in mid-August remains out of service.
But Jordan has signed an agreement to buy 2.6 million barrels of Iraqi oil for its own consumption at a cost of more than $70m in the first such deal since the US-led war on its neighbour.
Jordanian Energy ministry official Khaldun Qtaishat said the crude oil, bought at the world market price, would ensure supplies until the end of the year along with purchases from Saudi Arabia.
Qtaishat said the oil would be transported by sea from Iraq's oil port of Mina Al-Bakr near Basra to Aqaba in southern Jordan and would arrive in 10 to 15 days.
Before the war to topple Saddam Hussein's regime Jordan took all its oil from Iraq, importing 5.5 million ton annually by road, half of it free and the other half at a preferential price.
Iran announced on Saturday it was ready to refine and export 350,000 barrels of Iraqi oil a day in its Abadan refinery, not far from the border, in order to help its once arch foe develop its export capabilities.