Iraq Reconstruction News 10 February 2007

Iraq Reconstruction News
10 February 2007


1. On this date in 1258, Hulagu Khan and the Mongols sacked and burned Baghdad, a cultural and commercial centre of the Islamic world at the time, ending the rule of the Abbasid caliphate. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baghdad

2. SIGIR: Status of Medical Equipment and Other Non-construction Items Purchased for PHCs http://www.sigir.mil/reports/pdf/audits/06-030.pdf

3. KRG US Representative says sound oil policy promotes stability. Washington DC, US (KRG.org) - Qubad Talabany, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Representative to the United States, last Thursday testified before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the political strategy for Iraq. He said that a sound petroleum policy was necessary and could help to stabilise Iraq. He also stressed the need to follow the already agreed timetable for resolving the status of Kirkuk. http://www.krg.org/articles/article_detail.asp?ArticleNr=16019&LangNr=12&LNNr=28&RNNr=70

4. Soothing fears in northern Iraq. U.S. general advises council to look at its resources for solution to security concerns. http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=43334

5. SAIC in Iraq: A Closer Look. Science Applications International Corporation is one of the major contractors doing work in the Iraq reconstruction. Journalists Don Barlett and James Steele investigated the little-known corporation for this month's issue of Vanity Fair. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7238049

6. Hindered by Delays and Corruption, the Iraqi Air Force Is Flying Again, but Barely. TAJI MILITARY BASE, Iraq — The five droopy blades of a new Russian-made helicopter painted with the Iraqi flag began spinning and the aircraft hovered off the ground, purring like an oversize Cadillac. “Sir, you have the controls,” an American in the co-pilot’s seat said late last month. “I have the controls,” replied the Iraqi pilot. The helicopter lifted, banked hard to the right over a junkyard, a palm grove and a series of warehouses, then soared toward the greenish waters of the Tigris River at the perimeter of this base. It would be an unremarkable sequence in almost any country, but here it is significant: it means that the Iraqi Air Force is flying again. http://www.nytimes.com:80/2007/02/05/world/middleeast/05helos.html?em&ex=1170824400&en=99ba73957cbcbcfe&ei=5087%0A

7. Iran to cooperate with Iraq in telecom field http://www.taliyanews.com/en/archive/2007/02/iran_to_cooperate_with_iraq_in.php

8. Iraq's 2007 budget allocates $7b for oil subsidies http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=1093141853

9. Iraq slow to move on 350 polluted areas. Iraq’s government has identified hundreds of polluted sites that pose huge health hazards, but insecurity and lack of funds are stifling attempts to make them safe, a minister said on Wednesday. http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=3105

10. Iraqi fears of the consequences of raising support from fuel prices http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=3088

11. Minister of Industry and Minerals discusses with major American companies the opportunities of industrial investment in Iraq
http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=3058

12. South Baghdad neighborhoods get water, sewer upgrade http://www.grd.usace.army.mil/news/releases/NR07-02-05.pdf

13. Fight for Baghdad Starts with Fight for Police Force. All Things Considered, February 8, 2007 · Iraqi police are a key component for the American and Iraqi troop strategy for securing Baghdad. But it's an uphill struggle for American trainers to create a sense of responsibility and professionalism — and to combat infiltration by militias. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7283451

14. Assyrian Official of Iraqi Airways Gunned Down http://www.aina.org/news/2007020791201.htm

15. New Top Commander Counts Hired Guards Among His Assets. The Defense Department plans to continue hiring private contractors to provide security at reconstruction projects in Iraq and to train U.S. and Iraqi military officers in counterinsurgency, despite problems with past contracts for such jobs that traditionally have been done by military personnel. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/03/AR2007020301372.html

16. U.S. judge dismisses fraud allegation against war contractor. McLEAN, Virginia: A federal judge for a second time has tossed out civil fraud charges against a Virginia-based military contractor accused by whistleblowers of scamming the U.S. government out of tens of millions dollars (euros) in the months following the 2003 Iraq invasion. The ruling, made public Tuesday, is a decisive victory for Fairfax, Virginia-based Custer Battles LLC, which has been pilloried in Congress and elsewhere as a poster child for the fraud and mismanagement that plagued the occupation of Iraq under the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/08/america/NA-GEN-US-War-Contractor.php

17. Korea, Iraq Agree to Expand Economic Ties. Korea and Iraq have agreed to expand cooperation in construction, energy, information technology (IT) and other industrial fields, the Ministry of Construction and Transportation said Thursday. http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/biz/200702/kt2007020818315811860.htm

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