Iraq Reconstruction News 23 January 2007

Iraq Reconstruction News
23 January 2007

1. Dems plan Iraq contract hearings in first oversight step. CongressDaily. In a sign that the Bush administration is entering a period of intense scrutiny from the new powerbrokers on Capitol Hill, a leading Democrat with oversight responsibility will announce next week a wide-ranging probe of government contracts for rebuilding Iraq. On Tuesday, the day of President Bush's State of the Union speech, House Oversight and Government Reform Government Management Subcommittee Chairman Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., plans to unveil an investigation into "no-bid" contracts and possible conflicts of interest in the awarding of Iraq reconstruction contracts by the Pentagon. A Towns press release dated Jan. 23 states that "one of the primary targets of the investigations" would be "the Halliburton Corp. and its subsidiary Kellogg, Brown and Root." It also notes that Vice President Cheney is the former Halliburton CEO. http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=35912&dcn=e_gvet

2. Thousands Benefit from first Healthcare Clinic in Salah Al Den. TIKRIT, Iraq – More than 112,000 people in the Salah Al Den Province are receiving healthcare from the first completed Primary Healthcare Center (PHC) in the north. http://www.grd.usace.army.mil/news/releases/NR07-01-16.html

3. Basra to get first cardiac hospital for $22 million. http://www.aswataliraq.info/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=35268&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

4. Iran, Iraq ink Memorandum Of Understanding on expansion of transportation ties. http://www.mehrnews.ir/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=435739

5. Advisers: Baghdad repair will take time. WASHINGTON - Americans and Iraqis, working together to try to make Baghdad a livable city under gunfire, have made some headway in building sewer systems and schools. But the American heads of the 80-person provisional reconstruction team that provides advice acknowledged Wednesday that "it will take a very long time" to get the job done. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070117/ap_on_re_mi_ea/us_iraq_reconstruction_2

6. Iraq promotes investment opportunities in the sectors of industry, tourism and construction. Iraqi officials and businessmen called their counterparts in the Emirates to invest in the various economic sectors in Iraq in spite of the deteriorating the security situation and its adverse repercussions on the economic conditions, considering that some areas are still providing opportunities for investment due to the relative security calmness in them; in the light of Iraq's need for considerable investments covering all fields. http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=2961

7. Construction Rollup: Project Starts, Completions. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division completed 38 construction projects and started 23 new projects in Iraq from Dec.29, 2006-Jan. 12, 2007. http://www.grd.usace.army.mil/news/releases/NR07-01-17.html

8. Grants awarded to microfinance organizations in Iraq. http://www.portaliraq.com/news/Grants+awarded+to+microfinance+organizations+in+Iraq__1112425.html

9. Diary of Saad Eskander, Director of the Iraq National Library and Archive. http://portico.bl.uk/iraqdiary.html

10. Iraq given access to Iran's southern ports. http://www.iranmania.com/News/ArticleView/Default.asp?NewsCode=49050&NewsKind=Current%20Affairs

11. Assassinations and kidnappings thwart Iraq reconstruction efforts. http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2007/s1829318.htm

12. IRAQ: Kurdistan, low in violence but lacking services. IRIN. ARBIL - Unlike other parts of the country, the three-province autonomous northern region of Kurdistan is not the Iraq of roadside bombs and beheadings. It is relatively safe and well-protected by an experienced security force. Locals and foreigners alike can walk around freely and there is even an active nightlife. “Have you seen the other parts of Iraq? It's spectacular. It’s peaceful,” states a website advertisement to lure tourists and investors to Kurdistan, which consists of Sulaymaniyah, Dahuk and Arbil provinces. “Welcome to Iraqi Kurdistan where democracy has been practiced for over a decade. This is not a dream. It’s the other Iraq,” adds the advertisement. However, not all Kurds are in accordance with the picture painted of their region by advertisements or politicians. http://www.kurdishaspect.com/doc0118IRIN.html

13. Long Road Ahead to Iraq Reconstruction, Say Team Leaders. WASHINGTON — Americans and Iraqis, working together to try to make Baghdad a livable city under gunfire, have made some headway in building sewer systems and schools. But the American heads of the 80-person provisional reconstruction team that provides advice acknowledged Wednesday that "it will take a very long time" to get the job done. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,244235,00.html

14. Iraqi Troops Bedeviled By a Range of Problems. BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Concerned that an Iraqi military base had grown too dependent on U.S. supplies, American officials decided to test how it would cope if forced to rely on its own supply lines for fuel. The result: three days of intermittent blackouts. U.S. troops finally rushed emergency fuel to turn the base's lights on and keep its vehicles moving. "The Iraqis were not stepping up," says Lt. Col. Kenneth Kirkpatrick, who supervises logistics at the Taji base on the outskirts of the Iraqi capital. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116917142338481046.html?mod=special_page_iraq_1

15. Interview of David Satterfield, State Department, Senior Coordinator for Iraq. http://switchboard.real.com/player/email.html?PV=6.0.12&&title=Washington%20Journal%3A%20Sunday%2C%20Jan.%2014&link=rtsp%3A%2F%2Fvideo.c%2Dspan.org%2Fproject%2Firaq%2Firaq%5Fwj011407%5Fsatterfield.rm

16. GRD Iraq Reconstruction Report, 22 January 2007. http://www.grd.usace.army.mil/news/releases/20070122.pdf

17. Iraqi oil exports still below pre-war level. http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2007-01-22\kurd1.htm

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