$4 billion to construct “industrial areas” near U.S. bases in Iraq
Baghdad, 16 July 2008 (Voices of Iraq)
A commander of the U.S. army in Iraq on Wednesday revealed that 4 billion U.S. dollar have been allocated to encounter violence indirectly, by encouraging skillful projects near Multi National Forces’ (MNF) bases in Iraq.
The plan embraces a wider reliance on local abilities and products to provide those forces’ needs, to improve the national economy, in coordination with the Iraqi government.
“It has been agreed upon with the Iraqi government to execute two big projects, Iraq First and the Iraqi Industrial Area, with a total cost of 4 billion U.S. dollar,” the MNF’s personnel and resources commander in Iraq said in a press conference in Baghdad.
“The two projects aim at encountering terror indirectly, by supporting the economy and absorbing unemployment in Iraq,” he added.
“General David Petraeus, commander of MNF in Iraq, ordered U.S. military commanders to work together with Iraqi citizens who have skills, and to buy goods and products from them,” he explained.
“Many projects will be executed near the U.S. bases after allocating pieces of lands suitable for this purpose,” he noted.
“Work in the two projects practically commenced, and some Iraqi skilled persons established small projects of carpentry and smithy near U.S. bases,” he explained.
“The MNF spent 182 million U.S. dollar to buy Iraqi goods, and participated in refreshing 200 Iraqi plastic factories that were shut-down for the last nine months,” he said.
“Iraqi workers form 50 percent of the total labor-force in the U.S. army sponsored projects,” he added.
“There is an intention to increase this force, and to rely on Iraqi products in a wider way to respond to MNF’s demands in the country,” he noted.
“The U.S. administration is worried with the situation of the Iraqi economy, as both raw materials and unemployed people are present on the other hand,” he proceeded.
“The lands will be specified by the Iraqi government, but they will not be private properties,” he said.
“Lands will be used by project owners for a certain period of time, and then will be returned to the government,” he asserted.
A commander of the U.S. army in Iraq on Wednesday revealed that 4 billion U.S. dollar have been allocated to encounter violence indirectly, by encouraging skillful projects near Multi National Forces’ (MNF) bases in Iraq.
The plan embraces a wider reliance on local abilities and products to provide those forces’ needs, to improve the national economy, in coordination with the Iraqi government.
“It has been agreed upon with the Iraqi government to execute two big projects, Iraq First and the Iraqi Industrial Area, with a total cost of 4 billion U.S. dollar,” the MNF’s personnel and resources commander in Iraq said in a press conference in Baghdad.
“The two projects aim at encountering terror indirectly, by supporting the economy and absorbing unemployment in Iraq,” he added.
“General David Petraeus, commander of MNF in Iraq, ordered U.S. military commanders to work together with Iraqi citizens who have skills, and to buy goods and products from them,” he explained.
“Many projects will be executed near the U.S. bases after allocating pieces of lands suitable for this purpose,” he noted.
“Work in the two projects practically commenced, and some Iraqi skilled persons established small projects of carpentry and smithy near U.S. bases,” he explained.
“The MNF spent 182 million U.S. dollar to buy Iraqi goods, and participated in refreshing 200 Iraqi plastic factories that were shut-down for the last nine months,” he said.
“Iraqi workers form 50 percent of the total labor-force in the U.S. army sponsored projects,” he added.
“There is an intention to increase this force, and to rely on Iraqi products in a wider way to respond to MNF’s demands in the country,” he noted.
“The U.S. administration is worried with the situation of the Iraqi economy, as both raw materials and unemployed people are present on the other hand,” he proceeded.
“The lands will be specified by the Iraqi government, but they will not be private properties,” he said.
“Lands will be used by project owners for a certain period of time, and then will be returned to the government,” he asserted. Iraq Updates