Study: Iraqis Failing On Reconstruction
Crime Scene investigator Andres Betancourt photographs a credit card found at the scene belonging to Rudy Eugene, Tuesday, May 29, 2012 in Miami. Authorities were seeking more witnesses Tuesday to help explain what led Eugene, who was naked, to start chewing another naked man's face and whose only response when confronted by police was to growl and keep attacking - even after being shot by police Saturday. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) / Wilfredo Lee
The Iraqi government has refused to take control of more than 2,000 U.S.-funded reconstruction projects, a move that could jeopardize the country's credit line and cost American taxpayers, according to a report by an American watchdog agency.
The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction said the government here initially agreed to take over the projects but the transfers stalled about a month after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki took office in May 2006.
That forced U.S. officials to turn the reconstruction to local officials or to commit more money to keep them running.
The report, which was dated Wednesday, found that no completed projects had been transferred to the national government since June 30, 2006. It said 2,362 completed projects valued at $5.3 billion were pending as of May 31.
By contrast, 435 completed projects worth $501 million had been transferred between April 23, 2006, and June 30, 2006, according to the report.
U.S. officials have, however, formally handed 1,576 projects worth $2.6 billion to local officials despite concerns they may not be able to properly finish and run the projects.
The Washington-based agency warned that delays in transferring the projects meant less collateral for the Iraqi government in seeking loans "and could result in additional sustainment expenses for the U.S. governmental agencies that completed the projects."
The report singled out Finance Minister Bayan Jabr, who it said had changed government conditions for the transfers, effectively halting the process at the national level in July 2006.
Jabr and other Finance Ministry representatives could not be reached for comment, and al-Maliki's spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said he had no information about the report.
A senior adviser at the Iraqi Planning Ministry, which is responsible for overseeing reconstruction programs, said the government was willing to take over completed projects unless they had immediate budget implications that would need to be addressed.
"We are in need of these projects," said the adviser, Faik Abdul-Rasool. "If it is completed, we would be very happy to receive that project and start running it unless it has a financial implication on the budget, then this would be delayed."
The assessment was the latest piece of bad news for a U.S.-led war and rebuilding effort that has already cost nearly $400 billion.
Investigators said in an audit three months ago that U.S. efforts to rebuild Iraq are so beset with daily violence, corruption and poor maintenance that Iraqis will not be capable of managing reconstruction anytime soon.
Where U.S.-funded projects are built and handed over to the Iraqis, they "are not being adequately maintained," according to the April audit by the inspector general's office.
Sustainability is an important factor in explaining the slow progress in a sectors such as oil, gas, water and electricity.
A $90 million rehabilitation of the Doura power plant failed because local employees didn't know how to operate the turbines and used the wrong fuel, reports CBS News correspondent Allen Pizzey.
Lt General Ray Odierno said his troops had a plan in place for Iraq's Diyala Province, but ultimately, it came down to Iraqi forces being able to take over from American troops.
"That's why ultimately our strategy needs to be a deliberate one which allows us to maintain people here to help them over a longer period of time," Odierno said. "This will not be fixed in six months, one year, two years or three years."
© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction said the government here initially agreed to take over the projects but the transfers stalled about a month after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki took office in May 2006.
That forced U.S. officials to turn the reconstruction to local officials or to commit more money to keep them running.
The report, which was dated Wednesday, found that no completed projects had been transferred to the national government since June 30, 2006. It said 2,362 completed projects valued at $5.3 billion were pending as of May 31.
By contrast, 435 completed projects worth $501 million had been transferred between April 23, 2006, and June 30, 2006, according to the report.
U.S. officials have, however, formally handed 1,576 projects worth $2.6 billion to local officials despite concerns they may not be able to properly finish and run the projects.
The Washington-based agency warned that delays in transferring the projects meant less collateral for the Iraqi government in seeking loans "and could result in additional sustainment expenses for the U.S. governmental agencies that completed the projects."
The report singled out Finance Minister Bayan Jabr, who it said had changed government conditions for the transfers, effectively halting the process at the national level in July 2006.
Jabr and other Finance Ministry representatives could not be reached for comment, and al-Maliki's spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said he had no information about the report.
A senior adviser at the Iraqi Planning Ministry, which is responsible for overseeing reconstruction programs, said the government was willing to take over completed projects unless they had immediate budget implications that would need to be addressed.
"We are in need of these projects," said the adviser, Faik Abdul-Rasool. "If it is completed, we would be very happy to receive that project and start running it unless it has a financial implication on the budget, then this would be delayed."
The assessment was the latest piece of bad news for a U.S.-led war and rebuilding effort that has already cost nearly $400 billion.
Investigators said in an audit three months ago that U.S. efforts to rebuild Iraq are so beset with daily violence, corruption and poor maintenance that Iraqis will not be capable of managing reconstruction anytime soon.
Where U.S.-funded projects are built and handed over to the Iraqis, they "are not being adequately maintained," according to the April audit by the inspector general's office.
Sustainability is an important factor in explaining the slow progress in a sectors such as oil, gas, water and electricity.
A $90 million rehabilitation of the Doura power plant failed because local employees didn't know how to operate the turbines and used the wrong fuel, reports CBS News correspondent Allen Pizzey.
Lt General Ray Odierno said his troops had a plan in place for Iraq's Diyala Province, but ultimately, it came down to Iraqi forces being able to take over from American troops.
"That's why ultimately our strategy needs to be a deliberate one which allows us to maintain people here to help them over a longer period of time," Odierno said. "This will not be fixed in six months, one year, two years or three years."
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Bremer and the other scum who run, or have ran, the political and economic end of the occupation robbed and are robbing Iraq blind and have left a legacy of death and destruction which will endure long after the invading armies have departed. So many of the projects inflicted upon the Iraqis are shoddy, overpriced and already crumbling.
Down with the Regime! Troops Home Now!
Perhaps they also know that the American version of "Democracy is selective and hypocritical"
After all, we imposed it on them with an invasion and ultimatum "The US will not leave before Democratic elections are held" then we gave another ultimatum--"The Sunnis did not participate so we can't leave because the process did not count" So they did it again. Then we still stayed and they knew we were liars and would not leave voluntarily.
The fact is, "Democracy" as America is known for applying it is a euphemism for Imperialism and exploitation to feed the American greed machine. Usually, we install a fake gov or dictator who let's us do what we want with the resources. Be it a puppet regime in Iraq who lets us drill for oil, or fake regimes in the Phillipines and S. America who let us exploit and exhaust resources in the jungles such as teak, rosewood, etc. The fact is, only Americans buy the vision of themselves as selfless heros of the world. Everyone else, knows and experiences a different version of Democracy. So far, the Iraqi version has cost them hundreds of thousands of lives--and they know they owe the pwr vacuum that cause it all--to the US.
The people in some societies haven't demanded a voice in their government. The Middle East remembers the West for the Crusades, but they missed out on the Rennaisance and don't share the centuries during which the Magna Carta has been the minimum in citizens' rights. Handing them democracy unbidden, seems like a trap to them. Democracy is the antithesis of everything in their history, but theirs is the way they know and have adapted to. Democracy is the unknown and therefore it's frightening.
We impose our standards upon other countries at our own risk. An imposed democracy often changes elected leaders into the new dictators.
This is a difficult one. On one hand, the Iraqi people need to step up and rebuild their own infrastructure........on the other hand, we are the ones who attacked them (for no reason other than Bush wanted a photo op on the aircraft carrier), so we should apologize, clean up our mess, restore utilities, and leave.
When Bush overthrew, and subsequently hanged, Saddam, he unleashed an internal CIVIL WAR, pure and simple.
Like every thing else, this administration simply denies and/or %u201Cre-names%u201D anything and everything that results from their incompetent/illegal actions.
At first they labeled the uprising %u201Cinsurgency%u201D and then gradually morphed it into, "Al Qaeda sponsored, terrorism".
It is still a civil war and the only reason it has not ended by now is because of the costly (especially in death and injury) interference by U S forces.
As long as we continue to interfere, and unless we choose one side over the other (or others), it will not end.
No Iraqi government can have control until the civil war ends, deciding WHO will be in control.
Only then can they responsibly take over any %u201Creconstruction%u201D in Iraq.
Colon Powell said, %u201CIf you break it you own it%u201D.
However, continuing to Spend/waste life and fortune in the midst of a civil war is like continuing to wipe-dry outdoor seats during a downpour.
I heard that Bush and Kerry both belong to Skull and Bones.
The Skull and Bones society figures prominently in recent film Matt Damon film, "The Good Shepherd."
Audio and transcript the April 23, 2001 ABC News segment: Behind the Closed Doors of a Secret Society - ABC News' Dan Harris reports on covertly shot footage that exposes the "Bonesmen" of Skull & Bones as they preform occult rituals at "The Tomb" in New Haven. The video - shot with nightvision technology and a microphone - was secretly captured with a hidden camera on the evening of April 14, 2001 by New York Observer reporter Ron Rosenbaum. Link has additional pertinent information, as well.