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 Iraqi schoolgirls walk past a Mercy Corps water supply project where ditiches are being dug for new pipes in Al Kut, Iraq, on November 9. The project will supply clean water for 75 percent of the city, reaching approximately 400,000 people.
Photo: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images |
INTERNATIONAL NEWS No war, no deals Just hours before US President George W Bush was scheduled to speak with foreign leaders about wiping out Iraq's debt, Deputy Secretary of Defence Paul Wolfowitz issued a list on December 9 allowing 63 countries, including Micronesia and Tonga, as eligible to compete for 26 lucrative reconstruction contracts, valued at close to $20 billion, in Iraq. India, Canada, France, Germany, Russia, Sweden, Austria and Switzerland were not on that list, though they would be eligible to bid for subcontracts. Following howls of protests from these nations, many of whom threatened not to accede to US requests to write off Iraqi debts, estimated at more than $100 billion, President Bush sent former secretary of state James A Baker III as a personal emissary to Europe, Japan and Russia. After wrangling, many of these nations finally agreed to write off a substantial amount of Iraqi debt. Unconfirmed reports said the US had agreed to allow France, Germany, Russia, Canada and Japan limited access to the main contracts. Text: Ramananda Sengupta US extracts revenge on war opponents The Gulf War II
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