Citing security costs, U.S. contractor pulls out of Iraq

[leftchick]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002127157_contract22.html

WASHINGTON — For the first time, a major U.S. contractor has dropped out of the multibillion-dollar effort to rebuild Iraq, raising new worries about the country's growing violence and its effect on reconstruction.

Contrack International, the leader of a partnership that won one of 12 major reconstruction contracts awarded this year, cited skyrocketing security costs in reaching a decision with the U.S. government last month to stop work in Iraq.

"We reached a point where our costs were getting to be prohibitive," said Karim Camel-Toueg, president of Arlington, Va.-based Contrack, which had won a $325 million award to rebuild Iraq's transportation system. "We felt we were not serving the government, and that the dollars were not being spent smartly."

While a few companies and nonprofit groups have pulled out of contracts in Iraq because of security concerns, Contrack's is by far the largest to be canceled to date, U.S. officials said. The move has led to fears that Iraq's mounting violence could prompt other companies to consider pulling out, or discourage them from seeking work in Iraq, further crippling reconstruction.

[acmavm]

1. What? Don't they want to bring 'freedom' to Iraq? Where's their

patriotism? And it's the COST of security that's driving them out? Not the loss of lives, but what it costs them to promote the neocon dream of making Iraq satellite state in the Middle East?

Sheesh. Someone forgot to make the Kool Aid.

[saigon68]

2. Freedom is 0n the March

OOPS

[UpInArms]

3. this entire fiasco has wasted lives and dollars

Contrack's partnership was supposed to construct new roads, bridges and transportation terminals in Iraq. It wound up only refurbishing a handful of train depots, company officials said.

Nonetheless, the company was paid about $30 million during the eight months it was under contract, mostly for site assessments and design work, company and U.S. officials said.

"It's not a terrible loss," said Amy Burns, spokeswoman for the Pentagon's Iraq Project and Contracting Office.

$30 million dollars for a "handful" of train depots - that's max of five - so it cost $6 million for each depot!

How many people died for that $30 million? We shall never know.

Someone needs to shake some sense into these fools heads.

:argh:

[ClintonTyree]

4. They probably are getting .............

exponentially higher Insurance Bills because of those triple indemnity Insurance Policies they're paying off for dead employees. It sounds harsh, but it's probably true. This Company's "patriotic" duty begins and ends at the bottom line of the balance sheet.
They all wanted a spot at the trough, raking in those fat government contracts where corruption and theft run rampant. They never figured they'd be getting killed. Not with our "fearful leader" in charge and Rummy the Dummy running the operation. They figured wrong.
"*" and his "pressed board" cabinet screwed things up from day one. There couldn't have been a worse plan in place had Osama himself been in charge.
Too bad, you money grubbing purveyors of death. "*" screwed you, just like he's screwing 99% of the rest of Americans.

[LynnTheDem]

5. Now that is 100% absolute proof that bush's war of aggression = FUBAR.

Totally fucked up.

Way to go, bush. You've not only proved to the world what a war criminal lying ignorant stupid asshole you are, you've not only been the direct cause of hundreds of thousands of casualties...you can't even run the looting of a country any better than you did your failed bankrupt businesses.

bush is a TOTAL FAILURE. Always has been, always will be.

[leesa]

6. Excellent. You greedy whores went to exploit and it cost too much.

[KingChicken]

7. Corporate whores are on the run, they bit off more than they can chew...

It's like watching a fat kid running away from a barking dog.

Greed = Eventual Self Destruction

[0007]

8. The cracks are starting to appear. 'Tis a good sign

Bring the troops home and getting the hell out of Iraq is the next step.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/iraq/la-fg-pullout22dec22,0,5578961.story?coll=la-home-headlines

WASHINGTON — For the first time, a major U.S. contractor has dropped out of the multibillion-dollar effort to rebuild Iraq, raising new worries about the country's growing violence and its effect on reconstruction.

Contrack International Inc., the leader of a partnership that won one of 12 major reconstruction contracts awarded this year, cited skyrocketing security costs in reaching a decision with the U.S. government last month to terminate work in Iraq.

[Earth_First]

9. U.S. troops providing security details for contractor convoys...

and CACI International providing security on the troops providing the security, still cannot secure Iraq.

Yet we are making "progress"!?!

Why hasn't the mall in Washington been flooded with the 49% who voted against this lunacy? Why isn't the Capital burning right now?

[grumpy old fart]

10. Contrak is essentially a Middle Eastern Company

In 1998, Orascom Construction Industries, the largest private construction firm in Egypt, acquired 45 percent of Contrack . Egyptian-businessman Naguib Sawiris, son of the founder of Orascom and a former board member, owns the controlling interest in Contrack, according to a trade publication. Sawiris, whose family is Egypt's answer to the Rockefellers, holds U.S. citizenship, which allows Contrack to be eligible for certain U.S. government financed projects

http://www.publicintegrity.org/wow/bio.aspx?act=pro&ddlC=10

[jmcgowanjm]

11. Thanx GOF, US just raided Orascom Telecom offices

I was thinking in conjunction w/ death of Iraq Telcom
chief.

I appreciate the new info.

[grumpy old fart]

12. When was the raid?

Maybe real reason for Comtrak "pullout"?

[grumpy old fart]

18. Interesting company, Orascom (owner of Comtrak)....

12-18-04

Meanwhile, Iraq's mobile phone network Iraqna dismissed suggestions yesterday that two of its Egyptian employees had assisted Iraq's insurgents and said their arrests were made on the basis of false information.
Two senior employees of the Egyptian-run company, the chief of security and his deputy were arrested by US and Iraqi forces in a pre-dawn raid two days ago.
"The accusation is that they provided the insurgents with weapons," Shamel Hannafi, the deputy executive director of Iraqna, run by Egypt's Orascom Telecom, told reporters yesterday.

http://www.algomhuria.net.eg/egyptian_mail/m1/

[arkie dem]

13. Merry F#cking Christmas,

Contrack...!!! I hope you lost your ASS...!!!

See what doing business with the devil (Asswipe *) got you!!!

[dbt]

15. Yo, arkie dem!

Welcome to DU!

:hi:
dbt
Hot Spring County

[arkie dem]

19. Thanks dbt,

it's good to be here.

[wicket]

14. What a fucking disaster

:grr: :grr: :grr:

[Cheswick2.0]

16. I can't believe they don't have enough troops over there to protect

the war for profit contractors! Time for the draft dammit!

[Beetwasher]

17. The Whole Idea of "Reconstruction" Is Really Just a Sick, Demented Joke

at this point. Sick fucks.

[uncle ray]

20. are they just walking away from their contracts?

so what's going to keep helliburton from doing the same when it's no longer profitable, leaving our troops royally fucked?

rhetorical question of course.