GAO Reports Iraq is Worse Off Than Before the War Began,

[G_j]

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0629-10.htm

Iraq is Worse Off Than Before the War Began, GAO Reports

by Seth Borenstein

WASHINGTON - In a few key areas - electricity, the judicial system and overall security - the Iraq that America handed back to its residents Monday is worse off than before the war began last year, according to calculations in a new General Accounting Office report released Tuesday.

The 105-page report by Congress' investigative arm offers a bleak assessment of Iraq after 14 months of U.S. military occupation. Among its findings:

-In 13 of Iraq's 18 provinces, electricity was available fewer hours per day on average last month than before the war. Nearly 20 million of Iraq's 26 million people live in those provinces.

-Only $13.7 billion of the $58 billion pledged and allocated worldwide to rebuild Iraq has been spent, with another $10 billion about to be spent. The biggest chunk of that money has been used to run Iraq's ministry operations.


..more..

[izzie]

1. And the corp. now have control of all the sales etc.

If this is not rape of a country I do not know what is. I guess we could look at the bright side. Since we need so many of our service people their to protect these corp. we will not be able to take over any other country before Nov.

[G_j]

2. might as well throw this story in as well

(OK Dems where are you?)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4957988-103681,00.html

Billions of revenue from oil 'missing'

Stephen Bates and Richard Norton-Taylor
Monday June 28, 2004

The Guardian

A Christian charity has accused the coalition authority in Iraq of failing to account for up to $20bn (nearly £11bn) of oil revenues which should have been spent on relief and reconstruction projects.
At the same time, the Liberal Democrats are demanding an investigation into the way the US-led administration in Baghdad has handled Iraq's oil revenues. The coalition is obliged to pay all oil revenues into the Development Fund for Iraq, but according to Liberal Democrat figures, the fund could be short by as much as $3.7bn.

Sir Menzies Campbell, Lib Dem foreign affairs spokesman, said yesterday: "This apparent discrepancy requires full investigation".

Christian Aid, in a report today, claims that the US-controlled Coalition Provisional Authority, which hands over power to an interim administration in Iraq this week, is in flagrant breach of the UN security council resolution which gave it control of the country's oil revenues.

Resolution 1483, passed in May 2003, stated that the money should be spent in the interests of the Iraqi people and independently audited, but an auditor was appointed only in April.

..more..

[G_j]

5. attention: John Kerry

are you going to address the missing oil revenues?

We were told this war was not about oil.

[Bluebear]

6. kick

[keithyboy]

3. Gee i just posted something similar. Anyone with half a brain knows that

Iraq is worse off now than even after 14 years of constant bombing and sanctions. But they certainly are much worse off than before Desert Storm which is the cause of the poor state of the infrastructure and water and energy systems. Before Desert Storm, Iraq had one of the most beautiful countries is the world and the most literate populations in the ME, including highly educated and politically active women. It's a lie that Saddam is the cause of the state of Iraq...WE and the rest of the world that supported the sanctions are.

Just think what a wonderful country Cuba would be now had it not been for our sanctions and embargos. Even with all of that they have managed to have the most literate nation in the Western hemisphere.

[G_j]

4. the poor country is just a shell

will it ever recover? That is doubtful.