Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Some governments baulk at Iraq contract
Region, Conference, Economy
(AP) - Some governments key to Iraq's future are balking at entering into an ambitious contract with the country that commits them to substantial aid in exchange for a promise of unity in Iraq within five years. The International Compact with Iraq, which is being launched Thursday at a conference in this Red Sea resort, was unveiled soon after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki took office in June 2006.
Strongly backed by the United Nations, it aims to strengthen the role of the international community in stabilizing Iraq. But as the government struggles to stem the violence, Sunni-dominated Arab countries and several major European and Asian countries have indicated an unwillingness to spend more on Iraq.
The United States, the U.N. chief and the Iraq prime minister have been actively seeking support for the five-year compact. Al-Maliki went on a Mideast tour last week to push the compact, and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sent his special adviser on the compact to several countries in Europe and the Mideast. The Bush administration also has been trying hard to persuade other countries to follow the its lead and write off Iraq's huge debt.
Said Arikat, spokesman for the U.N. mission in Iraq, said Tuesday that about 50 countries have said they will attend Thursday's gathering. In return, the international community would accept that reforms can only be achieved with cooperation and investment. Such assistance "can include the granting of 100 percent debt relief" and financial and technical assistance, the compact says.
In an interview last week, Ban urged the world to be generous, expressing hope that international support would spur the Iraqi people to promote national reconciliation. The 42-page compact says the police and military must be "depoliticized, impartial, accountable, transparent, and professional." It also says the government will seek support from all parties to dissolve militias and reintegrate their members.
But Sunni-dominated Arab countries are not convinced that Iraq's Shiite-led government will live up to those goals, complicating efforts to generate wide support for the compact. Several major European and Asian countries, meanwhile, have let it be known they don't have extra money to help Iraq.
The compact projects economic growth jumping from 3 percent in 2006 to 15.4 percent in 2007 and then slowing to 5.3 percent in 2011 _ the last year of the compact. It also projects oil production increasing from 1.97 million barrels per day in 2006 to 2.35 million barrels daily in 2007 and 3.5 million barrels per day in 2011. The compact requires the government to establish a human rights commission, enforce the rule of law in police operations, courts and prisons, develop anti-corruption plans and reform the civil service. It provides for an oil-profit sharing law and a fully funded budget for 2007.
Strongly backed by the United Nations, it aims to strengthen the role of the international community in stabilizing Iraq. But as the government struggles to stem the violence, Sunni-dominated Arab countries and several major European and Asian countries have indicated an unwillingness to spend more on Iraq.
The United States, the U.N. chief and the Iraq prime minister have been actively seeking support for the five-year compact. Al-Maliki went on a Mideast tour last week to push the compact, and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sent his special adviser on the compact to several countries in Europe and the Mideast. The Bush administration also has been trying hard to persuade other countries to follow the its lead and write off Iraq's huge debt.
Said Arikat, spokesman for the U.N. mission in Iraq, said Tuesday that about 50 countries have said they will attend Thursday's gathering. In return, the international community would accept that reforms can only be achieved with cooperation and investment. Such assistance "can include the granting of 100 percent debt relief" and financial and technical assistance, the compact says.
In an interview last week, Ban urged the world to be generous, expressing hope that international support would spur the Iraqi people to promote national reconciliation. The 42-page compact says the police and military must be "depoliticized, impartial, accountable, transparent, and professional." It also says the government will seek support from all parties to dissolve militias and reintegrate their members.
But Sunni-dominated Arab countries are not convinced that Iraq's Shiite-led government will live up to those goals, complicating efforts to generate wide support for the compact. Several major European and Asian countries, meanwhile, have let it be known they don't have extra money to help Iraq.
The compact projects economic growth jumping from 3 percent in 2006 to 15.4 percent in 2007 and then slowing to 5.3 percent in 2011 _ the last year of the compact. It also projects oil production increasing from 1.97 million barrels per day in 2006 to 2.35 million barrels daily in 2007 and 3.5 million barrels per day in 2011. The compact requires the government to establish a human rights commission, enforce the rule of law in police operations, courts and prisons, develop anti-corruption plans and reform the civil service. It provides for an oil-profit sharing law and a fully funded budget for 2007.
Labels: International Compact with Iraq, Iraq, Sharm el-Sheikh
