MEDIA REACTION: REBUILDING CONTRACTS IN IRAQ

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 005438 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; NEA/RA; INR/R/MR; PA; INR/NESA; INR/B; IIP/G/NEA-SA WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE; NSC SECDEF FOR OASD/PA USCINCCENT FOR POLAD LONDON FOR GOLDRICH; PARIS FOR O'FRIEL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP KMDR TC SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: REBUILDING CONTRACTS IN IRAQ ¶1. SUMMARY: UAE COLUMNIST ABDULLAH RASHEED WROTE IN ABU DHABI BASED SEMI-OFFICIAL ARABIC DAILY "AL-ITTIHAD" 12/29 THAT THE U.S. ENJOYS EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS IN THE REBUILDING CONTRACTS IN IRAQ. HE NOTED THAT BECAUSE THE U.S. SACRIFICED ITS PEOPLE AND RESOURCES AND MANAGED TO RID IRAQ FROM THE BAATHIST REGIME, IT HAS FULL AND EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS IN ALL REBUILDING CONTRACTS IN IRAQ. END SUMMARY. ¶2. UNDER THE HEADLINE "A VERY LOGICAL BANNING," UAE COLUMNIST ABDULLAH RASHEED WROTE IN AL-ITTIHAD 12/29: "IT IS NATURAL THAT THE U.S. WOULD BAN COUNTRIES THAT OPPOSED THE WAR AGAINST THE DICTATOR'S REGIME IN IRAQ FROM ANY REBUILDING CONTRACTS. IT IS ALSO LOGICAL THAT THE AMERICAN COMPANIES WOULD HAVE THE LION'S SHARE OF THOSE CONTRACTS. ARE NOT AMERICA AND THE UK THE TWO COUNTRIES THAT ADVENTURED THEIR SOLDIERS AND RESOURCES AND PROVIDED TENS OF THEIR CHILDREN TO EXPEL THE BAATHIST REGIME AND RID THE IRAQIS OF ITS SUPPRESSION? IS IT LOGICAL THAT AMERICA AND BRITAIN PAY HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS AND LIVES OF THEIR CHILDREN AND THOSE WHO OPPOSED THEIR ACTION COME TO GET PART OF THE CAKE SO EASILY?" ¶3. "I WAS ASTONISHED BY MANY ANALYSTS, MILITARY EXPERTS AND EVEN ECONOMISTS WHO PROTESTED THE DECISION BY WASHINGTON TO BAN GERMAN, FRENCH AND EVEN ARAB COMPANIES FROM ANY REBUILDING CONTRACTS IN IRAQ. NOT ONLY THIS, SOME EVEN DARED TO ASK FOR SOME OF THE CONTRACTS FOR ARAB COMPANIES IN COUNTRIES THAT OPPOSED THE WAR AGAINST SADDAM. I DO NOT WANT TO GET INTO DETAILS, BUT ONLY TO ASK THOSE ANALYSTS HOW WOULD YOU REQUEST REBUILDING CONTRACTS FOR COUNTRIES THAT DEFENDED THE TYRANT'S REGIME? WHAT KIND OF LOGIC AND PRINCIPLE IS THIS?" ¶4. "THOSE WHO BROUGHT THEIR FLEETS ARE AMERICANS AND BRITISH, WHO ALSO MOBILIZED THEIR FIGHTERS AND MISSILES TO TOPPLE SADDAM'S FORTRESSES. THEY HAVE ENDANGERED THE LIVES OF THEIR CHILDREN AND EVEN LOST SOME OF THEM AND OTHER MILITARY EQUIPMENT IN THE BATTLEFIELD. FOR GOD'S SAKE, AFTER ALL THESE LOSSES AND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, HOW WOULD SOMEONE WHO STAYED IN HIS OWN HOUSE WATCHING THE WAR ON SATELLITE CHANNEL TO GET A SHARE THE REBUILDING WHAT THE BATH MAFIA DESTROYED?" ¶5. `WHEN THE SECOND WORLD WAR ENDED WITH JAPAN'S SURRENDER ON AUGUST 14, 1945. THE U.S. BEGAN REBUILDING JAPAN AND PLACED AN AMBITIOUS PLAN TOWARDS THIS END, BUT NO ONE OF THE JAPANESE OR THOSE WHO SUPPORTED THEM IN THE WAR AGAINST AMERICA DARED TO FORCE WASHINGTON TO INCLUDE THEM IN THE REBUILDING CONTRACTS. THE SAME THING HAPPENED WITH GERMANY ON AUGUST 7 OF THE SAME YEAR. THE U.S., THEN, DRAFTED MARSHAL PLAN TO REBUILD EUROPE FOR WHICH IT ALLOCATED 20 BILLION DOLLARS. NO ONE DARED TO ASK THE U.S. TO INCLUDE NAZI COMPANIES OR COMPANIES THAT BELONGED TO COUNTRIES THAT FOUGHT THE WAR AGAINST THE U.S. IN REBUILDING EUROPE. THE U.S. FOUGHT THE WAR AND SACRIFICED 292 THOUSAND OF ITS CHILDREN TO RID EUROPE AND THE WORLD FROM NAZISM AND THEREFORE, IT HAD THE RIGHT TO TAKE THE LION'S SHARE OF THE REBUILDING CONTRACTS ION EUROPE AND JAPAN, AND THAT WAS LOGICAL. THE SAME LOGIC REMAINS TRUE IN THE REBUILDING CONTRACTS IN IRAQ WHERE THE U.S. HAS EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS IN ALL CONTRACTS." WAHBA