Friday, April 4, 2003 | 9:11 a.m.
TEL AVIV, Israel -- The financial buzzards are circling and our American troops, in the red zone, are still eating dust, sweating and dying. As in any war that must end in a complete victory or defeat, this one is being waged on the ground by American and British men and women. The area around Baghdad isn't a movie set, it's where people suffer pain and die 24 hours a day.
The Thursday edition of the International Herald Tribune, a New York Times publication, carried an article written by Joseph Fitchett. The writer tells readers of a planned meeting being canceled last weekend. It was called by Medef, which is an organization of major French industrialists, but after discussions with the French government, its leader, Ernst-Antoine Seilliere, canceled the meeting. The purpose of the gathering was "on how to seize opportunities in Iraqi reconstruction."
Because of France's close relationship with Saddam Hussein's government, and its role in trying to stop the United States from taking after Iraq, the meeting was deemed by Seilliere as, "Too early, too high-profile." There are plenty of Americans, including me, who believe 10 years from now will be too early for France or Germany. Both of those nations have been doing big business with the soon-to-be-dethroned ruler. Yes, we can also add Russia to the list of nations that have been making large sums of money in Saddam's Iraq. Now that their cash cow is in trouble, they are seeking new ways to profit from Iraq's large oil deposits the coalition forces have seized and are protecting.
Several weeks ago the move to approve some American corporations very close to Vice President Dick Cheney and the Bush administration caused some heartburn. It's not too early for planning the reconstruction of Iraq but it should be done with the best expertise available and not handed to those with the most political juice. In some cases, the size of the job ahead may result in a large corporation having both the necessary skills and the political juice. This is where, according to Fitchett, some German and French companies intend to tag along and work through their U.S. partners as subcontractors.
The whole issue of awarding contacts and banking dollars when the fighting and dying continues bothers me. Secretary of State Colin Powell promising Turkey a role in the reconstruction of Iraq doesn't calm my nerves. Should our secretary of state be making oral financial contracts with other nations to spend Iraqi oil profits?
Since becoming acquainted with the Turks in Korea, I, like many other Americans, felt a kinship with them. Even when working with the Kurds in northern Iraq, I did my best to understand the position of the Turks. That country's treatment of the U.S. and denying our military ground forces access to Iraq turned me off. Every day that our 4th Infantry Division has been kept from combat and pressuring Baghdad from the north adds to my anger. How many more weeks of fighting and additional dead Americans and Brits have the Turks caused by dragging out their decision and finally denying our troops access to the northern front? Now we are willing to kiss and make up with financial promises so they will be good boys who won't invade the part of Iraq owned by the Kurds. Congress should take a close look at this situation.
The financial buzzards are circling over the young Americans and Brits even before they finish their jobs, die or are wounded. There is something wrong about this picture.
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