Son of the Prime Minister ordered the evacuation of companies from the Green Zone
01/17/2012 | (Voice of Iraq) - Add comments - about: New York Times, said industry officials that the Iraqi authorities arrested a few hundreds of foreign contractors in recent weeks, including several Americans working at the Embassy of the United States, in reference to the government Iraq is trying to prove its sovereignty after the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq last month. Most of the arrests took place at the airport in Baghdad and checkpoints in the capital after the Iraqi authorities asked for documentation of contractors, including entry visa to the country and weapons permits and authorization drive along certain places.
Although no formal charges, the long detention of about three weeks. This action is the center of other actions undertaken by the Iraqi government to take over, which was performed by the U.S. Army and to demonstrate its control over parts of the country. in the final weeks of military withdrawal, he began the son of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki evacuated Western companies and contractors of the heavily fortified Green Zone, which was a center of U.S. military operations throughout the war. after the departure of the last American forces in January, stopped the Iraqis from the issuance and renewal of weapon permits and other authorizations and restrictions, which led to the arrest of contractors because of the possession of documents already depleted force the Iraqi government refused to renew it.
The authorities imposed new limitations on the visa. In some cases, told the contractors that they have ten days to leave Iraq or face possible arrest in what he called some of the officials, industrialists kind of trouble the organization in advance. In an interview with Mr. Latif Rashid, a senior adviser to Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and former minister of water, said that the lack of confidence of the Iraqi contractors security prompted the government to place them under strict control, "we must apply our rules and our judgments now." This month, authorities opened the records of contractors Iraqi detainees at Baghdad International Airport for nearly a week, is to solve the problems of visa. Officials say industrialists had been arrested more than a dozen foreigners, American officials acknowledged that the arrests without mentioning the number of detainees.
Says foreign businessmen: The presence of contractors Alohliyn is necessary to develop the economy and security of Iraq after the war, and they are an icon that represents American power but some Iraqis accuse Baltskaa in the country. After several violent incidents involving staff Ahleon in security companies, particularly the shooting of 2007 at the Eagles Square in Baghdad by Blackwater, and led to the deaths of 17 civilians, Iraqis have developed a picture of contractors as mercenaries above the law. Iraq's oil sector alone - which constitutes 90 percent of the budget of the country - depends largely on the tens of thousands of foreign workers, and the U.S. Embassy used five thousand contractor to protect and train the Iraqi army used tanks and helicopters and weapons systems sold by the United States to Iraq. The United States provide these contractors documents certified to work in Iraq, but after the American withdrawal was for those dealing with the government of Iraq in a time when the government's political crisis. The delays visa has caused a delay in the daily movement of equipment and personnel in Iraq, which led to official protests of dozens of foreign companies operating in the country, and raised questions about how you want the Maliki government, which deal with foreign workers and the desire of foreign companies to invest in Iraq. Organization says the operations of international stability, a group based in Washington, representing more than fifty companies and aid organizations operating in in areas of conflict - in a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton "Although we are often able to resolve minor differences but that this issue over our ability and we can not solve them." In a telephone conversation with Doug Brock head of the organization, said that the number of civilian contractors who were arrested were a few hundred.
When the Americans and Iraqi officials are negotiating, last summer, in order to keep U.S. forces after 2011, the Iraqis refused to grant U.S. troops immunity from Iraqi law because of what happened from the acts of violence especially in the Eagles Square. Although the contractors working at the embassy doing the same duties of U.S. forces to train and maintain, private security and logistical duties, they are not protected from Iraqi law. Mr. Rashid says consultant Mr. Talabani that the Iraqis are sick of foreign contractors, "the people are not satisfied with them because they caused a lot of pain. And there is bad feeling towards them with the Iraqis." He added that Mr. Rashid to travel to the United States to work is not much different from what is in Iraq, "Whenever I arrived at the airport of New York, opening my bag three times, and I would like to ask how long it take to get a U.S. visa?". On the other hand, Ali al-Moussawi, an adviser to Mr. Maliki, that one of the terms of the agreement between the United States and Iraq is not to allow any American to Iraq without the consent of the Iraqi government. Al-Moussawi said that Iraq welcomes always foreigners on its territory, provided that it is entering a legal and respectful manner, especially that Iraq now has sovereignty and control over its territory.
Last week was the arrest of two Americans and one from Fiji and 12 Iraqis working in the company's security eligibility Triple Canopy for 18 days, after the authorities stopped the Iraqi convoy, consisting of ten wheels on its way from south of Baghdad to Taji area, because they lacked the proper official papers. He pointed out that one of the detainees in the camp authorities Hdzthm Iraqi and provided them with food is rice and fish is full of insects and they were forced to sleep in a former prison, despite the lack of ill-treatment of only one of the officers that he frequented them and threaten them. It was subsequently released without being harmed. confirms the United States Embassy in Baghdad, senior officials from the State and the army that there is currently no U.S. custody, and that these arrests and delay the visa is due to lack of experience of staff and not the result of bad intentions. Translation / term