Conference will urge firms to help rebuild Iraq

[Robbien]

Richard Norton-Taylor
Monday April 26, 2004
The Guardian

Hundreds of private British and international corporations will be encouraged today to invest in the rebuilding of Iraq, estimated to cost as much as $500bn (£280bn).

Sponsors of the Iraqi procurement conference, at the Hilton Hotel, central London, include Raytheon, one of America's largest weapons companies many thousands of whose bombs were dropped on Iraq during the war.

Other sponsors include the oil companies Shell, ChevronTexaco and ExxonMobil; Pfizer, the large pharmaceutical firm; and Volvo, the Swedish car and truck maker. The main sponsor is the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and it is organised by the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce.

"It is estimated that the entire rebuilding process could cost as much as $500bn with a heavy percentage of that money used to obtain crucial material supplies," said the conference website. Special emphasis at the conference will be placed on construction, agriculture, electricity, oil, gas, communications and what the organisers call "cultural strategies".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1203466,00.html

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. This conference was supposed to be held in Iraq

But it was canceled due to security problems.

It would make more sense to try and build a city on top of an active volcano.

[wtmusic]

2. Bring your Kevlar

Couldn't pay me enough.

[jean]

3. jacking up the number of Brit workers would mean more Brit soldiers, no?

[aquart]

4. Yeah, that'll work.