Rice apologises & Moves To Prevent US Security Firm From Expulsion of Iraq

[EV_Ares]

Move to prevent Iraq government expulsions
Blackwater guards blamed for deaths of eight civilians

Ewen MacAskill in Washington for The Guardian



Members of Blackwater scan Baghdad from their helicopter. Photograph: Marwan Naamani/AFP/Getty


The US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, apologised to the Iraqi government yesterday in an attempt to prevent the expulsion of all employees of the security firm Blackwater USA.
The ministry of interior yesterday took the decision to expel Blackwater after eight Iraqi civilians were killed and 13 wounded in Baghdad when shots were fired from a US state department convoy on Sunday. Diplomats, engineers and other westerners in Iraq rely heavily on protection by Blackwater. The Iraqi decision created confusion on the ground, with uncertainty over whether protection was still available and whether Blackwater staff should leave the country immediately. Ms Rice called the prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, to apologise for the shooting. They agreed to run a "fair and transparent investigation", according to a statement from Mr Maliki's office.

It added: "She has expressed her personal apologies and the apologies of the government of the United States. She confirmed that the United Sates will take immediate actions to prevent such actions from happening again."

The office did not specify whether the apology was sufficient to reverse the expulsion decision.

Entire article @ following link:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2171334,00.html

[HughMoran]

1. Rice and her arrogant American government are all pieces of shit

I hope they say "GO FUCK YOURSELF CONDI" - I know I would.

[XemaSab]

2. Boooo.

:(

[uppityperson]

3. What "immediate actions"? What will they do to make up for this? BS condi.

[scarface2004]

4. if i was maliki i would accept the apology after

all blackwater killers were hung by the same rope as sadam!!

[Fridays Child]

5. Why is this so important to Bushco that they're on it like white on...

...well, you know what I mean. But does this instantaneous groveling make anyone else suspicious or is it just me?

[ManiacJoe]

14. Simple business logic could explain it.

(Not that this is necessarily the BushCo reason.) If Blackwater is sent home, the state department will need to find another security company to do the job. More paper work....

[Fridays Child]

17. Does anybody know exactly how many non-military soldiers are in Iraq?

And how many of them are Blackwater?

[BrotherBuzz]

23. We will never know

"Privatizing" war is not only the logical extension of the Bush administration's mania for contracting everything out to the private sector; it also shields the White House's activities from the U.S. Congress. My complaint about the use of private contractors is their ability to fly under the radar to avoid accountability.

[Fridays Child]

28. ManiacJoe has read that it could be 20,000 to 30,000.

And, if those are the figures our lazy media have come up with, we can probably safely assume that the real number is significantly higher. In any event, like you, I'm angry that they fly under the radar. They wreak havoc with--up until now--complete impunity. I even wonder if, in some cases, their job assignment is to provoke turmoil. I hope investigators will look at Blackwater's internal communications.

[ManiacJoe]

26. Multiple news reports are using the numbers

20,000 to 30,000 total contractors
1000 from Blackwater

[Fridays Child]

27. Those are astounding figures.

[snappyturtle]

29. Cover up???????? No need to look any further, WE'LL take care of it!

:sarcasm:

[superkia]

36. I just watched this video from soldiers that served in Iraq and...

from what the first guy on the video says and another later in the video says..." after an IED or explosion goes off, the instructions were or it was common practice to basically shoot up the landscape and anything that moved. That kind of thing happened allot." Sounds like our government is promoting the practice that blackwater did. All in the name of oil baby!

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f6c_1189246422

[partylessinOhio]

6. Fake freedom.

[C_U_L8R]

7. throw those bums out

mercenary forces are against the Geneva Convention

[Horse with no Name]

22. Sigh.

I remember when Geneva Conventions were important.

[snappyturtle]

30. Been a while, hasn't it? Sad. nt

[superkia]

8. I wish they were behind their citizens like they are their corporate friends.

[rodeodance]

9. and just how is she going to prevent this from happening again?

[lonestarnot]

11. Beaver gona throw herself in front of the bullet and it's gona sail right between dos teef.

and save da whole worl.

[Bonobo]

10. "Members of Blackwater scan Baghdad from their helicopter."

THAT IS A FUCKED UP HEADLINE.

It should not be possible. It is an abomination that such a sentence was ever written.


We use mercenaries paid for with our children"s health care money, their education costs, their social security, our roadways and bridges. To do fucking what? To subjugate and oppress people because they live on top of oil.

We're fucking Darth Vader now. Look at us. Fuck.

I am so sorry, world. I am so sorry, future. I'm just too lazy and drugged and self-involved. I can't shed meaningless blood, especially if it's mine.


P.S. I'm not as depressed as I sound, just a little stoned and writing freely, so no worries...

[brer cat]

16. I highly recommend this post.

Right down to and very definately including the sig line.

:thumbsup:

[WinkyDink]

40. ITA.

[wildbilln864]

12. K&R ! n/t

[rodeodance]

13. The US would find it temporarily awkward if Blackwater was expelled.

The office did not specify whether the apology was sufficient to reverse the expulsion decision.

The apology offers a face-saving exercise for both the Iraqi and the US governments. The US would find it temporarily awkward if Blackwater was expelled. At the same time, it does not want to be seen to be undermining the decisions of the Iraqi government, which the Bush administration repeatedly insists is autonomous.

[MadMaddie]

15. If Blackwater leaves then it will show the gaping truth...there are

not enough troops in Iraq to quell the fighting.....this is why Condi is fighting so hard to keep them there.

[scarletwoman]

18. Oh, so she finally surfaces. She's been awfully damn invisible for a long time.

Gawd forbid that she do any kind of "Secretary of State" stuff like engage in negotiations with the Maliki government to encourage factional reconciliation. Or concern herself with the 4 to 4.5 million Iraq refugees who have either fled Iraq altogether or are internally displaced.

Gawd forbid that the U.S. Secretary of State actually involve herself in matters of state and foreign policy.

But -- whoaa -- a private corporation with ties to the Bushies possibly being denied the license to do as it pleases on foreign soil? She comes roaring out of hiding to protect those sacred profits and campaign donations!

Super Condie! Brave Protectress of the poor, downtrodden MIC!

sw

[alstephenson]

34. Yeah, what scarletwoman said!

[scarletwoman]

43. Thanks!

I am SO absolutely fed up...

sw

[IDemo]

19. Prediction

The employees responsible for the latest incident will be expelled (with no criminal proceedings). The company will launch a 'training' program with much publicity and remain in Iraq.

[lonestarnot]

20. Psyk ick?

Much?

[IDemo]

21. Oh, and the Chimp will say something stupid this week

[orleans]

24. she apologizes to them but not to american families who have

had their relatives killed in iraq

(some people will do anything for a fucking war contractor. hey condi--custer battles has a shoe lace untied...)

[Disturbed]

25. She probably offered to deposit a $Million in Maliki 's Swiss

Bank Account to keep Blackwater in business.

[donkeyotay]

41. What pack of rubes did she get the money from - oops, never mind. nt

[Supersedeas]

31. I guess 130K plus troops is not enough to protect a State Dept convoy--progress??

[rateyes]

32. They agreed to run a "fair and transparent investigation", ...

Here's comes the coverup. Maliki is a damned fool to believe anything Rice tells him. She's a pathological liar, just like her husb, er, boss.

[Fire Walk With Me]

33. "The Guest, Expulsed."

Now we'll see who has the real power in Iraq, and who really wants Iraq to have its own government and freedom and Democracy(copyright).

(Adding to Journal: Iraq calls for Blackwater to be expelled- reference)

[american_typeculture]

35. Oh... so that is what Rise does, she's a business mediator.

I've been wondering what her job was for a while now.

[Disturbed]

37. Blackwater is small time compared to other Merc Corps.

Blackwater is only more visible. I hope Waxman does a complete Investigation on this & enforces Subpoenas instead of allowing people that ignore a Subpoena to escape accountability.

[spanone]

38. they truly love us in iraq, don't they

:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[WinkyDink]

39. It already IS "transparent", Condi. Bush has his private THUGS MURDERING CHILDREN in Iraq.

No insanely inadequate "apology" works here, you sick, sad POS.

[maddezmom]

42. State Department under Hill scrutiny

State Department under Hill scrutiny
Source: The Associated Press

A congressional committee has launched an investigation into the State Department's inspector general, alleging that he blocked fraud investigations, including potential security lapses at the newly built U.S. embassy in Baghdad.

Also under scrutiny is whether Blackwater USA, the private security firm banned this week from working in Iraq for the alleged killing of eight Iraqi civilians, was "illegally smuggling weapons into Iraq," according to a letter to IG Howard J. Krongard that was obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.

The investigation involves allegations that "your strong affinity with State Department leadership and your partisan political ties have led you to halt investigations, censor reports, and refuse to cooperate with law enforcement agencies," Krongard was told.

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