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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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January 30th,
2008 - Iraq Security Guards Getting New Rules |
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Iraq Security Guards Getting
New Rules By Richard Lardner Associated Press January 30th, 2008 Washington - Under continued
pressure to exercise greater control over private security contractors in
Iraq, Bush administration officials will outline stricter rules for these
armed guards during a three-hour meeting Wednesday afternoon at the Pentagon. The top executives from the
largest security companies working in Iraq are scheduled to attend the
meeting, which is being hosted by Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England and
Deputy Secretary State John Negroponte. The session comes nearly
four months after a shooting incident involving Blackwater Worldwide that
left 17 Iraqi citizens dead. The incident, which created a worldwide furor
and put the White House on the defensive, led to a December agreement between
the Defense and State Departments that gave U.S. military commanders a
stronger hand in managing security workers. Senior representatives from
Blackwater, DynCorp, Triple Canopy and Aegis Defence are scheduled to attend
the meeting. Peter Singer, a national
security expert at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said government
officials need to deliver a clear and firm message to the security companies. "These 'summits' are
great for talking," Singer said, "but it can't just be, 'Hey, CEOs,
this is what we would like you to do.' It's got to be, 'Here are the
policies. Here are the laws that we've developed.'" The military does not want
to assume responsibility for guarding large numbers of U.S. officials, and
the State Department's own security force is too small and already stretched
too thin. According to the agenda, the
meeting begins with an assessment of the political environment in Iraq from
Patrick Kennedy. A senior State Department official, Kennedy led a review
team that examined oversight of security contractors in the wake of the Sept.
16 shooting incident in Baghdad. Iraqi authorities claimed
the Blackwater shootings were unprovoked and initially insisted the company's
guard be expelled from the country within six months. The Iraqis also want
security guards to be subject to Iraqi law. While U.S. officials have
resisted such a move, security contractors are covered by the same code of
justice that applies to American military personnel. Security company
executives are expected to ask for more detail on exactly how this work. Other topics include changes
in security contract management ordered by Congress and "contractor
accountability and expectations," the agenda reads. Jack Bell, a senior Pentagon
official, told a Senate subcommittee last week that portions of the December
agreement have already been implemented. Others are still being worked on. Defense Secretary Robert
Gates wants a progress report by Feb. 28. Copyright © 2008 The
Associated Press. External link: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hx3jn-1MgXROlML7o_ifsoa8E60gD8UGBJTG0 |