Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=5/8/03

TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP

TITLE=REBUILDING IRAQ

NUMBER=6-12921

BYLINE=Andrew Guthrie

DATELINE=Washington

EDITOR=Assignments

TELEPHONE=619-3335

CONTENT=

INTRO: The American press continues to focus on Iraq, and although the major fighting has been over for weeks, there is growing concern over several aspects of the post war period. We get a sampling now from V-O-A's _________________ in today's U-S Opinion Roundup.

TEXT: Controversy is developing over the pace of normalization, and a potentially huge contract for part of the rebuilding given to the former firm of Vice President Dick Cheney. The new man in charge draws praise, while others want the White House to accept offers of internal assistance in the effort.

Editorial comments on the physical situation are getting rather caustic. Take for example Thursday's [5-8] editorial headline in The New York Times: "Free Fall in Iraq." Here is some of what The New York Times thinks.

VOICE: Lines at the gasoline pump in Iraq last up to three days. Electricity, needed for water and refrigeration flickers on and off. An outbreak of cholera was reported yesterday in Basra. Cases of diarrhea in young children are also increasing.

Few Iraqis are feeling nostalgic for Saddam Hussein. But in the bad old days, basic services were more dependable. The first few weeks of American occupation have left a great deal to be desired.

TEXT: Concerns from The New York Times.

California's San Jose Mercury News meanwhile, notes that "Mines and cluster bombs continue [the] war on Iraqis," adding:

VOICE: In Iraqi Kurdistan (northern Iraq) alone, a mine kills or maims about one person a day. The daily toll in lives and limbs argues eloquently against the use of these random killers. Yet the United States persists in refusing to join the international treaty banning land mines. It's a disgrace. Iraq is one of the most heavily mined countries .

TEXT: The [Baltimore] Sun is one of several papers increasing uncomfortable with the non-competitive Iraq rebuilding contract the government has given to Vice President Dick Cheney's former company Haliburton.

VOICE: The [U-S] Army yesterday [5-7] admitted that Haliburton stands to make a lot more money out of the mess in Iraq than it had been letting on. Haliburton had gotten a no-bid contract that supposedly was limited to extinguishing oil fires, but then Saddam Hussein's men inconveniently neglected to set many.

TEXT: On the plus side, several papers, including The [Saint Paul, Minnesota] Pioneer Press are pleased at the appointment of a career U-S diplomat, Paul Bremer, as the man in charge of rebuilding Iraq.

VOICE: President Bush made a smart decision to install [him] as special envoy in charge of the U-S operations. [Mr.] Bremer, a former diplomat and an expert in counterterrorism, will replace retired Lt. General Jay Garner as the head of American activities. Making the change now puts a different face on U-S intentions, emphasizing U-S intent to invest in building more plowshares and fewer swords for Iraq.

The administration could do itself more good by articulating -- for Congress, the American people [and] skeptics around the world, just what is coming next in the Iraq occupation and rehabilitation work. Despite all the posturing about commitment, might the U-S contribution to building civil society in Iraq end up as it has in a floundering Afghanistan?

TEXT: Florida's Orlando Sentinel seconds the Pioneer Press view of the Bremer appointment, calling it "a wise move." However, The Sentinel urges the Bush administration to get more help on the job from the international community.

VOICE: Security remains the most immediate challenge. Most U-S forces are not trained to serve as police, and are stretched thin already. NATO forces, experienced in peacekeeping operations in the Balkans, could help. So could police from other countries, such as Canada, that have offered their assistance. Adding an international character to peacekeeping forces would make them less of a target for anti-American agitators in Iraq.

TEXT: With that view from The Orlando Sentinel, we conclude this sampling of editorial thoughts on post-war Iraq.

NEB/ANG/RH