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Influence due to the drop .. the United States reduced its embassy in Baghdad
Date: Thursday, 09.02.2012 9:33
Abdul Khaliq Ali translation
after less than two months to leave Iraq by U.S. forces, preparing the State Department to reduce its diplomatic mission in half, referring to a decline in American influence in Iraq. Officials say that in both countries, Ambassador James Jeffrey and other senior officials of the State have re-consider the size and scope of the Embassy
Which enlarged its staff even came to sixteen thousand, most of them contractors.
the diplomatic process and extended the embassy building, which cost 750 million dollars - the largest of its kind in the world - are necessary to promote democracy in Iraq after the war and the establishment of normal relations between the two countries, but the Americans felt frustrated by Iraqi obstruction of the project, and today they are trapped in the embassy building due to the disturbances and can not contact the security of Iraqi citizens. Realizing that some senior U.S. officials failed diplomatic structure represents a significant hub for the State Department, where officials have spent more than a year they are planning to expand diplomatic activity. Said Michelle McClellan, a spokesman for the embassy "Over the last year and the beginning of this year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the embassy in Baghdad are considering the means of reducing the size of the diplomatic mission in Iraq by reducing the number of contractors who need them the embassy to support its operations," added the spokesman, that the number of diplomats - of about two thousand now - "subject also to modify", in order to reduce the spokesman said that "the embassy began to hire a cadre of Iraqis."
after the departure of U.S. forces in December, became a life in Iraq more difficult for the thousands of diplomats and contractors who remained in the country, and the food convoys accompanied by the U.S. Army from Kuwait are delayed at the border because of the demands by the Iraqi authorities have documents that prove that Americans are processors, so during the day and ran out of the embassy of some types of foods and spices and the like. Says the Americans that the Iraqi government intervene, sometimes the activities of the diplomatic mission, and the office of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki - and sometimes the prime minister himself - must approve entry visas Americans, causing a lot of delay, and that American diplomats are suffering from the troubles of arranging meetings with Iraqi officials.
of For their part, Iraqis say they are imposing their laws and protect their sovereignty in the absence of any agreement with the Americans on the embassy. Says Nahida Daini, MP for the Iraqi List, "The main issue between the Iraqis and the U.S. embassy is that we have not seen or know about any agreement between the Iraqi government and the United States," she says expressing the feelings of the Iraqis, "there is something in the minds of Americans when they decided to make the embassy of this size, perhaps want to run the Middle East, Iraq and the embassy will be their base here. "
these doubts were built on two incidents, one related to the arrest of four Americans gunmen in the streets of Baghdad, officials believe the Iraqis they were activists of the Central Intelligence Agency, and the incident the other when she had a U.S. helicopter to the emergency landing due to malfunction mechanic on the outskirts of the capital on the shores of the Tigris River. Mr Ammar al-Hakim, head of Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, "the helicopter, which has been disrupted raised many questions about the role of the Americans here, then what is the relationship? We're still waiting for more information."
said a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of State Victoria Nuland in a press statement, said that "the government U.S. plans to reduce the size of its embassy in Iraq, "asserting that" This decision aims to reduce the total cost of the mission, which includes about 2000 diplomat and 14 thousand Contracting foreigner working in all fields to provide security to the Department of kitchens. "
said Noland that "There are no plans to reduce number of diplomats by half, "noting that he" can not predict the size of the cut is likely in the number of contractors so far. "
She Noland, "we are exploring how we can rationalize the size of our embassy in Iraq and in particular how we can achieve more for that mission through the use of local staff rather than having to rely as we were by the contractors the cost of employment is very high. "
It is noteworthy that the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad is the largest Embassy of the United States in the world, because of the large area established by the campus security surrounding the buildings.
for: New York Times
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