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"Green Zone" turned into a "gray area" .. Despite the fortifications, "superstitious" .. Senior officials are moving from their offices to their homes by armed convoys
02.22.2012 0:00
BAGHDAD / Future of Iraq
turned into heavily fortified Green Zone, or the so-called "international zone" into a ghost town, and after that are managed by the government. said in this regard yesterday, the Washington Post, U.S. forces Iraqi army and police recently raided the offices of private security companies that were operating inside the country and urged the institutions and businesses that were based upon to change their places. said Doug Brooks, President of the International Association for Stability Operations, a trade group representing foreign companies and non-profit organizations in Iraq, "We have achieved a win-win situation where it is impossible to them about staying there." Which was the reason for the transformation of the international zone to the region of Iraq and the increasing isolation as a result. The Iraqi parliament, Mahmoud Othman, "What we see now is that they do, in a way of roads, fortifying the area." Cover that region, which lies on the banks of the Tigris River, an area of about 5 miles square. An area dominated by gray than green, as there are a mix of government buildings, homes and villas that travels the streets broad and narrow alleyways and palm trees dusty. It is worth mentioning that the United States began with the beginning of 2009 to transfer the supervision of the area to the Iraqi government, with the enjoyment of the country's position more secure. and began to Iraqi authorities as of last spring in the inspection of security companies, and the subsequent tightening the screws on people who Athsalon badges desirable in which to enter and exit from the region, according to Brooks and businessmen are others who were working there.
Now, after the government imposed its hegemony over the place, noted the paper to the presence of major parts of the Iraqi government there, including the office of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and the parliament building. Live within the region as many senior Iraqi officials - where they go to and from their homes, fortified by armed convoys. By the fourth night, the roads become empty, except for police and soldiers who are deployed in the corners of the place. She also said one of the companies that organize group tours to Iraq, it is no longer able to reach the area. Which means a stop to visit some sites such as swords giants Almottagataan in the courtyard of the celebrations in Baghdad.
and reported the Washington Post in this context, Geoff Han, owner of Hentrland Travel British, who had previously asked over and over again from Iraqi officials to allow for its collections tourist to enter, saying "This drives me crazy, because people, particularly Americans, asking for swords Square celebrations." The paper went on to say that the government has its causes in this regard from the standpoint of security. They noted in this regard to the attempt, which was aimed at the assassination of Prime Minister in the 28 of November last, when he tried one of those break into one of the entrances to the Green Zone severe insurance car SUV loaded with bombs. However, the vehicle exploded before reaching the offices of al-Maliki, to go off only in front of the parliament building. And after three weeks, the embassy warned American citizens from the threat of the probability of being subjected to kidnapping in the region and in various parts of Iraq. In an interview, Ali al-Hadi al-Moussawi, a spokesman for al-Maliki, "we have to take into account the security measures, note that the region has become more certainly safer during the past three months. "Al-Moussawi said the Iraqi army is the party that now controls the operations of access to the area, and it reduced the issuance of badges needed to get there. For the private security companies, al-Moussawi said they gained a bad reputation in Iraq for the misuse of firepower, and that the region is safer without them. As for the rest of the business, continued al-Moussawi said, "If you do not have any business in the international zone, they have to leave the place."
but the paper has drawn at the conclusion of its report that the reduction of business activity there may send the wrong message to international companies, which may consider that was going to come to Iraq or not. It re-Parliamentary Osman says: "When you see things like this business, they walk away."
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