(Globes-Israel) Ran Dagoni - Israel assumed a long time ago that it would not be included in the list of countries eligible to participate in Iraqi reconstruction tenders. Israel is now working behind the scenes with the Bush administration and the U.S. Congress to obtain access to these projects, Washington sources said Wednesday. The sources said that Israel and the U.S. had no interest in publicizing their discussions on this very sensitive issue since the two countries were "under an international microscope." The sources added that the provisional Iraqi administration would oppose any Israeli presence and Israel was aware of this sensitivity. Israel is requesting, however, that it be given the opportunity to serve as a subcontractor in telephony, infrastructures, irrigation, and other projects, and as a supplier of inputs, since it supported the U.S. war in Iraq.
2003-12-12 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive