IRAQ -- TRANSFER OF FUNDS THREATENS RECONSTRUCTION

IRAQ -- TRANSFER OF FUNDS THREATENS RECONSTRUCTION: The New York Times
reports that the Bush administration's plan to divert $3.46 billion
from reconstruction to security
(http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/21/international/middleeast/21rebuild.html?pagewanted=all)
in Iraq has come as a "grievous disappointment to Iraqi officials who
had already seen the billions once promised them tied up for months by
American regulations and planning committees, consumed by administrative
overhead and set aside for the enormous costs of ensuring safety for
the workers and engineers who will actually build the new sewers, water
plants and electrical generators." Officials in charge of rebuilding
their country's shattered infrastructure are warning that the Bush
administration's plan, which diverts funds from water, sewage and electricity
projects, "could leave many people without the crucial services that
generally form the backbone of a stable and functioning democracy." Of
the $18.4 billion that Congress approved last fall for Iraq's
reconstruction, only about $1 billion has been spent so far.