ISTANBUL - Turkish-Iraqi Business Council Chairman Ercument Aksoy said on Tuesday that a delegation comprising Turkish contractors would go to Iraq next month to sign business contracts with their Iraqi counterparts under Iraq's rebuilding process that would be financed by the U.S. funds.
Holding a news conference with the Turkish-Iraqi Business Council Board members, Aksoy said that number of losses had increased as style of terrorism changed although it had decreased in number in Iraq, and bombings caused very serious damage, and Americans were described as ''invader force''.
Noting that it would be wrong to act by focusing on the 18.6 billion U.S. dollars of fund that had been approved by the U.S. Congress under rebuilding of Iraq, Aksoy said, ''if we consider Iraq in 2004 and at the end of 2004, we see that it is not the only source. Monetary powers in Iraq should be divided into three. First of them is the 18.6 billion U.S. dollars fund. Will the U.S. Congress directly award a Turkish company with this money which it took from U.S. tax-payers? To me, it won't do it.''
Noting that most of the investments would be auctioned to U.S. companies, Aksoy said, ''maybe they award some Turkish, Polish, Jordanian and Kuwaiti companies, but it would be only for show.''
Stressing that Turkish contractors could fulfil a serious potential of such business as sub-undertakers, Aksoy said, ''these are infrastructural works of every kind. There cannot be any rebuilding in the region without Turkey. We will absolutely, definitely be a part of this job. 2004 will be the 'Turkey Year' in rebuilding of Iraq.''
(MS-AÖ) 17.02.2004