response 1 of 50:

Dec 11 19:06 UTC 2003

I'm sure we're all falling over ourselves in surprise.

response 3 of 50:

Dec 11 19:12 UTC 2003

Repeat #1.

response 5 of 50:

Dec 11 20:29 UTC 2003

The $18 billion is US grant to Iraq. It is not a loan and it is not 
money earned from selling Iraqi oil so US, technically, should have all 
the rights to decide how they spend it.

Politically and diplomatically? Well, thats a different ballgame.

response 7 of 50:

Dec 12 02:25 UTC 2003

If it is a grant to Iraq, Iraq should solicit and accept the bids. If it
is a grant to the so-called coalition, I suppose they should solicit and
accept the bids. However if they accept bids only from among themselves,
they are engaging in a conflict of interest. 

It is partly very amusing. Who among the coalition are able to bid? 
It consists of 48 countries - so I hope that, say, the Marshall Islands
will get their share. Actually, though, only a few countries have the
economic level to bid on major contracts, so most of the coalition are
being intentionally excluded. They shouldn't be much happier than the
non-coalition countries. The major parties that will get the gravy are,
therefore, among the following: Australia, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Poland,
Spain (?), UK, and, of course USA. Halliburton must be smiling from ear to
ear.

response 9 of 50:

Dec 12 08:31 UTC 2003

Russia already refused to forgive the $8 billion loan after the Bush 
administration announced the exclusion. So much for helping KBR and 
Iraq.