Iraq growth to top six percent: US official [View All]

Iraq growth to top six percent: US official
by Bryan Pearson

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Improved security is boosting Iraq's war-ravaged economy which is heading for growth of more than six percent this year, a senior US official said on Wednesday, supporting IMF projections.

"The improvement on the security side is having an impact on the economy," Charles Ries, the US coordinator for economic transition in Iraq, told reporters in Baghdad, referring to claims by the US military that its troop "surge" is reining in sectarian violence.

"It is hard to measure it precisely, and there is no doubt that the Iraqi economy is burdened by a number of challenges and is performing under its potential," said Ries, who took up his post in July.

"Nonetheless, real GDP growth this year will be over six percent and if you take out the oil sector, it will be over seven percent."