Security contractors get new rules for Iraq

Security contractors get new rules for Iraq
By Richard Lardner - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Jan 31, 2008 5:49:03 EST

Under continued pressure to exercise greater control over private security contractors in Iraq, Bush administration officials will outline stricter rules for these armed guards during a three-hour meeting Wednesday afternoon at the Pentagon.

The top executives from the largest security companies working in Iraq are scheduled to attend the meeting, which is being hosted by Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England and Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte.

The session comes nearly four months after a shooting incident involving Blackwater Worldwide that left 17 Iraqi citizens dead. The incident, which created a worldwide furor and put the White House on the defensive, led to a December agreement between the Defense and State departments that gave U.S. military commanders a stronger hand in managing security workers.

Senior representatives from Blackwater, DynCorp, Triple Canopy and Aegis Defence are scheduled to attend the meeting.

Peter Singer, a national security expert at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said government officials need to deliver a clear and firm message to the security companies.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/01/ap_contractorrules_080130/