Oil, electricity top Iraq reconstruction plan

Brig. Gen. Michael J. Walsh, who just returned from a 13-month deployment in Iraq as commander of the Army Corps of Engineers' Gulf Region Division, said the key to successfully rebuilding Iraq lies in funding the country's refineries and electrical system.


Oil, electricity top Iraq reconstruction plan
By Michelle Tan - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Nov 4, 2007 11:34:08 EST

The key to successfully rebuilding Iraq lies in funding the country’s refineries and electrical system, said the most recent commander of the Army Corps of Engineers’ Gulf Region Division.

Brig. Gen. Michael J. Walsh, who returned to the U.S. on Oct. 11 after 13 months in theater, spoke to Army Times about the reconstruction efforts in Iraq and what must be done to further the progress made so far.

The Iraqi government must focus on funding its oil refineries, which generate the most revenue for the country, while the electrical system is critical to sustaining the oil refineries, Walsh said.

“You need oil to generate the funds, and you need electricity to provide for the people of Iraq,” he said.

A World Bank estimate from 2003 puts the final bill for reconstruction at $80 billion, Walsh said.

The U.S. has provided $22 billion for reconstruction, and it’s now up to the Iraqi government to provide the rest, he said.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/11/army_iraqreconstruction_071104/