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Major's Frustration
A roundup of the past two weeks' good news from Iraq.

BY ARTHUR CHRENKOFF
Tuesday, August 30, 2005 12:01 a.m. EDT
Opinion Journal (from The Wall Street Journal opinion page)

Maj. Joe Leahy is a civil engineer with the U.S. Army's Engineer Brigade. He has been stationed at Camp Victory, outside of Baghdad, since November 2004--enough time to get frustrated. "We all know it's a dangerous place," he says. "But the thing that I want people to understand is that they only see those one or two instances in the country that are negative. You don't really hear about the 100 things that have gone good."

He adds, "One thing we've got to understand is that it's not going to happen tomorrow, but we are doing something that's getting better every day."

Leahy's good-bad ratio may be debatable, but many servicemen and their families and friends back home, not to mention the general public, have been getting frustrated lately with the media coverage of Iraq--enough so to cause some limited, though still welcome, soul-searching among major media outlets. Whether the coverage will improve as a result remains to be seen. In the meantime, here are the past two weeks' worth of stories, some of which you might have missed.

• Society. Some Sunnis don't like the proposals, but that's democracy. There's certainly nothing like a major political disagreement to motivate people to engage in the political process:

Angered by Shiite calls for a federal region, Sunni clerics urged followers . . . to vote against the constitution if it contains measures they believe would divide the country. . . .

Iraq's three major Sunni organizations appeared to have taken a united stand both for voting and against demands for federalism after they boycotted the Jan. 30 parliamentary elections. . . .

Sheik Mahmoud al-Sumaidaie, of the influential Sunni Association of Muslim Scholars, told worshippers at Baghdad's Umm al-Qura mosque to register for the upcoming votes because "we are in need to your voice to say 'yes' for the constitution or 'no.' "

Such voices are growing louder and increasingly representative of the whole Sunni community:

The general conference of Sunnis in Iraq, which includes "the Sunni Mortmain," "the Association of Muslim Scholars," "the Iraqi Islamic Party," and a group of Sunni parties and organizations, was held in Baghdad and has urged all Arab Sunnis to participate in the coming elections.

In his speech before hundreds of attendees, Ahmed Abdel Ghafur Al Samera'i said, "Participating in the plebiscite on the constitution is a prescribed duty for all Sunnis."

He added, "I swear to Allah that the greatest privilege, through which you gain the love of Allah, is your efforts in participating in the coming elections and gathering the Sunnis, hoping that Allah would alleviate their suffering."

Alaa Maki, member of the political bureau in the "Iraqi Islamic Party," has confirmed, "The party has suggested the provision of cities of Sunni majority with additional lists, so that everyone would be able to register their information in the electors and plebiscite on the permanent constitution records."

He added, "We would enter the elections with a heavier weight than some people imagine. We would continue in participating in the political process side by side with the constituents of the Iraqi people." He referred to the existence of some misunderstanding among the political blocs, with regard to the elections' law and the mechanism of executing them. He called all Imams and preachers to direct and urge people to participate in the plebiscite on the permanent constitution and participate in the coming elections.

Check out the flier the Islamic Party, is distributing, which aims to convince Sunnis that voting is a religious duty. What a difference a few months can make.

There's also a change of mind in this former trouble spot:

After boycotting the previous elections, Falluja is preparing to participate in the referendum on the constitution. Falluja's clerics council advised the Imams of the mosques and the people not to miss this historical chance and to take part in it through the four centers opened there. Community leaders and clerics organized lectures to educate the people about the importance of their participation and that the constitution is for the interests of all Iraqis, which will decide their identities.

Here's more from Fallujah:

All indications showed that there is high percentage of people in the regions that boycotted the last parliamentary elections are registering their names to participate in the coming October referendum and the general elections next January, Laith Kubba told the press.

In Fallujah, considered one of the major hotbed of Iraqi insurgency, clerics of mosques called on the residents in the city to participate in the constitution referendum scheduled to be held in mid October.

They urged the residents through loudspeakers to participate and say "no" to those who want to isolate them from the political process.

The Iraqi Islamic Party, the largest Sunni party, also distributed handouts calling on the people to participate the referendum. Many of the residents showed support and desire to participate.

"I want to participate and I call on the people of the city to do so because we do not want to let those who came from the other side of the border to rule us again," said Mohammed Uthman, a government employee.

"If we don't participate this time, it means we let the present government to continue, and thus the real ruler would be the Iranians and not the Iraqis," he added.

Four registration centers have been opened in Fallujah.

The main Sunni terror group, Ansar Al Sunna, and the Shiite radical Muqtada al-Sadr have both been calling on supporters to register to vote in the constitution referendum:

[One] statement issued by six of the seven Ansar groups promised that there will not be attacks against Americans on the day of the referendum, "to protect those who go to vote." "Voting is a jihad of words and is no different from the jihad of the sword," the statement said. 'There are no objections to participation in the referendum to show the world our strength and to defeat federalism."

Registration is now in full swing:

The Independent Supreme Commission for Elections has announced launching more than 500 centers for registering electors in all Iraqi cities.

Farid Ayar, member of the commission council said in a statement, "There are543 centers all over Iraq, of which 517 are currently working regularly." He pointed out, "The necessary protection has been provided for the working centers. There are 26 closed centers at present, due to the lack of sufficient security protection."

The U.S. Agency for International Development has been helping to bring the constitutional debate to the people (link in PDF):

The Constitutional Dialogue program has organized over 3,000 dialogues throughout Iraq, reaching almost 80,000 Iraqis who also shared their opinions through 64,000 questionnaires. To date, 210 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have participated, including 151 NGOs contracted by USAID and 59 NGOs working as volunteers. Feedback indicates that the dialogues are achieving their dual purpose; to educate and consult the public.

In other recent USAID initiatives:

Over the past month, USAID arranged for 18 experts to provide assistance to the Iraqi National Assembly's (INA) Constitutional Committee resulting in the production of 72 topical papers in Arabic on issues including federalism, natural resource allocation, human rights and electoral systems. . . .

The final constitutional dialogues were conducted last week, reaching over 79,000 Iraqis in over 3,100 meetings. . . .

USAID representatives organized a workshop to address the advantages and disadvantages of various electoral systems.

USAID is also helping the growth of the local government throughout Iraq:

USAID's Local Governance Program (LGP) is promoting the organization of Local Government Associations (LGAs) throughout Iraq. The LGAs will act as lobbying and advocacy organizations to represent the interests of the local government without having any authority to direct their operations. Recent activities included:

Past wrongs are being righted:

Even a year ago, the dusty, rolling hills north of Kirkuk were largely barren. But the horizon has changed rapidly in recent months with a flurry of newly constructed cinder block homes dotting the hillsides.

Thousands of returning Kurds have transformed pockets of land around Kirkuk into small settlements--leading to the rebirth of villages once emptied out by former dictator Saddam Hussein under his "Arabization" plan to force out ethnic Kurds and Turkomen.

In this village, 15 miles northeast of Kirkuk, hundreds of new houses have sprouted since January because the flow of displaced Kurds returning to the area has grown steadily since the U.S.-led ouster of Saddam in 2003.

"We are starting from the beginning again," Mayor Abdul Samad Rahim Karim said. "God willing, we will succeed in making Shwan better than before."

The returnees are a legacy from Saddam's era, when the Ba'athist Party forcibly expelled tens of thousands of Kurds and Turkomen and replaced them with Arabs from the south to consolidate government control over oil resources and farmlands located in northern Iraq.

In other places, the Kurds' return, many to squatter camps around the city, and their demands for restoration of their property have provoked sharp protests from many Arabs as well as Turkomen in the community.

The Ministry of Immigration is working to restore Iraqi citizenship to people who have lost it or been stripped of it in the past. And trade unions, once banned, are reviving in Iraq.

In entertainment news, 2,000 hopefuls sign up for the Iraqi "American Idol":

Many Iraqis already obsessively watch "American Idol," a version of the original British "Pop Idol" franchise, and a glitzy Lebanese copy called "Arab Superstar" on free-to-air Arabic satellite channels.

But "Iraq Star" is a brave indigenous effort to perk up the spirits of a depressed nation. The studio set is spartan and drab, and there is no studio audience, though viewers are being promised tinseltown touches when the finale is held in Beirut.

"We are trying to lighten the load and problems Iraqis are going through," said director Wadia Nader during recording of an episode this weekend in a Baghdad hotel.

"We had shows like this in the 1960s when people were discovered on television. But since then, with so many wars, Iraqis couldn't see this kind of thing," he added.

Another show entertains and helps fight the insurgency at the same time:

Shattered glass, body parts, a blood-splattered blue sedan: the grainy video pans over the scene as Iraqi officers comb the site of a drive-by assassination.

It's "Cops" Iraqi-style, minus the "Bad Boys" soundtrack but otherwise roughly modeled after the American TV show.

Created to make government more transparent, "The Cops Show" featuring Kirkuk officers in action is the first of its kind in the country and is breaking new ground in Iraqi television. A live call-in portion gives the public the chance to praise the security forces or gripe about them.

Screened weekly on Kirkuk Television, which broadcasts in this northern city of nearly 1 million people, "The Cops Show" has opened the floodgates in a community long suppressed.

"During Saddam Hussein's time, it was very different," station manager Nasser Hassan Mohammed said. "You were unable to ask questions. You couldn't say anything bad about police.

"Now people can call in directly. Anyone has the right to do this. This is the difference now. This is freedom."

The call-in portion, initially a novelty, has become a staple of the show, and panelists field up to 30 calls per segment, Mohammed said. And because Kirkuk is ethnically mixed, the show switches among the languages spoken by Kurds, Arabs, Turkomen or Assyrians.

It took Iraqis a while to master the art of the phone-in.

"But after more than a year, they understand very well," Mohammed said.

There's also some much-needed foreign help to preserve Iraqi historical heritage:

Denmark, Italy and the United Nations have extended new grants to preserve ancient sites in the southern Province of Dihqar [sic], the province's deputy governor, Ahmad Ali, said.

Dhiqar is home to some of Mesopotamia's best-known ruins, among them those belonging to the fabled Sumerian cities of Ur and Larsa.

"An agreement has been signed with the United Nations Development program to maintain and develop archaeological and tourist sites in the province," Ali said.

He said Italy has allocated $450,000 for the construction of "a cultural and information center in Nasiriya, the provincial capital.

Dhiqar, with an area of 12,900 km square, is a key southern province. Besides its archaeological riches, the province is the site of major oil fields.

• Economy. An International Monetary Fund report paints a picture of Iraq beset by problems, but nevertheless with good prospects:

Iraq is suffering from rampant inflation, endemic disease and falling oil production, the International Monetary Fund said yesterday in its first review of the country for 25 years.

Nevertheless, Lorenzo Perez, the IMF director who oversaw the review, said that in the medium term he was "quite optimistic" about the country's prospects, although this will "depend on the level of oil prices."

"It is easy to overlook that the establishment and maintenance of relative macro-economic stability in the midst of violence is an achievement in itself," he added.

The IMF said sweeping reforms were needed in almost every sector of the economy, which is thought to have halved in size between 1999 and 2003, when the invasion occurred.

A formal agency will chase the investment dollar for Iraq:

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Andrew Natsios and Iraq's Minister of Planning signed an agreement in Amman, Jordan, to establish the Iraq Investment Promotion Agency, which will play a leading role in job creation and economic development for years to come.

The agreement commits USAID to equip the new agency's staff and train them in managing the organization and promoting investment.

Support will be delivered through USAID's Izdihar project, whose staff had worked with the Government of Iraq to develop an investment promotion strategy that culminated in the signed agreement.

With the creation of the Iraq Investment Promotion Agency, Iraq will join the more than 160 other countries with similar agencies that compete for approximately $7 trillion annually in foreign direct investment worldwide.

In addition, the work of the new agency will help expand the markets for Iraq's domestic products and services, stimulate economic growth and create new jobs at home.

Authorities are taking some tentative steps toward privatization:

The Ministry of Industry has set up a committee to register eight major state-owned companies on the Baghdad Stock Exchange.

A statement faxed to the newspaper did not say when these firms will go public but stressed that the move will not be initiated until the ministry works out guarantees that tens of thousands of employees that will keep their jobs.

The committee is currently evaluating these companies and would advise the ministry on the price and number of shares that will be available to the public at the Baghdad exchange.

Taha Ismael, who heads a central commission charged with privatizing of state-owned companies, said the move will cover four cement factories, a pharmaceutical firm, and three construction enterprises.

"Employees will be given share options which they can buy and pay for later," he said.

USAID is helping to bring the Iraqi accounting profession into the 21st century:

Sixteen Iraqi accounting and auditing professionals recently received international accounting standards training in Amman, Jordan, as part of the Izdihar project. The sixteen professionals, who are members of accounting and auditing associations, university professors and industry practitioners, will become the core group of trainers who will lead seminars for more than 300 accounting students and industry professionals in Iraq.

During more than a decade of isolation, Iraq lost touch with international accounting standards, international financial reporting standards, and ethical standards for accountants and requirements for typical modern annual reporting for corporations. In order to address these needs, the training of trainers program was developed to improve the skills of Iraqi accountants, strengthen the accounting industry in Iraq and enhance the accountability, transparency and usefulness of financial documents used to make sound business management decisions.

Kurdistan continues to boom:

Fly into Arbil, the regional capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, and you feel that you have arrived in another country.

It is the Kurdish, not the Iraqi, flag that flutters from Arbil International Airport, Kurdistan's new, glass-fronted "gateway" to the world, which saw its first flights from Dubai, Beirut and Amman arrive last month.

The airport was built on a former military base once used by Saddam Hussein's regime to bomb the Kurds of Halabja.

Now it brings in investors. Businessmen, scared away from other parts of Iraq, are coming to Kurdistan instead, and helping its economy to take off.

"Before all we saw was war, and planes bombing our cities and villages," says the airport manager, Kameran Murad, who fought against the regime in the late 1980s.

"Now the aircraft are our link with the outside world. Everything is changing."

Take the town of Suleimaniya. Its skyline is dotted with cranes. Everywhere you look bulldozers are at work.

"Things are booming. The price of land is ridiculous. It's just going up and up and up," says businessman Bettin Saleh, who has two shops in a new mall.

"People have money, people are spending it, they feel it's safe to spend--and build for the future."

And there's no shortage of labour, as Arab Iraqis head north to join the Kurdish workforce.

"I'm here because it's dangerous where I'm from and there are no jobs," says Aziz Abed Ali, from Baghdad. "Here it is safe and there is work."

So does Najaf, thanks to religious tourism:

Property prices in Najaf are being driven through the roof by the Shia visitors who have flocked to its holy sites since the invasion of Iraq by Coalition forces.

Home to the shrine of Imam Ali, a cousin of the prophet Mohammed and a revered figure in Shia Islam, Najaf is considered a top pilgrimage site by members of the denomination.

These include millions living across the border in Iran, who were unable to visit during the reign of Saddam Hussein.

The fall of his regime and accompanying thaw in relations between the two countries has brought with it an influx of pilgrims. And there are plans to spend 20 million US dollars on a new international airport near Najaf, with the help of a low-interest loan from Iran.

At the same time, local real estate agents and entrepreneurs say they are doing a roaring trade.

"Those experienced in religious tourism have started to buy land and buildings in order to turn them into hotels and tourist villages," said Hussein Abdullah, who owns a real estate agency. "They expect [that in the future] Iraq will be the focal point in the world."

Iraq's economic links with other countries keep expanding:

International Finance Corporation (IFC) considered the possibility of investing $210.3 million in the construction project of cement works in Iraq with a productive capacity of 2.9 million tons per annum. Also according to Russian analysis agency AK&M, IFC intends to participate in the capital of new company by investing $8.3 million. The first investment project in Iraq with participation of IFC was realized in finance sector in November 2004 when IFC invested $35 million in the capital of Credit Bank of Iraq.

The Baghdad Chamber of Commerce and its Swedish counterpart have signed an agreement for the establishment of a joint chamber of commerce to foster economic and other cooperation between the two countries. There is also some input from other European countries:

A group of German and European companies has asked the ministry of labor and social affairs to employ 5278 unemployed workers to employ them in projects that those companies planning to start in Iraq. The (RIRP) group-companies have asked the ministry to provide them with workers and the department of job finding in the ministry has started to provide the needed numbers.

Iraq's foreign debt, accumulated to a massive extent by Saddam, is being progressively written off. The latest country to partially forgive Iraq's debt is Romania, which has reduced liability by 80%, from $2.5 billion to $500 million. Bulgaria is writing off $340 million of Iraqi debt and extending the repayment of the remaining 80% by 20 to 25 years.

Oil production and exports continue to improve:

Iraq has stepped up oil production from its southern oilfields by 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 2.3 mln bpd, a spokesman for the state-owned South Oil Company told Agence France-Presse.

"Production from the southern oilfields has been increased to 2.3 mln barrels per day from today," said Samir Jassem Masquqi.

Southern Iraqi oil production was previously 2 mln bpd, of which 1.5 mln barrels were exported and the rest used for domestic consumption.

Iraq produces and exports from 450,000 to 550,000 bpd from its northern oilfields.

Oil Minister Ibrahim Bahr al-Ulum said last week that oil exports and revenue had reached their highest levels since March 2003, when US-led forces invaded the country.

Crude exports rose 11 pct to 1.6 mln bpd in July, compared to 1.44 mln barrels the month before.

Oil export revenues reached 2.5 bln dollars in July, Ulum said.

In communications news:

The Korean government has expressed its readiness to supply Iraq with an internet system, of a capacity of 10000 subscribers as a test system, in the field of the mutual cooperation between the two countries.

This came during the visit of Dr. Javan Fuad Masum, telecommunication minister, to the Korean embassy, where she met the Korean ambassador to Baghdad.

The ambassador expressed his hope for establishing a group of projects relating to the field of telecommunications, including the development of an ADSL system, in specific. He promised to provide Iraq with an internet system, in addition to training 10 technicians in this field in Korea. The ambassador has promised to bear the responsibility of erecting and operating the Korean exchanges (Samsung brand), which Iraq has been provided with earlier.

Air travel revives in Iraq:

If there's one business that's quite literally taking off in Iraq right now, it's air travel, with more and more Iraqis lining up to get out of their troubled land, either for a break or forever.

Since resuming flights a year ago after being grounded for 14 years by sanctions, Iraqi Airways now operates 20 flights a week to destinations like Amman, Damascus, Istanbul and Dubai.

Many are fully booked, producing a hectic scramble at Baghdad airport when the gate is called, as desperate passengers clamber over one another to get to the front of the line.

Routes to Beirut, Cairo, Saudi Arabia and Iran are expected to begin in the coming weeks, and a flight to London from Basra or Baghdad is on the cards for late September or October.

"The expansion is going very well," Captain Ali al-Bayaa, chief executive of the airline and a former pilot, said on Thursday as he oversaw operations at Baghdad's airport, possibly the most heavily defended airfield in the world.

"We should have a flight starting to Cairo in the next 10 days, which will be very popular," he said.

For 18 months after Saddam Hussein was toppled, the country remained too dangerous for commercial airlines, with insurgents occasionally firing shoulder-fired missiles at aircraft.

Then Royal Jordanian began a regular service to and from Amman, employing South African pilots and air crew to fly the route, which involves a dizzyingly tight spiral take-off and landing in Baghdad to avoid the threat of rocket attack.

Now, two and a half years after Saddam's fall, there are half a dozen airlines jetting in and out of Baghdad, supplying a rapidly growing demand for air travel. At the same time, travel agencies are opening up again after years of inactivity.

International flights return to Basra:

The first international airline flight to land in the southern Iraqi city of Basra in 15 years arrived here yesterday [Aug. 22] receiving a warm welcome from local officials. A Sharjah-based Phoenix Air Boeing 747 arrived from Dubai with 22 passengers on board.

The company will begin two flights a week between Dubai and Basra, Iraq's second largest city, officials said. "Hopefully flights to Iraq will increase from the region and the world," said Basra's governor Mohammed Al Waili at the airport while greeting the arriving passengers. Since the U.N. imposed economic sanctions in 1990 after Iraq invaded Kuwait, no foreign airline has flown to Basra.

Iraqi authorities are now working to convert the Najaf airport from military to international commercial use. Meanwhile, the first flight of Tigris Air from Iraq touched down in Cairo. Flights between Iraq and Baku, Azerbeijan, are planned. So are six flights a week between Syria and Iraq.

On the land, the specialists from the state railway company are currently working on designs to link the Iraqi and the Iranian railway networks. Speaking of railways, a major renovation effort is currently under way across the country:

Ninety-seven railway stations have been renovated by the Facilities & Transportation (F&T) Sector of the Project & Contracting Office (PCO). The $42 million railroad program has 28 more stations to complete.

Forty-one of the completed stations are in northern Iraq throughout the governorates of Salah al-Din, Ninewa and Tameem. . . .

Reconstruction work included electrical work; plumbing, sanitation and water delivery system upgrades; roof repairs; installation or repair of air conditioning units; and interior renovations such as painting, plaster and tile work.

There are two main types of railway stations under renovation: five-room crew stations used only by railway workers, and nine-room passenger stations for use both by railway passengers and railway workers, according to the PCO. Of the 97 railway stations to be worked on by the PCO, approximately 22 are passenger stations; the rest are crew stations only.

Currently the railway works out to be about 30 percent passenger use and 70 percent freight use.

The railway stretches from southern to northern Iraq, approximately 1,260 miles of track, with railway stations appearing about every 15 miles.

One of the major stations under renovation is Baghdad Station, currently scheduled for completion by early December 2005. Other projects currently under construction include train maintenance and repair shops in Kirkuk, Al-Samawa and Baiji, with another one planned in Baghdad.

Station renovation work is a joint effort between PCO, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the Iraqi Republic Railroads (IRR) and local Iraqi workers.

• Reconstruction. In Baghdad, major telecommunications infrastructure will be rebuilt and renovated:

As of October 1, works would start on rehabilitating what has been destroyed, during the bombing with American planes and rockets, of the telecommunication building and tower in Al Ma'moun region, west of Baghdad, or what has been known as "Saddam Tower" before April 9, 2003.

An Iraqi company would be in charge of the reconstruction, while a European company from Luxemburg would set the new designs for this building, which is considered as one of the most prominent landmarks of Baghdad, according to Javan Ma'sum, Iraqi telecommunications minister.

The minister added that the cost of rehabilitating the building and the tower reaches 20 million dollars, which are designated from the US aid to Iraq. She pointed out that a celebration would be held in Baghdad on this occasion, where the start of works that would totally depend on Iraqi expertise, would be announced.

Ma'sum noted that the design of the building and tower would be totally changed, where modernization and touches that reflect the Iraqi prospective of the project are domineering.

She said that the whole telecommunication building in Al Senk region, on Al Rasheed Street in Baghdad, would be knocked down, to be rebuilt later this year. This is due to the fact that the ministry experts found out that the overhauling and rehabilitation of the building would be more expensive than rebuilding it.

She noted that Spain has promised to provide with the necessary finance for establishing a new exchange, with a high capacity to serve subscribers, in Al Diwaneya province (170 km south of Baghdad).

Italians are contributing to the reconstruction of the south:

Italy has allocated 2.18 million euros [$2.68 million] for development in Iran's southern Nasiriya province, where most of the Itaiy's [sic] 3,000-stong military contingent in Iraq is based. "The funds will be used in Nasiriya and surroundings for several projects in the fields of health, education, drinkable water and infrastructures, including roads, sport facilities and the sewage system," Ahmad al-Shaykh Ali, the deputy governor of Dhi Qar region--under whose jurisdiction Nasiriya falls--told Adnkronos International (AKI). The project areas will jointly identified by the Italian army and the regional council.

Judicial infrastructure is also rising:

Construction is complete on phase one of the $865,000 Basrah courthouse project. This five-phase project is expected to be complete in October. The main courthouse, expected to hold a number of high profile trials, continues to operate during construction. Iraqi subcontractors are working on the project, and employing an average of 70 local Iraqi workers daily.

The cleanup of Iraq continues:

Rakan Ahmed Al Allaf, director of the general municipalities' administration in the ministry of municipalities and general works said, "Al Wehda municipality has lifted 1800 tons of garbage, 1400 m3 [370,000 gallons] of debris, 100 tons of wastes and has filled up 150 m3 [40,000 gallons] of swamps.

He added Al Zohur municipality has lifted 840 tons of garbage, 500 m3 [130,000 gallons] of debris and 40 tons of wastes, and has paved streets, filled up swamps with earth and finished the municipality building." He pointed out, "Al Jisr municipality has lifted the garbage and debris, which were accumulated in (101, 102, 103, 104 and 105) sites and Al Ta'mim district. It has lifted 1750 tons of garbage, 350 tons of debris, and 40 tons of wastes. It has also pulled the still rain water. Al Yousefeya municipality has lifted 125 tons of garbage and 30 m3 [8,000 gallons] of debris, and has cleaned 2500 meters of roads. In Al Rashedeya municipality, the districts of Al Zahra and Al Bad'a districts have been cleaned in addition to Al Naheya region. Gardens, parks and platforms have also been maintained."

Al Allaf pointed out, "These municipalities managed to collect the rents of its real estate, lifted many violations over its lands, committed dust and stone operations in various districts to Iraqi contractors and companies to execute them."

A USAID program is helping local communities to carry out projects:

USAID's Community Action Program (CAP) helped a community in Maysan Governorate rehabilitate its sports stadium. The 15,000 person stadium was built in 1959 and regularly hosted soccer and track and field competitions. However, during the war between Iraq and Iran, the stadium was used as an Army arsenal and was severely damaged during a bombardment, resulting in the closing of the facilities. CAP contracted the rehabilitation and the community association organized sports tournaments among the surrounding schools as part of its contribution towards this project. The stadium was handed over to the Directorate of Youth and Sports in May at an opening ceremony that drew many spectators and participants. The project is expected to benefit over 2,000 people.

A Baghdad area kindergarten was rebuilt with CAP assistance. The kindergarten was in a state of complete disrepair, making it almost impossible for teachers to gauge the educational and emotional development needs of the children. Classrooms were dark and damp and all furniture was broken. Parent and community association members in the area stressed to USAID the need to improve the facilities. The project was completed on May 4 and included the complete rehabilitation of the premises. The classrooms are now well lit, clean, and equipped with modern equipment. This project will benefit 204 pre-school children.

CAP helped a community in At Tamim governorate pave its sidewalks around the town center. Most of the roads are not paved in this town in the southwest of the governorate causing flooding and muddy conditions. With paved sidewalks, people can move freely in their town and a heavy rainfall will not cause a local catastrophe.

The Iraqi authorities, in cooperation with the United Arab Emirates are planning some health-related projects:

A medical city and a faulty of medicine would be established in Al Sadr city, and the Emirati authorities would start establishing a medical city in Al Sadr city, which would include 4 big hospitals, laboratories and a faculty of medicine. The construction of the two hospitals in Thi Qar and Al Selaimania would start at the same time. He specified the achievement date by a period of less than two years.

Another two hospitals will be established with the American support in Maisan province. Meanwhile, the authorities are setting up mobile medical centers to provide care in areas of Baghdad with insufficient health infrastructure:

In coordination with a number of humanitarian, Baghdad health department has established medical centers and camps in some poor districts in Baghdad to offer medial assistance for the residents of these regions, which suffer from the spread of epidemics and diseases, due to the contamination of water and the lack of health services.

Dr. Ahmed Al Zubeidi confirmed that these centers offer examinations and medical supplies for poor modest families in the regions of Al Dawra, Al Amel district, Al Baya', Sowaib, Al Radwaneya, and other regions, where there are no centers or hospitals for treating patients, and epidemics and diseases have spread due to the poor health services. He added that the mobile medical center includes more than five doctors of various specialties, who offer their medical services to patients. Each center or clinic can accommodate more than 600 patients. He pointed out that the majority of cases received in the center are children's and elders' diseases, in addition to the wounded.

Britain is involving its private sector in an effort to help train Iraqi medical personnel:

The government will today [Aug. 25] invite the private sector to compete with the NHS [National Health Service] for a contract to help rebuild the health service in Iraq.

About 50 medical teams will be invited to come to Britain over the next two years to update their skills. But, in a sign of the times, ministers think this assistance need not necessarily be provided by the flagship hospitals of the NHS.

They publish tender documents today for a "suitably qualified organisation or consortium" to arrange the clinical training at an expected cost of up to £5m. Aid for healthcare in Iraq has been directed at rebuilding hospitals and clinics. But discussions with Iraqi officials have identified upgrading skills as the most productive assistance.

The teams that come to Britain will be expected to become "change agents" to spread reform on their return.

In education news, improvements in schools continue:

More than 600 children will return to renovated or rebuilt schools in Maysan province when school starts this fall. This week, renovation on the Al-Eethnar Mud School was completed, and the Al Eethar Mud School was replaced at a cost of $87,000, benefiting 500 students who attend classes there.

Eight newly built schools in Wassit and Babil provinces are receiving new furniture before the start of the school year. Each of the school projects will receive office desks and chairs, file cabinets and new student desks. Collectively, 400 three-student desks will be proportionally divided among the schools, based upon the number of students.

In other news:

Dr. Abdel Falah Hassan Al Sudani, education minister, confirmed that the ministry has decided to establish four model schools in each province. He added that these schools would be similar to Baghdad College, upon technical and scientific specifications. He added that the ministry is currently coordinating with international authorities and humanitarian organizations for the purpose of including a great number of schools in several Iraqi regions. The minister pointed out that the ministry is currently establishing more than 400 schools, upon new engineering and constructional criteria.

USAID's Higher Education and Development program is helping to build ties between American and Iraqi universities to help rebuild the country's higher education system. Among the recent initiatives:

A fifth Iraqi archaeology student has arrived at the State University of New York's Stony Brook (SUNY/SB) campus. His English skills are in need of significant improvement but should improve during English training in the summer and fall semesters to be able to progress into the M.A. program in Archaeology in the Spring 2006 semester. . . .

On July 2, the International Human Rights Law Institute (IHRLI) at DePaul University's College of Law and the School of Law at a northern Iraqi university hosted the opening of newly renovated law library facilities. . . .

A soil sciences laboratory has been set up at a central Iraqi university with the assistance of the HEAD program's Al Sharaka partnership, a cooperative effort between five Iraqi Universities and a consortium of American universities led by the University of Oklahoma. . . .

Three boxes of learning materials arrived recently for distribution at two Colleges of Agriculture and Forestry at northern Iraqi universities.

Electrical projects are progressing across the country:

More reconstruction projects in Sadr City started this week, including a $13 million electrical distribution project. When the project is complete, an estimated 128,000 more people will have a reliable source of electricity. The project includes installation of power lines, 3,040 power poles, 80 transformers, 2,400 street lights, and power connections to individual homes, complete with meters.

Construction started on the $3.8 million Al Rayash Electricity Substation project in the Al Daur district of Salah Ad Din province, located between Tikrit and Bayji. The project, expected to be complete in early December, will provide reliable service to 50,000 Iraqi homes and small businesses. An electric distribution and street lighting project in Daquq was completed on Aug. 17, providing new overhead distribution lines and street lighting in the community.

Meanwhile, the construction of electricity system in Fallujah is now 90% complete and should be finished by mid-September. And Iran will be selling 600 power generators to Iraq.

Work continues on various water projects in Salahedin province:

Engineer Ghazi Naji, assistant of the water general manager in the ministry of municipalities and public works said that the works have included repairing broken pipes of various diameters in Biji, Al Dur, Al Tuz and maintaining and repairing the pipes, pulling stations, control panels, washing pumps, filters, and chlorine devices in the water projects of Biji, Al Dur, Al Tuz and Al Sherqat.

Meanwhile, in the capital:

About 2 million people will benefit from the Baghdad trunk sewer line, which was completed this week. Workers cleaned and repaired the Baghdad trunk sewer line and its associated manholes and pumping stations. The $17.48 million project restored principal sewage collection elements in the Adhamiya, Sadr City and Nissan districts of Baghdad, and will provide for the intended sewer flows to the Rustamiya wastewater treatment plant.

And in Basra:

Two million dollars of Iraq Reconstruction Program money was released to purchase electrical equipment for a Pump Station to upgrade Basra Sweetwater Canal system. This pump station will supply a constant and reliable source of water for two million Iraqis in Basra and the surrounding area.

Also:

The Ministry of Environment announced a project to control the quality of the drinking water for Iraq, which is aided by the World Health Organization. Nahla Hatim, manager of the project, said the cost of the project, which includes laboratory work and installing laboratories for environmental tests, is $2 million and will help out in protection of the environment and the water resources.

USAID is promoting the best agricultural practice throughout the country:

The Agriculture Reconstruction and Development for Iraq (ARDI) program's recent winter crop demonstration showed that the modernized farming methods used produced crop yields that were an average of 48 percent higher than fields planted using traditional methods. Under the program, ARDI and the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) planted 40 demonstration areas on the fields of cooperating farmers in Sulaymaniyah, Arbil, and Da-huk. Each area contained two one-hectare plots; one planted using traditional practices and the other using modernized practices. . . . A total of 1,219 farmers and agriculture students participated in the field days.

In other recent USAID initiatives:

Tomato farmers are harvesting higher yields thanks to improved technologies learned under the Open Field Tomato Demonstration initiative of USAID's Agriculture Reconstruction and Development for Iraq (ARDI) program. For the demonstrations, ARDI established plots in Baghdad, Diyala and Babylon governorates on which they introduced drip irrigation, black plastic mulch, and fertilization. With the Ministry of Agriculture, USAID representatives monitored the plots and helped participating farmers control tomato pests. . . .

A new sustainable fodder project in Wasit governorate will help livestock breeders improve the health and productivity of their sheep flocks. The project, which is sponsored by the ARDI program, focuses on farmers who tend flocks of 30 to 150 head of sheep, providing them with fodder for temporary relief and training in fodder production. . . .

An ARDI program to improve buffalo calving rates through hormone treatments is showing positive results. The program is being implemented in Baghdad, Muthanna and Dhi Qar governorates where buffalo sometimes do not enter estrus during the hot season because of climactic stress, and may not successfully mate or produce milk.

A Connecticut man, meanwhile, has been working to revive Iraqi beekeeping:

Hundreds of honeybees swarm around the 3-foot-high wooden hive in the suburban backyard at 33 Kettle St.

Flying in and out of narrow slits in the box-like structure, they form a buzzing cloud around Andrew Cote, who is trying to avoid being stung a seventh time.

"Mother of God," he says, his deadpan voice belying the pain of the sixth sting.

Cote has at least two stings on his underarms and one on his lower back, areas not covered by the mesh hood he donned minutes ago, as the bees became more agitated. "I got twice as many stings today as I did in two months in Iraq."

The 34-year-old Norwalk native returned on Aug. 11 from an aid mission to Iraq, where he spent the summer sharing his knowledge of bees and pollination with Iraqi farmers and beekeepers.

During the trip, sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development, heavily armed guards swarmed around him as he traveled from city to city in a convoy of armored vehicles.

With estimates that as much as 80 percent of everything humans eat depends on pollination by bees, Cote said, restoring and improving agriculture in the war-ravaged country depends heavily upon the men, and a few women, who Cote helped train during his 10-week trip.

A new survey will help Iraq better manage its scarce water:

Ministry representatives met to discuss the progress of the Strategy for Water and Land Resources in Iraq.

All participating ministries are collecting data relevant to water and land use, including hydrologic and hydro geologic information, water quality and crop-water requirements. This data will be used to analyze specific interventions and strategy priorities. . . .

The Strategy for Water and Land Resources in Iraq will serve as the first inclusive planning document for Iraq's water sector since 1982. Through the planning process the Iraqi government will determine the availability of water resources. The strategy will then enable coordination between ministries and governorates to allocate those water resources. The strategy will also provide a foundation for continued restoration of the Southern Marshlands, and provide the Iraqi government with a strong position when negotiating international water treaties with its neighbors.

More good news for the southern marshlands and wetlands once drained by Saddam as punishment for their rebellious inhabitants:

The Iraqi water minister Abd al-Latif Jamal Rashid has given the go ahead to an ambitious plan to build modern villages around the lakes in the south of the country and turn them into tourist areas. Announcing the plan, the ministry's spokesman told Adnkronos International (AKI): "the ministry has confirmed the start of work on different projects in those areas, with the financial and technical support of the US government in the context of the donation made to the Iraqi government," amounting to 450 million dollars.

It follows an announcement last week by the water ministry that the Treasury had agreed to increase the money earmarked for the relaunch of the marshlands in the south of the country to 300 billion Iraqi dinars (one US dollar is roughly the equivalent of 1,470 Iraqi dinars). This money will also be used to carry out the projects to develop the lakes, which will be re-filled using fluvial channels.

As to the marshes themselves:

The ancient Iraqi marshlands drained by Saddam Hussein as punishment against their occupants are back to almost 40 percent of their former level, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said on Wednesday.

In a rare good news story for Iraq, Nairobi-based UNEP said latest satellite imagery showed a 'phenomenal' recovery rate for the southern marshlands, back to almost 3,500 square km after dwindling to just 760 in 2002. . . .

UNEP said the marshlands totalled almost 9,000 square kilometres [3,500 square miles] in the 1970s--one of the world's largest wetlands with rare species like the Sacred Ibis bird.

While satellite images showed wetland cover back to nearly 40 percent of that in August, the figure was closer to 50 percent back in the Spring thanks to winter rains and snow melt in the headwaters of the Tigris and Euphrates, UNEP said.

"The new satellite imagery shows a rapid increase in water and vegetation cover over the last two years," it added in a statement. "While more detailed field analysis of soil and water quality is needed to gauge the exact state of rehabilitation, UNEP scientists believe the findings are a positive signal that the Iraqi marshlands are well on the road to recovery."

Toepfer, however, warned that full reflooding would still take 'many years' and must be carefully nurtured.

With foreign assistance, Iraqi environmental specialists are getting trained:

A Lab Technician training course to be held in Amman, Jordan, in early September is being planned for technicians from Iraq's five regional Environmental Health Education Resource Centers (EHERC).

The course is being sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Higher Education and Development (HEAD) program which supports a partnership between the State University of New York at Stony Brook (SUNY/SB) and several Iraq universities to build capacity for teaching and research in environmental health. . . .

Workshop topics include training on equipment for soil, water, and lead testing; and the operation of air pollution monitoring equipment.

• Humanitarian aid. The U.N. World Food Program is helping Iraq's most vulnerable and needy:

Support to Vulnerable groups--A total of 21,576 [metric tons] of commodities (7,781 mt High Energy biscuits, 5,791 mt wheat flour, 3,166 mt vegetable oil and 4,838 mt pea/wheat blend) have so far been dispatched into Iraq under WFP's current emergency operation 10360.0.

Distributions so far amount to about 14,946 mt of the total dispatched commodities benefiting 1,324,740 beneficiaries. The present security situation continues to affect the overland transport of food into Iraq.

Food for education--Preparations are underway to preposition the High Energy Biscuits and vegetable oil for the children when the schools re-open in September after the end of the summer holidays.

During the last school year about 8,886 mt (7,781mt of HEB and 1,105 mt of veg. oil) have been delivered into various schools in Iraq with approximately 5,201mt of High Energy Biscuits and 806 mt of vegetable oil distributed under school feeding activities benefiting 806,558 school children. . . .

Vulnerable Group Feeding--A total of 12,690 mt of various commodities including Wheat Flour, Vegetable Oil and Pea-Wheat blended food have been delivered into Iraq with 8,939 mt having been distributed to 518,182 beneficiaries.

A charity is helping Iraq's disabled:

Free Wheelchair Mission recently shipped a container of 550 wheelchairs to the port of Shuwaikh, Kuwait in a momentous humanitarian mission to aid Iraq's disabled and poor. United States Military Major Glenn Rubalcava, Public Health Officer stationed in Kuwait City, coordinated the compassionate effort through the Humanitarian Operations Center (HOC) located in Kuwait.

Both the Iraqi and Kuwaiti governments waived import fees for all the humanitarian aid that involved the HOC. The wheelchairs were convoyed from Kuwaiti to Iraqi military bases and then were picked up from the military bases by civilian contractors. The civilian contractor transportation companies then delivered the wheelchairs from the military bases to their final destinations throughout five geographical locations in Iraq. Wheelchairs were distributed to camps, hospitals, clinics, and orphanages throughout the country.

200 wheelchairs were distributed to the British and Polish sector (southern Iraq), which includes An-Najaf, Ad-Diwaniyah, An-Nasirayah and Al-Basrah. 300 wheelchairs went to the Iraqi Assistance Center (IAC) in Baghdad. They will distribute to Civil Affair units in Fallujah, Ramadi, Baghdad, and Samarra.

Iraqi authorities will be constructing three major housing complexes for Iraqi refugees who chose to return home.

The good work of one Colorado business continues to bring cheer to Iraqi schoolchildren:

A small girl, not much older than 6 or 7, struggled with a math lesson at her school northeast of Baghdad, Iraq.

The subject was not the reason for the girl's frustration; she was equipped with only a broken pencil and a few pieces of paper.

A U.S. soldier visiting the school in the Diyala province of eastern Iraq saw the students' dilemma and decided to do something about it.

"I was very sad for her because she reminded me of my daughter, and I wanted to do as much as I could to help these children," said Army Spec. Steven Wilkerson.

The young soldier, a member of the Army's "Battle Boar" 1st Battalion, Googled for help.

EZ School Supplies, based in the Denver West Office Park in Golden, popped up on the Internet search engine. In May, Wilkerson e-mailed the company to see if it would donate some school supplies.

"The local schools do not have funds to purchase supplies, as they are very impoverished," Wilkerson wrote for his commander, Lt. Col. Roger Cloutier.

Officials of EZ School Supplies, a company formed just two years ago by a 2000 graduate of Golden High School, were excited by the request.

The rest in history:

EZ partners with the Learning Legacy Foundation, which specializes in providing supplies to underprivileged students.

Tapping into that connection, EZ sent 35 packs of pencils, paper, erasers and folders to the 1st Battalion's 30th Infantry, which is serving a 12- to 14-month tour in Iraq.

Students who received the first shipment got "very excited and are extremely happy," wrote Wilkerson, who responded by sending photos of smiling schoolchildren.

Other actions to help Iraqi children are also bearing fruit:

A request for assistance for children in Iraq sent home from a 36th Division soldier has generated overwhelming response, according to a member of his family.

"The response has been almost overwhelming," Charles Snow, the grandfather of SPC Adam Gregory, said Thursday. "We are extremely grateful for all the donations."

Gregory's letter was quoted in a Brownwood Bulletin story published Aug. 6.

A deadline of Friday, Aug. 26 has been set for the donations so they can be boxed for shipment to Iraq.

Gregory has been stationed in Iraq since January, and he said he has a special feeling for the children.

Snow said some donations of adult shoes have been received, but children's items are especially sought. Even used shoes are acceptable, if they are clean. Cash donations will be used to pay postage for shipping.

A joint Iraqi-American effort is also helping children:

Children in a village of Tamim province received school supplies, clothing and toys from the Nahrain Foundation, a nongovernmental organization that focuses on providing proper nutrition, decent clothing and medical supplies to Iraqi women and children. The foundation received its supplies as part of a joint effort between American donations and a coalition forces-run program known as "Operation Provide School Supplies," which accepts donations from private citizens and corporations in the United States.

And Mennonite Central Committee is helping Iraqi schoolchildren:

MCC is shipping 4,200 relief kits and 24,000 school kits to Iraq, which continues to be troubled by violence and instability. The relief kits will be distributed to Iraqis who have been displaced to camps by urban warfare, and the school kits will be distributed to children in low-income neighborhoods of Baghdad. The total value of the shipments is $442,000 Cdn./$360,000 U.S.

Meanwhile, Louisiana shows that it has a heart:

In bringing a young Iraqi to this country for a critically needed operation, Tulane University's medical center and Louisianians serving in Iraq are showing that this country has a big heart.

An 8-year-old Iraqi boy will undergo surgery at Tulane to repair a hole in his heart.

Operation Mend a Heart was inspired by one of our own, Lt. Col. Mark Matthews of Denham Springs, who recently returned from a nine-month tour of duty in Iraq.

Earlier this year, Matthews, while stationed at U.S. Central Command in Qatar, helped arrange for a 5-year-old Iraqi girl and her father to be transported to this country so she could undergo heart surgery at Maine Medical Center in Portland. The surgery was completed successfully in February.

Matthews' wife, Toni, a surgical nurse, nicknamed that effort "Operation Have a Heart to Save a Heart." It's now evolved into a joint project of the U.S. military, Tulane Hospital and Clinic and Tulane Health Sciences Center.

"It is a project of the heart," Mark Matthews said.

The Chicago Rotarians are also helping:

Ali Ayad is only 9, yet he wears a colostomy bag and has a heart filled with holes. He lives in Baghdad in a single room of a small house shared by 16 other people. He arrived Monday at O'Hare Airport after 25 hours of travel. Yet, many could learn something from Ali, who refused a wheelchair as he walked onto American soil for an operation that could change his life. . . .

Ali and Masuma Hmod, 11 months old, both from Iraq, are in Chicago for surgeries to correct a congenital heart defect known as tetralogy of Fallot. . . .

Ali and Masuma are being sponsored by the Rotary Club's Gift of Life program. It helps bring children from developing countries to modern health-care facilities, said Dr. George Harris, a local Rotary official and a pediatrician at Advocate Hope Children's Hospital in Oak Lawn, where the two youngsters' surgeries are to be performed.

The Iraqi-American Association of Illinois was a primary donor for the children's trip. Other donors include Rotary Clubs in Hinsdale and Orland Park and 10 Roman-Catholic churches.

Rotarians donated nearly 500,000 frequent-flier miles to buy tickets for the children and their companions: Ali's aunt, Nadia Murzoq; Masuma's mother and two Iraqi physicians who are accompanying them, Abdul Raheem Daoud and Mohammad Jassim Hassan Ali Nassir.

There will be more help for Iraqi patients, thanks to this initiative:

Next month, an international medical team consisting of 60 specialists in cardiac surgery and the technology of operations' equipments would arrive in Iraq for erecting a field station to conduct such surgeries for several Iraqi citizens who are suffering from heart diseases and the current events are hindering executing such operations.

Sheikh Ali Al Ka'bi, director of the Emirati Red Cross in Iraq, said in a statement that the team would include global surgeons from all over the world and specialists in equipments and anesthesia. The field hospital would be established to execute heart operations in Ibn Al Bitar Hospital in Al Karkh region in Baghdad.

• Coalition troops. They're active on the ground in Diyala province:

Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry, Task Force Liberty are working with the people of the Diyala Province to build schools, improve the water supply, pave roads and rebuild their local government.

Coalition Soldiers are providing Iraqis with money to improve their way of life and, in order to ensure projects in the Diyala Province are progressing on schedule, Soldiers conduct routine checks of these sites.

The work the Soldiers are doing is helping to rebuild the city services, said 1st Lt. Jeremy Krueger, civil-military operations officer for Task Force 1-30, and native of Pensacola, Fla.

"I think the projects in our [area of operations] are important," said Krueger. "What we are doing is improving the infrastructure for this whole area that has been torn down over the last several years. It's helping the population immensely. It is providing new schools for them, new roads, new water projects, water supplies that they have never had and also some of the projects are businesses that are going to provide some revenue for the area."

The unit is still working on developing more projects in order to better the area, said Sgt. Maj. Matthew J. West, civil-military operations sergeant major for Task Force 1-30 and a native of Dallas, Texas.

We have 83 projects that have been submitted or are currently underway, West said.

According to Army Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, reconstruction of Fallujah is going well:

Reconstruction is seeing some "amazing" progress, Lynch pointed out.

"Last November, there were significant military operations in (Fallujah)," he said. "By this November we will have completed 438 projects totaling $71.3 million and will continue the progress with an additional 19 projects worth over $65 million after the elections."

The people of Fallujah, he said, have reliable access to electricity and water, and can send their children to one of the 49 schools now open. Fallujans also will soon have their own TV and radio station.

The troops continue to work on important water infrastructure projects:

In Iraq, where even water that comes from the tap could be contaminated with chemicals or sewage seeping into the ground, clean water is the most basic need of people throughout the country.

While there is an adequate supply of bottled water, water for cooking, cleaning and bathing is a precious commodity. In many cases, wells have not been dug deep enough to go below the contaminated ground water.

Under the $18 billion Iraq Reconstruction Program, 184 public works and water projects are planned, including 158 water treatment facilities, two sewage treatment plants and 11 water resource projects. The Corps of Engineers and Project Contracting Office program contracts the work out to local laborers, with the Corps of Engineers Gulf Region District overseeing the construction.

Read about some of the projects currently on the way, for example:

A massive $125 million water treatment plant in Ifraz will pump treated water about 20 miles southeast to the more than 900,000 residents of the city of Irbil.

In other recent water-related projects financed and overseen by the military:

Officials from [Iraq and the U.S.] also signed a charter to detail plans to bring much-needed projects to the people of Husseiniya, an agricultural town north of Baghdad whose population boomed during the previous regime. Coalition Forces are working with the Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works to build storm drainage projects, water-quality improvements, and most importantly, sewage treatment facilities. The Husseiniya Charter is the first of its kind in the area, and will serve as the test-bed and guide for other projects in impoverished areas in and around Baghdad. . . .

Iraqi workers in Baghdad finished the $3.6M Al Amari Water Distribution project this week. The project can produce approximately 250 cubic meters of potable water daily and service about 2,000 families in the Al Amari and 9-Nissan areas of Baghdad.

The troops are also building roads:

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region South District (GRS) has been working on modern asphalt roads in Najaf to facilitate agriculture sales and to provide better routes to village schools and hospitals.

"GRS is currently managing the construction of two village road projects in the Najaf Province," said Art Bennett, GRS Transportation and Communication Sector project manager. "The roads serve small villages and local industries--in this case, cement and gypsum plants. The second project, or segment, parallels the Euphrates River."

Bennett said that segment one--the Alhaydariya village road--is about 15 kilometers long and costs $1.2 million. The contract was modified and extended to move power poles away from the shoulder of the road, and to create that shoulder. The modifications also included the shoring up of water pipelines that were unsupported off the side of the road. The additional money is $18,000. He added that the project is 40 percent complete. Total cost of the project with the modifications is $1.3 million.

Segment two, the Al-Cement factory village road, is about seven kilometers long at $337,697. Also modified because of power pole and water pipe issues, the additional allocated money is about $12,000. It is about 38 percent complete. Total cost of the project is about $348,000.

"The intent of these projects is to provide paved roads for everyday use by the local population," said Bennett.

Work on water infrastructure also continues:

Three governorates will be receive upgrades in treated potable water, according to an announcement August 18 by a team of Iraqi and U.S. government entities.

From the $18.4 billion allocated for the total Iraq Reconstruction Program, about $3 million is budgeted for bringing treated potable water to approximately 25,000 Iraqi citizens in the Dahuk, Babylon and Wassit Governorates. The projects will upgrade 15 systems, each including water wells, compact potable water treatment plants and pumps.

The contracts were competed and awarded to local Iraqi contractors, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) providing quality assurance oversight. Each of the 15 sites will employ approximately 20 Iraqi laborers on a daily basis.

The work will also train local operators on site in the technology and maintenance of the water systems. Completion dates for the 15 projects vary, but all are scheduled to be finished by January 2006.

Army surveyors are also laying groundwork for future reconstruction and infrastructure expansion:

The weight of their body armor combined with the strain of having to lift a jackhammer over their heads makes their arms quiver like jello. Sweat pours down their faces and burns their eyes, but they won't stop now. They can't.

One after another, they connect four-foot stainless steel rods together and drive them further below the surface of the earth. Thirteen rods and 52 feet later, the rods refuse to be driven any further.

The engineers assigned to Multinational Corps-Iraq then cover the exposed tip of the rod with a custom access cover and insert a fluorescent orange sign to indicate the location is ready to be surveyed.

The team of U.S. and British Army geodetic surveyors has successfully established another reference point along the road to reconstruction in Iraq, one of many in the first Iraqi Geospatial Reference System that identifies geospatial locations using names or numeric coordinates.

Coalition and Iraqi engineers use the data collected by Iraqi Geospatial Reference System to create accurate maps of Iraq and safely rebuild the country's roads, bridges and pipelines.

"Establishing a geospatial reference system is the first and most crucial step to reconstructing Iraq," said U.S. Army Sgt. Motaz Mostafa, noncommissioned officer-in-charge of one of six Multinational Corps-Iraq geodetic survey teams and assigned to the 175th Engineer Company, 20th Engineer Brigade, Fort Bragg, N.C.

The joint coalition team began working on the project in April, which is modeled on the National Spatial Reference System in the United States.

Geospatial reference systems have already proven to be quite effective in helping the United States and several other countries in Central and South America, Africa and Eastern Europe recover from natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes. War-torn countries like Iraq require the same geospatial reconstruction, said U.S. Army 1st Lt. Kenneth Joyce, Iraqi Geospatial Reference System project leader assigned to the175th Engineer Company.

The troops are working on Iraqi hospitals:

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region South District estimates a Dec. 25 completion of a refurbishment and renovation project for the Najaf Maternity Hospital.