6139008-History-of-Money

Bremer Order #39: Foreign InvestmentBremer Order #39, enacted on September 19, 2003, has five key elements: (1) Privatization of state-owned enterprises;(2) 100% foreign ownership of businesses in all sectors except oil and mineral extraction, banks and insurance companies(the latter two are addressed in a separate order); (3) "national treatment" of foreign firms; (4) unrestricted, tax-freeremittance of all funds associated with the investment, including, but not limited to, profits; and (5) 40 year ownershiplicenses which have the option of being renewed.1. PrivatizationThe Order allows for privatization of all state-owned entities. It is difficult to overstate how fundamental a change this isto the Iraqi economy. As the preamble to the Order explains, it will move Iraq from a "centrally planned economy to amarket economy" in one fell swoop by U.S. fiat. This will involve some 200 state-owned enterprises. Thus, everythingfrom water services, electric utilities, schools, hospitals, television and newspapers, to prisons could be privatized underthe Order. The water sector is already being "reconstructed" by the Bechtel Corporation of San Francisco ‚ one of the topten water privatization companies in the World. Bechtel is the second largest recipient of reconstruction dollars in Iraqafter Halliburton ‚ totaling nearly $3 billion. Bechtel's contract includes the repair of Iraq's water, sewage and electricitysystems, as well as many of its hospitals and schools.Cliff Mumm, head of Bechtel's Iraq operation, told the San Francisco Chronicle that Iraq "has two rivers, it's fertile, it'ssitting on an ocean of oil. Iraq ought to be a major player in the World. And we want to be working for them long term."Bechtel's track record does not bode well for the Iraqi people-in fact, the citizens of Bolivia have written a letter to thepeople of Iraq warning them of what to expect from Bechtel. A subsidiary of Bechtel privatized the water systems ofCochabamba, Bolivia and immediately sent prices sky-rocketing. Families earning a minimum wage of $60 per monthfaced water bills of $20 per month. The citizens rose in protest and at least one seventeen year-old boy lost his life toBolivian troops sent into the streets to defend Bechtel's right to privatize with deadly force. Ultimately, the governmentrelented and cancelled the contract. Bechtel has responded with a $25 million lawsuit against Bolivia for lost profits. Notsurprisingly, when Thomas Foley, former director of Private Sector Development for the CPA, announced a list of the firststate enterprises to be sold off last fall which included cement and fertilizer plants, phosphate and sulfur mines,pharmaceutical factories, and the country's airline, there was immediate unrest. With anywhere from 50% - 70% of theworkforce already unemployed, additional layoffs ‚ which always follow on the heels of privatization ‚ were unacceptable.Furthermore, those remaining workers who still have jobs only receive "emergency pay" mandated by the CPA ‚ about halfof what they made before the war, while prices have skyrocketed and the social safety net has been virtually eliminated.The CPA promised that the U.S. corporations doing the reconstruction would solve the unemployment problem, promising300,000 jobs in an August 13, 2003 letter. Only a handful of these jobs have materialized. One reason is that many firmsare bringing in non-Iraqis to do the bulk of the work.Thus, privatization was met with stiff organized resistance. In response, Bremer was forced to put the immediateprivatization plans on hold for the short-term. However, the long-term plans are clear. BearingPoint, the U.S. Agency forInternational Development (USAID) and others both in or contracted by the U.S. government will implement the majorityof the economic policies with the new Iraqi government. Therefore, implementation can wait until the friction over howthat government is created is resolved. Furthermore, the process of preparing for privatization has not slowed, while theemphasis on privatization is already rearing its head in Iraq. For example:• On April 25, 2004, Iraq's minister of public works told The Independent that Iraq was considering privatizing its waterindustry to "fund essential works." While the U.S. government is obligated to ensure that water is provided to thepeople of Iraq, it is telling that the Minister did not discuss going to the CPA to demand restoration of water servicesnor to Bechtel to demand that it fulfill the requirements of its contract. Rather, she speaks immediately ofprivatization.• Meetings among global corporations to discuss privatization and investment in Iraq have been taking place unabatedat least since the invasion. For example, in February, the U.S. Commerce Department held a "Doing Business in Iraq"conference attended by some five hundred U.S. companies including Boeing, Caterpillar, DaimlerChrysler, Microsoft,IBM, Motorala, Bechtel and Flour. This conference took place immediately following vocal criticism by the IraqiGoverning Council's top representative in Washington that the U.S. was passing over Iraqi firms in awardingreconstruction contracts. The latest of these meetings took place just over a week ago in London. Called "IraqProcurement 2004 ‚ Meet the Buyer" ‚ it was sponsored by ExxonMobil, Oxy, Volvo, Shell, Raytheon andChevronTexaco ‚ among others. You can visit web sites like www.export.gov/Iraq orhttp://www.iraqprocurement.com/ to learn more and similar meetings taking place monthly around the World.• The CPA's continued interest in luring the private sector to Iraq is evidenced by the fact that it recently named a newdirector of Private Sector Development. He is Ari Fleischer's brother, Michael.• Most importantly, it is abundantly clear from BearingPoint's contract that full implementation is intended to take placeafter the new Iraqi government is in place ‚ not in the few months remaining before the "hand-over." The contract isfor three years with the option of renewal. They are not going anywhere. Of course, the contract specifically statesthat while there is a commitment to place "Iraq's leaders and stakeholders in the driver's seat" their input on policieswill only be used "as long as these are consistent with the overall objectives of the project and with USAID policies,regulations and guidelines."The Hidden History Of Money & New World Order Usury Secrets Revealed at last! Page 486