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US-backed plan sees shiny future for Green Zone in Iraq
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| Contributor | ArmyDem |
| Last Edited | ArmyDem May 05, 2008 08:39am |
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| Category | News |
| News Date | Sunday, May 4, 2008 02:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | BRADLEY BROOKS and QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA | May 4, 2008
BAGHDAD — Forget the rocket attacks, concrete blast walls and lack of a sewer system. Now try to imagine luxury hotels, a shopping center and even condos in the heart of Baghdad.
That's all part of a five-year development "dream list" _ or what some dub an improbable fantasy _ to transform the U.S.-protected Green Zone from a walled fortress into a centerpiece for Baghdad's future.
But the $5 billion plan has the backing of the Pentagon and apparently the interest of some deep pockets in the world of international hotels and development, the lead military liaison for the project told The Associated Press.
For Washington, the driving motivation is to create a "zone of influence" around the new $700 million U.S. Embassy to serve as a kind of high-end buffer for the compound, whose total price tag will reach about $1 billion after all the workers and offices are relocated over the next year.
"When you have $1 billion hanging out there and 1,000 employees lying around, you kind of want to know who your neighbors are. You want to influence what happens in your neighborhood over time," said Navy Capt. Thomas Karnowski, who led the team that created the development plan. |
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