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ROME - The chief U.S. administrator in Iraq (news - web sites), L. Paul Bremer, rejected accusations that the provisional authority is inefficient and out of touch with Iraqis, saying in remarks published Wednesday that it has brought peace to almost 90 percent of the country.
It was Bremer's first comment from since an Italian member of the administration stepped down this week saying that "the provisional authority simply doesn't work" and that only an interim authority headed by the United Nations (news - web sites) could turn things around.
The Italian, Marco Calamai, a special counselor to the authority in the southern province of Dhi Qar, also claimed the American-led administration was mismanaging the country's reconstruction and that the British and Americans had marginalized the Italians.
"I don't know what he's talking about," Bremer was quoted as saying in an interview with Corriere della Sera.
Bremer said that more than $20 million had been spent in the area of Nasiriyah alone since June. Calamai had complained that $400,000 a month had been destined for the region but that only a fraction had been spent because of bureaucratic delays from Baghdad.
Bremer also stressed that the administration is pressing the United Nations to come back to Iraq, and pointed out that it was their decision to leave Iraq and shun protection from U.S.-led coalition forces.
The United Nations pulled all international staff out of Baghdad early this month after two bombings at U.N. headquarters — one of which killed 22 people, including the top U.N. envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello.
Bremer strongly denied Calamai's accusation that non-Americans or non-British in the coalition were being marginalized, citing 17 national groups working with the authority.