From the new World Media Watch up now at
http://www.zianet.com/insightanalyticalTomorrow at Buzzflash.com
1//The Japan Times, Japan March 5, 2006
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20060305a1.html JAPAN MAY HIRE CONTROVERSIAL FIRM TO DISMANTLE CAMP IN IRAQ
The Defense Agency is considering hiring a U.S. firm to dismantle the Ground Self-Defense Force's camp in Samawah, Iraq, after the troops pull out by late May, informed sources said Saturday.
It would be the first time the Self-Defense Forces have contracted work to a private military contractor in connection with an overseas deployment.
The agency is thinking about asking KBR -- a subsidiary of U.S. giant Halliburton Co. for which U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney once served as chief executive officer -- to disassemble the GSDF camp, the sources said.
Such a move would be aimed at speeding up the troops' withdrawal and securing the safety of the approximately 600 personnel as they make their way out of Iraq, where they have been conducting humanitarian and reconstruction aid operations.
But it could spark a battle due to concerns over allegations that Cheney played a part in getting lucrative U.S. reconstruction projects in Iraq granted to KBR.
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