Washington, Sept 24: Americans running the reconstruction of Iraq plan to let Iraqis control their police forces and operate their own ports and railroads no sooner than next February, according to a coalition timeline. The schedule also calls for reopening all courthouses, halting sabotage of electrical lines and taking initial steps toward drafting an Iraqi Constitution by next month.
The paper provides a broad, often vague outline of the US-led coalition provisional authority's plans for gradually restoring the shattered country's facilities. Out of an USD 87 billion package for Iraq and Afghanistan that President Bush has sent Congress, USD 20.3 billion is for rebuilding Iraq. The schedule lists three phases for each of dozens of activities for helping Iraq get back on its feet.
It says, for example, that training for the Iraqi Army would begin by October; long-term acquisition programs would start by January; and training would be gradually shifted to Iraqis by "Feb 04 onwards." In some instances, it is more vague. It specifies eight short-term and medium-term steps for establishing Iraqi media, including "micro lending to new media outlets" and "draft media law." For the longer term, it looks forward to "viable, free and independent media". Bureau Report