- CRAWFORD, Texas (AFP) --
US President George W Bush may soon seek new funds for the occupation of
Iraq, a spokeswoman said today.
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- The comments came after a top aide said reconstruction
efforts might require "tens of billions of dollars" more.
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- Paul Bremer, the US overseer of the war-ravaged nation,
offered the estimate in an interview with the Washington Post during a
trip to Washington, where he met with Bush's national security adviser,
Condoleezza Rice.
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- Separately, Bush announced in a statement that he was
invoking his prerogative to limit a planned January 2004 pay raise for
many federal workers, saying it "would interfere" with the war
on terrorism.
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- Top administration officials have said the White House
will seek billions in supplemental financing for the reconstruction of
Iraq, which Bush said before the war would pay for its own rebuilding with
oil sales.
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- White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan said the administration
was discussing the exact amount to be requested with Bremer and with military
officials before asking the US Congress for the money.
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- "We don't have the numbers at this point, and until
we have responsible numbers, we're not going to go to Congress," she
told reporters here while the President relaxed on his nearby ranch.
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- "Victory in Iraq is critical, it's critical to the
war on terrorism," she said. "We will do everything to ensure
that the resources are there to finish the job and to do that effectively.
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- In a statement released here, Bush informed top US politicians
that he was using his powers to limit the planned pay raise for many federal
employees because of budgetary constraints.
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- "Such cost increases would threaten our efforts
against terrorism or force deep cuts in discretionary spending or federal
employment to stay within budget," he said in the statement.
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- Earlier, Bremer told the Post that meeting Iraq's electrical
demand alone would require $US2 billion ($3.11 billion) and 12 months of
work, while providing clean water would cost $US16 billion ($24.9 billion)
over four years.
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- Overall, he estimated reconstruction would cost "several
tens of billions of dollars".
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- The US is also spending an estimated $US4 billion ($6.23
billion) a month on the military occupation of Iraq.
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- Copyright 2003 News Limited.
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- http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7089234%255E1702,00.html
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