Iraq to finance infrastructure projects in Basra

BASRA / IraqiNews.com: Iraq will soon be responsible for financing infrastructure projects in Basra, the head of the U.S. Reconstruction Team in the province said on Thursday, adding that the team will focus on training Iraqi personnel in the coming period. “In 2011, we will begin work on new projects that will focus on providing training and technical advice to state department personnel,” the team’s head said during a joint press conference with the governor of Basra and the head of its provincial council, which was attended by IraqiNews.com news agency. “The Iraqi government will be responsible for financing infrastructure projects,” he noted. He added that the projects that his team is currently working on, whose total cost exceed $120 million U.S. dollars, are financed by the United States in an attempt to raise the standards of living in Basra. The Shiite province of Basra lies 590 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. SS (P)/SR 1