US suspends funding to Iraqi opposition
Iraq-USA, Politics, 1/7/2002

The US has suspended paying money to an opposition Iraqi group over the way millions of donated US dollars given to this group were spent.

News reports quoted the Los Angeles Times as saying that the investigations made by officials at the US state department on the way the money given to the Iraqi national congress were spend unveiled a weakness in the financial administration of the given US money.

The paper explained the Iraqi national congress which includes opposition Iraqi groups were officially notified about the American position provided for the payment of the hole sum the US department promised to pay estimated at USD 25 million in case this opposition makes an amendment in the way it runs spending of this money.

Due the differences in view points the Iraqi national congress did not use the major part of the USD 97 million which the US Congress decided to pay to it on the framework of a law approved in 1998 on liberating Iraq.

The said paper quoted American officials as saying that the Iraqi national congress did not make tangible efforts in this context, noting that at the time the conference persists the US to approve the financing of activities inside Iraq, Washington prefers work to establish a strong organization that attracts supporters inside and outside Iraq and to use the mass media in order to enhance their own existence.

Washington have fears that operations for this opposition group inside Iraq might result in a violent reaction by the Iraqi regime that will force the American forces to interfere at a time it does not view as appropriate.

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