US army blocks the Iraqi army from Iraq's airport
Iraq-USA, Politics, 9/10/2005

A British company which is in charge of Baghdad's airport said it closed on Friday Baghdad's airport over a difference on its contract with the Iraqi government and the company.

In a statement, the company said it has not received wages for its services since March, and therefore it decided to close the airport to commercial planes.

The company set a precondition to reopen it, which is the that Iraqi government pay the overdue money. The said company got the contract to run the airport from the American government in 2004.

But the company, Global Strategies Group, according to the New York Times announced early today that "it had agreed to reopen the airport on Saturday morning after a promise by the Iraqi government to pay half the amount owed," and after the the Iraqi government had issued orders and send its troops to open the airport by force, "But the Iraqis turned back to avoid a confrontation with American soldiers who had already hurried to the airport from their nearby base." Iraqi officials said they did not want a confrontation with the US army, who had set up a roadblock to the airport, the New York Times said.

Previous Stories:
  Blair ignores al-Qaida 's claim for the attacks on London   (9/3/2005)
  London's mayor for British pullout from Iraq   (8/5/2005)
  Straw: American, British forces in Iraq inflame the armed rebellion   (8/2/2005)

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