“It would be difficult for us to give further money for the reconstruction of Iraq,” Canada’s deputy prime minister, John Manley, said Wednesday. “To exclude Canadians just because they are Canadians would be unacceptable if they accept funds from Canadian taxpayers for the reconstruction of Iraq.”
Steven Hogue, a spokesman for Prime Minister Jean Chretien, said Canada had contributed more than $190 million to the rebuilding effort.
A spokesman for the German government described the Pentagon decision as unacceptable, while France said it would examine its legality.
“We are studying the compatibility of these decisions with international competition law together with our partners that are involved, notably in the European Union and the European Commission,” said Herve Ladsous, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry.
Wednesday afternoon, Arancha Gonzalez, the trade spokeswoman at the European Commission, said the EU had asked the United States to provide more information “so we can see whether or not their commitments with regard to the WTO have been respected.”
WTO rules on public procurement apply to defense contracts unless the government claims an exemption based on reasons such as national security.
Each of the 26 contracts listed on the Pentagon Web site will be examined to see what they cover and whether national security exemptions would apply, Gonzalez said. |
