Iraq is a failed corrupted state, minister says

By Khayoun Ahmad Saleh



Azzaman, June 20, 2006



Iraq is passing through a critical stage marked by rampant corruption and chaos in almost all fields of life, minister of planning and development cooperation says.

Ali Khalib Baban made the comments in an interview with the newspaper, his first since assuming his new post in May. “We carry out our duties … in extremely difficult conditions … we frankly say that we are passing through a phase marked by unprecedented chaos and corruption in government ranks,” Baban said.

He said it was not easy to do any planning under such circumstances. Conditions, he added, were further complicated by the upsurge in violence and mounting insecurity.

He said this does not mean that his ministry has stopped planning for the future.

“The planning process no matter how promising and efficient will not be implemented in a correct way,” he said. Planning, he added, needs “stability and a firm, stable and strong government. Unfortunately none of these conditions are currently available in Iraq,” he said. He said one of the biggest problems in Iraq was unemployment.

“Unemployment is practically a big and dangerous issue … The Iraqi economy generally is in the throes of serious problems. Production sectors and utilities are retreating and in the absence of both local and foreign investments, the creation of new jobs becomes almost impossible,” he said.
However, he said, unemployment, which analysts estimate at nearly 50%, cannot be solved on its own. Other factors, like stability and peace, are essential to rejuvenate the economy, he said.