U.S. official: we made huge steps to protect investors in Iraq

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Deputy U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert M. Kimmitt on Saturday said that his country has made great steps towards protecting investors in Iraq. The remark was made during a speech he gave at a U.S.-Iraqi economic conference that opened earlier today and was attended by IraqiNews.com. The United States “has made great steps in protecting investors in Iraq and in encouraging trade and investment operations,” Kimmitt said, adding that economic development in the country will be rather slow because of the current security conditions. “We are here to encourage the private sector and the international community is ready to develop the Iraqi economy,” the U.S. official added. Earlier this morning, a U.S.-Iraqi economic conference opened in the capital Baghdad with the participation of high-ranking officials from both sides. The conference, held at al-Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, was attended by the deputy prime minister, Rafie al-Issawi, and the minister of finance, Baqir Jabr al-Zubeidi. On Friday, the U.S. embassy in Baghdad announced that Deputy U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert M. Kimmitt, Deputy U.S. Commerce Secretary John J. Sullivan, Ambassador Ryan Crocker, and other U.S. officials would attend the conference. The governor of the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI), Sinan al-Shibibi, and the head of the National Authority for Investment, Ahmed Ridha, were among the participants. SS (S) 1