Municipal council: Permits needed for construction work in Green Zone

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Baghdad’s municipal council on Thursday said that building permits from its supreme committee are required for construction work in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone. “During its meeting, presided over by Baghdad Mayor Sabir al-Issawi and attended by several general director and experts, the supreme committee has decided not to allow construction or expansion work inside the Green Zone without the council’s prior approval,” according to a statement released by the council and received by IraqiNews.com. The Green Zone (the common name for the International Zone of Iraq) is a 10 km² (4 mile²) area in central Baghdad that was the center of the Coalition Provisional Authority and remains the center of the international presence in the city. Its official name beginning under the Iraqi Interim Government is the International Zone, though Green Zone remains the most commonly used term. It is a base for western private military contractors, and home to the Iraqi Parliament and government, as well as U.S., British and Australian embassies. SS (P)/SR 1