UN wants $1.5 bn aid for rehabilitation of Iraqis

The UN is to ask for a total $1.5 bn to rebuild Iraq, once the US-led war has been ongoing for 48 hours.

The United Nations is to ask its member states for a total $1.5 billion to rebuild Iraq, once the US-led war has been ongoing for 48 hours, a UN source said on Thursday.

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Of that $1.5 billion, 80 million is to be allocated to the UN Development Programme (UNDP) for rehabilitation and reconstruction of infrastructure in the immediate post-war timeframe, the source said.

A preliminary document suggested that UNDP would ask for roughly $92 million the bulk of which was to be designated for sanitation, water and infrastructure rebuilding in Iraq.

Indirect costs borne by the nearby nations of Syria, Kuwait, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iran and Saudi Arabia would also be partially covered by the UNDP request, the source said.

The United Nations humanitarian coordination office (OCHA) had as of Tuesday received just under $42 million of the 123 million it appealed for to deal with preparations for Iraq.