Monday, March 27, 2006
News RhetIraq: US Hiring Jordanians, Not Iraqis
Source: Associated Press via Forbes
Quotes: From article titled, "U.S. Embassy Focuses on Hiring Jordanians"
The U.S. Embassy, a diplomatic fortress in central Baghdad's isolated "Green Zone," has begun hiring its local staff from neighboring Jordan, rather than recruiting Iraqis.
An internal embassy notice obtained by The Associated Press says the "Jordan Hiring Program" was devised because Iraqis face "unique security and safety risks" in working for the embassy, a reference to the threat of violence facing Iraqis associated with the U.S. occupation.
Embassy officials would not answer questions about the unusual program, including whether they were having difficulty hiring Iraqis or whether they had concerns Iraqis might pose security risks as possible sympathizers with the anti-U.S. insurgency.
The "locally engaged staff" totals more than 200, but it could not be learned how many are Iraqi Arabs and how many are Iraqi Kurds or Arabs from other countries.
U.S. embassies around the world hire host-country nationals for many positions, typically clerical jobs and posts for which the local language is essential, such as in the office issuing U.S. visas. In the case of Baghdad, Jordanian Arabic is closely related to Arabic spoken in Iraq.
Newly hired Jordanians "will not replace the loyal and talented Iraqi employees already working in Baghdad," said a circular distributed internally within the embassy Jan. 31 and obtained more recently by AP.
"It is intended as an interim measure to cover Embassy LES (locally engaged staff) hiring needs while Embassy employment poses special dangers and risks to Iraqi staff."
One highly placed American official, who agreed to discuss Green Zone security only if granted anonymity because of the situation's sensitivity, told a reporter he had hired non-Arab guards for his important operation. "I don't trust Iraqis," he said.
Iraqis and Americans point to similar signs of nervousness elsewhere as a result of the 3-year-old insurgency waged primarily by Iraq's Sunni Arab minority. For instance, Iraqis from surrounding communities are seldom hired to work at central Iraq's Balad Air Base and other U.S. installations, except in sandbag-filling details under U.S. armed guard.
Quotes: From article titled, "U.S. Embassy Focuses on Hiring Jordanians"
The U.S. Embassy, a diplomatic fortress in central Baghdad's isolated "Green Zone," has begun hiring its local staff from neighboring Jordan, rather than recruiting Iraqis.
An internal embassy notice obtained by The Associated Press says the "Jordan Hiring Program" was devised because Iraqis face "unique security and safety risks" in working for the embassy, a reference to the threat of violence facing Iraqis associated with the U.S. occupation.
Embassy officials would not answer questions about the unusual program, including whether they were having difficulty hiring Iraqis or whether they had concerns Iraqis might pose security risks as possible sympathizers with the anti-U.S. insurgency.
The "locally engaged staff" totals more than 200, but it could not be learned how many are Iraqi Arabs and how many are Iraqi Kurds or Arabs from other countries.
U.S. embassies around the world hire host-country nationals for many positions, typically clerical jobs and posts for which the local language is essential, such as in the office issuing U.S. visas. In the case of Baghdad, Jordanian Arabic is closely related to Arabic spoken in Iraq.
Newly hired Jordanians "will not replace the loyal and talented Iraqi employees already working in Baghdad," said a circular distributed internally within the embassy Jan. 31 and obtained more recently by AP.
"It is intended as an interim measure to cover Embassy LES (locally engaged staff) hiring needs while Embassy employment poses special dangers and risks to Iraqi staff."
One highly placed American official, who agreed to discuss Green Zone security only if granted anonymity because of the situation's sensitivity, told a reporter he had hired non-Arab guards for his important operation. "I don't trust Iraqis," he said.
Iraqis and Americans point to similar signs of nervousness elsewhere as a result of the 3-year-old insurgency waged primarily by Iraq's Sunni Arab minority. For instance, Iraqis from surrounding communities are seldom hired to work at central Iraq's Balad Air Base and other U.S. installations, except in sandbag-filling details under U.S. armed guard.
