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WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- After a series of critical reports, the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction has reviewed a building project that worked: a courthouse in Baghdad. However, the report highlights how dangerous Baghdad has become for Americans and any Iraqis seen to be cooperating with them -- the inspectors could not visit the site personally to review the construction. "The assessment team did not visit the project site because officials at Gulf region division determined it was not safe for the team to travel to the site and because the presence of the assessment team increased the potential danger for the Iraqis working at the site," the report states. In the report, Iraqi workers' faces are blotted out in pictures so they cannot be identified and targeted.
LOS ANGELES For years, Parsons Corp. has profited from a steady stream of U.S. government contracts for everything from the disposal of hazardous weapons material to rebuilding hospitals, highways and other big-ticket infrastructure. Led by a retired Army colonel, the low-profile engineering giant has remained under the radar of most public interest groups and oversight bodies to become a key player in the reconstruction of Iraq, with contracts worth about $2 billion. But shoddy work recently prompted the U.S. Corps of Engineers to cancel its $75 million contract to renovate a critical police training academy in Baghdad. Parsons also lost deals to build a prison and dozens of medical clinics in that country after the government cited missed deadlines and cost problems. Parsons said it has done the best work possible under the conditions in Iraq, where its reliance on subcontractors fearful of attacks has led to the delays and cost overruns.
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