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| Iraq |
| US military hands Green Zone to Iraqis |
| 2010-06-02 |
| Iraqis celebrated the end of a little-loved era yesterday when the American military gave up control of the fortified green zone from which it has ruled for the past seven years. A short ceremony on blazing hot tarmac, under the unrelenting morning sunshine, marked the moment when the last US soldiers withdrew from the checkpoints that ring the enclave in the heart of the capital. “Now its all an Iraqi problem,' said one uniformed American. “They are welcome to it.' The green zone gates have kept ordinary Iraqis away from the centre of power, despite the arrival of democracy. Many felt frustrated by the arrangement and considered their country under occupation long after electing a prime minister — who is also resident in the green zone. Many foreigners call the rest of Iraq outside their protected embassies, barracks and offices the “red zone'; a term Iraqis find baffling or even offensive. “Green is the colour of Islam,' said Abu Ibrahim, a fruit seller. “It should be ours.' When American generals heard such sentiments years ago they started calling it the “international zone' — but the old name never went away. “al-green zone' is now a loan word in the Arabic language. Shut out and frequently left without water and electricity, ordinary Iraqis have resented for years the privileges that have been enjoyed by green zone residents. Inside the gates, the lights never went out and the air conditioners kept humming throughout the scorching summers. Foreign residents could be seen sipping imported coffee in the Green Bean Café under the tall dome before driving, without fear of kidnapping, to the Liberty outdoor swimming pool in an area renamed Little Venice for its streetside waterways. For dinner, the diplomats, spies, businessmen and security guards had various alcohol-serving options, including the Baghdad Country Club, home to all manner of debauchery. And yet, few of them actually liked their lives inside the dusty concrete jungle, hemmed in by checkpoints and blast walls. “A prison with incoming mortar fire,' is how one former British resident described it. Rents kept on rising and entertainment options narrowing — not least because puritanical and grandstanding Iraqi leaders forbade the transport of alcohol inside the green zone last year when they first started sharing control with the Americans. Now that Iraqi forces have the five sq mile area to themselves, critics have asked if they really can ensure the safety of the Government. One former Iraqi security official appeared sceptical, telling The Times that it would be a simple matter for the military to attempt a coup. “If they park their tanks at the gates and seal off the entrances, then the politicians could not do much,' he said. “There are plenty of little Saddams in the army that might want to try.' At least until the end of next year, however, American special forces with helicopter support will still be based at the nearby international airport, ready to prop up the civilian Government. |
| Posted by:lotp |
| #1 guess it will be a killing zone soon |
| Posted by: chris 2010-06-02 10:07 |