U.S. Senate votes to keep Iraq construction watchdog alive

The U.S. Senate voted on Tuesday by a voice vote to keep alive the federal agency that tracks spending in reconstruction projects in Iraq.

"The important work of this watchdog must continue, as long as American funds are being used for Iraqi reconstruction," said Republican Senator Susan Collins, who cosponsored the measure with Democratic Senator Russ Feingold.

The measure was approved as an amendment to the military construction and veterans' spending bill, which passed the Senate Tuesday night.

Under a recently passed law, the office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction would expire in October next year. The amendment would keep the agency alive through October 2008.

The office began its work in January 2004 to track 18 billion U.S. dollars allocated for reconstruction in Iraq.

The agency has been plagued with a process moving slowly because of corruption and overcharging as well as wartime violence. Its work has resulted in four criminal convictions and, most recently, evidence that a Halliburton subsidiary exploited federal regulations to hide details on its contract performance.

Source: Xinhua