The opening of the mammoth new U.S. embassy in Iraq has been postponed indefinitely while its Kuwaiti contractor fixes a long list of problems, the USA Today reported Wednesday.
The sprawling complex, the cost of which is edging toward 750 million U.S. dollars, was set to open in September, but U.S. lawmakers said the "contractor's shoddy work and poor oversight by the State Department" have delayed it, according to the report.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack did not know when the new embassy will open.
Charles Williams, director of the State Department's overseas building operations, told the USA Today that the opening was delayed after a recent inspection found a flawed fire-protection system and other deficiencies that were "not unusual for any construction project."
Williams said he ordered the contractor to replace the entire fire-protection system at no additional cost, and the project will be finalized later this month. The delay was shorter than those seen during recent construction of smaller embassies, he said.
Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said the project was now 144 million dollars more than the original 592-million-dollar budget allocated by Congress.
Waxman, who heads the House oversight committee, sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Tuesday asking her to explain the delay and accusing her department of inadequate oversight.
Source: Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article