Senators to Iraq: Let's go dutch

WASHINGTON, May 1 (UPI) -- The Senate Armed Services Committee sent a "loud message to Iraq" Thursday: The United States will no longer fund costly infrastructure projects in Iraq.

The panel unanimously approved a provision to the defense authorization bill that prohibits the Pentagon from funding Iraq infrastructure projects costing more than $2 million, The Hill reported.

Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., noting that Iraq exports 2 million barrels of oil per day at current market prices of about $120 a barrel, said, "American taxpayers are paying for too many things here in Iraq that the Iraqis ought to pay for out of their surplus."

The authorization bill that passed the committee also calls on the Bush administration to negotiate with Iraq about sharing the costs of combined missions.

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