WASHINGTON – U.S. diplomats will begin moving into the mammoth, new, heavily fortified embassy in Baghdad next month after long delays in the $736 million project – and not a moment too soon. Increasing rocket attacks on the Green Zone have killed four Americans in recent weeks and have embassy staffers wearing body armor and ducking for cover.
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker said yesterday that construction is complete at the 104-acre compound, about the size of the Vatican, and that although not all buildings have been certified for final occupancy, transition to the facility from the less-protected location in a Saddam Hussein-era palace should start at the end of May.
“It's been a difficult few weeks; rockets are bouncing off your buildings, and maintaining focus can be an occasional challenge,” Crocker said, referring to the recent spate of insurgent attacks in the Green Zone that have killed at least two U.S. soldiers and two U.S. civilians.
“We will begin moving into the new embassy – some of the office space and the apartments – probably the end of next month, the beginning of June, so that will certainly improve quality of life and provide some added protection,” he said.
The rise in insurgent attacks prompted the embassy to order personnel not to leave reinforced buildings and to wear helmets and body armor if they must go outside. A shortage of space in fortified areas has forced some diplomats to sleep at the new embassy site despite the lack of occupancy approvals.
“We worry a lot less about formal safety certifications and a lot more about ensuring people have a place to sleep where rockets couldn't get at them,” Crocker said.
The new embassy will be the largest U.S. diplomatic mission in the world, with fortified working space for 1,000 people and living quarters for several hundred on the site.
The project has been beset by construction, logistical and security hitches that caused major delays beyond its planned September 2007 opening date.
Some of the deficiencies have been blamed on shoddy work by the company hired to build the project, First Kuwaiti General Trading & Contracting Co. Changes to the original design helped push the cost up by $144 million.
