ADVISORY/Experts Available to Discuss Senate Approval of $87.5B Funding Bill.

Business Editors

ADVISORY...

--(BUSINESS WIRE)

TOPIC: In a voice vote Monday, the Senate approved legislation for the $87.5 billion fund for Iraq and Afghanistan, according to an article by The Associated Press. President Bush is expected to sign the $87.5 billion package soon. The bill will be used to fund U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as to rebuild Iraq's economy and government.

EXPERTS: ExpertSource can offer several highly qualified experts to comment on this story:

William Loiry, president of Equity International, has been a leader in facilitating business development, investment, trade and global reconstruction since 1989. Equity International, through its summits, conferences and briefings focuses on joining corporate and multilateral lending institutions, U.S. and foreign corporations and governments to encourage business and finance opportunities. He most recently hosted the Homeland & Global Security Summit and is planning the Iraq Reconstruction Conference among others. He recently released a report analyzing spending on Homeland Security by countries around the world and forecast the dollar commitments governments will make to protect their people and their lands. Calculations are based on in-depth analyses of annual military expenditures from 156 countries in nine global regions as well as the discreet Homeland Security budget for the Department of Homeland Security here in the United States. PR Contact: Candis Roby, 202-756-2244, [e-mail]

Bill Koops is president of the Millennium Relief & Development Services, one of the most qualified organizations to provide information on Northern Iraq. He worked in the refugee camps in Northern Iraq in the early 1990s and is providing humanitarian assistance and planning for reconstruction in Iraq. A Houston-based nonprofit, Millennium is one of a very few US NGOs registered in the north. Their role is to prevent and treat disease near camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs). Primary initiatives in Northern Iraq are a vocational & literacy program for women who are widowed or abandoned and a nutrition program for young children. Millennium operates long-term relief and development programs in countries that include Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Turkey, Tajikistan and Indonesia. PR Contact: Mitchell Jeffrey, 713-956-0948, [e-mail]

Professor Dan Reiter, of Emory University, Department of Political Science, is an expert in the study of foreign policy decision-making and international conflict. He has extensive experience in conducting scientific research on various issues regarding how foreign policy gets made, international alliances, national security, war, and so on. He also has background in current foreign policy issues, especially those matters relating to national security policy and international diplomacy. 404-727-0111, 404-727-6123 (University PR Phone)

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