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Baghdadis Waiting for War

(Middle East Online - UK) Salim Yassine - Six years ago, before the introduction of the UN oil-for-food program, it was nigh on impossible even to find car tires and windscreens in Baghdad outside the black market. But today, the Iraqi capital is full of luxury cars and four-wheel-drive vehicles, sold at lower prices than in the countries from which they are imported, thanks to the Iraqi government's policy of imposing low customs and registration taxes. Elsewhere in the city, shops selling domestic appliances have so much stock that salesmen stack their goods on the pavements to draw in potential buyers. The UN embargo slapped on Iraq 12 years ago for invading Kuwait has created a new class of wealthy Iraqis.
2002-10-11 00:00:00
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