Anbar contractors urge Iraq's Finance Ministry to release reconstruction funds

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The Anbar branch of the Iraqi Contractors Union called on the Finance Ministry on Tuesday to release funds held in an account established for reconstruction of areas recovered from terrorism and to settle payments owed to contracting companies for more than a year. In a statement, the union said contractors working in those areas completed their assigned projects under extraordinary conditions and contributed to reconstruction efforts, calling the fund a key source of support for sustaining work and meeting their receivables. The statement noted that no allocations had been made from the reconstruction fund for more than a year and a half, while other ministries and cities continued to receive financing. It said thousands of companies that had delivered work under their contracts were facing heavy financial and legal burdens, and that delayed payments were hurting the local economy and threatening stability in the contracting sector. The union asked why the issue remained unresolved and why contractors had been kept outside the payment process. The statement urged the Finance Ministry to act without delay, warning that contractors would pursue all constitutional and legal avenues to defend their rights.