Siemens AG (Munich, Germany) reported that it has pulled its employees out of Iraq, and General Electric Co. (Fairfield, CT) has suspended some of its operations because of security concerns. Siemens, which was helping rehabilitate Iraq's damaged and outdated power stations, was to finish its projects by May 15, and much of the work was complete. The firm's employees are expected to return within a week. If they do not, Iraqi engineers will finish the job.
"I am sure they will come back," Iraqi Electricity Minister Ayham Al-Samarei said. "Siemens has lots of work in Iraq and if they go out they will be losing more than others. So their absence will be very short." Siemens suspended its operations in conjunction with an April 12 warning by the German Foreign Ministry for citizens to leave Iraq.
Siemens spokesman Andreas Fischer refused to say whether any or part of its Iraqi operations had been suspended. He also declined to say how many Siemens employees were in Iraq, nor would he give details on the company's Iraqi projects. "We are still committed to help to rebuild the infrastructure, and it is our intention to continue the work as long as we can ensure the safety of our employees in Iraq. But for the safety of our employees we cannot make public any information about numbers or activities of our employees in Iraq."
