Patriot missiles, produced by Garner’s company, are used in the current invasion

LONDON, March 30 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Although the overwhelming majority countries agree that the U.N. must be at the heart of the reconstruction and administration of post-war Iraq, the U.S. once again challenged the will of the international community and appointed a retired U.S. arms dealer - whose company helps the U.S. bomb Baghdad - to oversee “humanitarian relief and rebuilding of Iraq”.

Jay Garner is president of an arms company that provides crucial technical support to missile systems vital to the U.S. invasion of the country, the mass-circulation newspaper The Guardian reported Saturday, March 30.

In fact Garner the appointment raises troubling questions, to mention but a few, why would the White House pick a man from a company directly concerned with attacking Iraq to spearhead the country's aid and restoration? Not to mention, the Garner’s mission will be under the control of the Pentagon.

The United Nations, aid agencies, which oppose an U.S. administration without U.N. mandate, are deeply concerned about Garner’s business background, asserting that the appointment of a U.S. general and arms dealer is the “worst case scenario” for running Iraq after war.

“The worst case scenario would be to put in charge of the reconstruction someone from the U.S. or UK linked to the arms or oil industries,” said Phil Bloomer of Oxfam GB, a development, relief, and campaigning London-based organisation.

“It seems inappropriate for somebody to step into a humanitarian and administrative role from a company with a role in providing equipment which is vital to the success of the U.S. operation,” the daily quoted as saying Defence analyst David Armstrong of the Washington-based National Security News Service.

Garner is president of Virginia-based SY Coleman, a subsidiary of defence electronics group L-3 Communications, which provides technical services and advice on the Patriot missile system being used in Iraq.

Patriot was made famous in the 1991 Gulf war when it was used to protect Israeli and Saudi targets from attack by Saddam Hussein's Scud missiles. Garner was involved in the system's deployment in Israel.

SY Coleman has also worked on the Arrow missile defence system, deployed in Israel, and is involved in the U.S. national missile defence programme. Garner joined SY Technologies, taken over last year by L-3, in 1997, after leaving the US army.

According to its website, SY Coleman provides technical services such as missile system engineering and target system design for a wide range of U.S. military programmes, and also makes some components. It also provides operational services such as battle management and 'warfighter support'.