Blackwater shooting highlights oversight issue

WASHINGTON -- The deaths of eight Iraqis in a clash with Blackwater security forces Sunday puts renewed focus on congressional efforts to increase oversight of security contractors.

Those efforts include legislation sponsored by U.S. Rep. David Price, a Chapel Hill Democrat and one of Congress' most vocal critics of the lack of oversight on private security contracts.

Iraqi officials said Sunday that they will pull Blackwater's license to operate in the country -- a move that could hinder the U.S. Department of State's operations there. Blackwater, based in Moyock, in northeastern North Carolina, is a major provider of security for the agency, guarding diplomats and top-level officials.

The State Department is investigating Sunday's incident, but Price said it's unclear what authority the agency has to prosecute any suspects. He has asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for her interpretation.

U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House's oversight committee, has said he would begin an immediate investigation into the shooting as well.

Congress has been focusing on private security contractors on many fronts. Waxman, of California, has held several hearings on contract oversight and Blackwater's role in the death and public mutilation of four of its employees in 2004.

Price has been trying to figure out for two years which U.S. or international laws might apply to private security contractors working in Iraq. The answer is important, he said, because if the United States has a way to prosecute suspected crimes, that helps its case that the Iraqi government need not bring suspects to court.

"There seems to be a potential conflict brewing about the applicability of Iraqi law," Price said in an interview. "So assuming that there is something here that deserves investigation, and possibly prosecution, then how willing and able the United States is to deal with it is a very important issue and will have a lot to do with the credibility of any case we make against Iraqi prosecution."

His legislation would clarify that private contractors are included in military law overseas. He also wants to provide more transparency to Congress and improve coordination between contractors and the military.

One of his bills is awaiting a full vote in the House, but it has not yet been put on a calendar. Another has been attached to the 2008 defense authorization bill.

A similar bill by Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, a Democratic presidential candidate, was filed as an amendment to the Senate defense bill.

Price and House Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton asked the Government Accountability Office in April to find out how many private security contractors are working in Iraq, for what purpose and under what legal authority. Investigators have visited Iraq and begun reviewing contracts with the Departments of Defense and State, according to Price's office. A final report isn't expected for another few months.