BRAZIL: Investigation into Hiring of Mercenaries to Work in Iraq

O Globo newspaper says that more than 500 Brazilians have been hired as mercenaries to watch US military facilities in Iraq and the Brazilian Labor Ministry will investigate whether there were irregularities or not in the employment of Brazilians.

Rio de Janeiro, Feb 7 (Prensa Latina) Brazilian Labor Ministry will investigate cases of mercenaries hired to be sent to Iraq as was confirmed by two of the paid soldiers questioned, according to reports made public in Rio de Janeiro.

O Globo newspaper says that more than 500 Brazilians have been hired as mercenaries to watch US military facilities in Iraq. Germans Frank Guenter Salewski and Heiko Helmut Emil Seibold revealed Brazilians have been recruited to work for the US Inveco International Corporation.

The Brazilian Labor Ministry will investigate whether there were irregularities or not in the employment of Brazilians. The Germans recognized they do not have an official authorization to hire Brazilian candidates mainly soldiers or ex-soldiers, according to the paper.

The O Globo report mentioned information from the so-called Iraqi provisional government, saying there are more than 50,000 men illegally working as security agents in Iraq.

The report also confirmed that US firms are advertising in several Latin American countries of jobs for members of armed forces and the police to work in Iraq for good salaries.

The newspaper says the growing demand of security forces from other countries is because of the increasing difficulty to hire American people to guard oil wells, foreign and national companies as well as embassies, multilateral institutions and members of new Iraqi authority.
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