State, Defense OK contractor memorandum

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- U.S. State and Defense department officials in Iraq have approved a memorandum of understanding outlining policies for private security contractors.

The memorandum details policies and procedures the departments agreed to practice, State Department spokesman Sean Casey said Wednesday in a news briefing. American Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus approved the document.

The memorandum was the outgrowth of the State Department's review of the Sept. 17 fatal shooting incident involving Blackwater security personnel who opened fire on Iraqi citizens while part of a State Department convoy.

The document covers several key areas, including "how we will make sure we share and report on any activities or incidents as well as investigate them," Casey said. "It also includes ... greater coordination in terms of the rules for the use of force."

Accountability in case contractors act in violation of the rules also is touched on, "though not in great detail," the spokesman said.

The two departments wanted to make sure "there is a common understanding of how and when force, and particularly deadly force, should be used by personal security contractors," Casey said.