By Jim Wolf
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Halliburton Co. said on Monday it would defer billing for an additional $140 million in meals for U.S. forces in Iraq and Kuwait until a discrepancy is reconciled between the number of meals ordered and those actually served.
The Houston, Texas-based oil services company said it was holding off billing until an agreement was reached on subcontractor services for meal planning, food purchase and meal preparation for troops.
Halliburton is the biggest contractor for the U.S. military in Iraq with more than $8 billion in deals covering everything from doing laundry, building bases and providing meals to helping rebuild the oil industry.
Its contracts have drawn intense scrutiny from Democrats because of its ties with Vice President Dick Cheney, who ran the company from 1995 until 2000.
http://news.myway.com/top/article/id/372648|top|02-16-2004::15:48|reuters.html