WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States has spent onlya fraction of the money allocated for Iraq's reconstruction since the Iraq war some 20 months ago, the Washington Post reported Monday.

    Of the 24.1 billion US dollars the US congress allocated for the reconstruction, only about 5.2 billion dollars has so far beenspent, the newspaper said.

    The newspaper quotes a quarterly report released Monday by Inspector General Stuart W. Bowen, charged with monitoring Iraq's reconstruction process, which says reconstruction aid promised by international donor countries has only trickled into the country.

    Of the 13.5 billion dollars pledged at a donors conference lastyear in Madrid, only a small amount has arrived to date because ofrising violence in the country.

    Bowen's report says "demanding and frequently dangerous conditions... have challenged the pace of reconstruction" and thatcorruption is also hampering the program. Enditem