Zelfs Al-Jazeera klaagt nu corrupte VN, Frkr & Rsl. aan

Pascal L. · 22 april 2004, 19:30

Een artikeltje op Al-Jazeera vandaag over de VN oil-for-food corruptie en het anti-oorlogs/pro-Saddam fanatisme van een aantal regeringen ... Enkel de Europese media en regeringen doen nu nog steeds of hun neus bloedt.

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UN Oil for Food, or Oil for Corruption?
Al-Jazeera - 22/04/2004 01:40:00 GMT

Oil for food, or oil for corruption

By Michael Reagan

If anybody wondered why the sainted United Nations, France, Russia and Syria joined forces in trying to block the United States from ousting Saddam Hussein’s brutal regime in Iraq, the answer is now becoming clear; they feared exposure of the corruption into which they had dragged the now-infamous Oil for Food program.

That program was meant to allow Hussein to sell a certain amount of oil outside of the bounds of the U.N. sanctions. The proceeds, handled by the United Nations, were to be used to buy food and medicine and other basic necessities for the Iraqi people, thus keeping the sanctions from punishing innocent Iraqis who were, in effect, prisoners of their despotic government.

It didn’t quite work out that way. As Gen. Tommy Franks said, the Oil for Food programs should have been called “the oil for palaces” scam.

The way it did work out built scores of posh palaces for Hussein and lined the pockets of France, Russia, Syria, China and the United Nations, which alone raked in more than $1 billion from its 2.2 percent “commission” on the more than $50 billion worth of oil Iraq exported under the program, allegedly to pay the costs of running the program. According to a New York Times expose, written by Claudia Rossett, U.N. staff members say the program’s bank accounts over the past year had more than $12 billion in the kitty, none of which will the United Nations account for — the books are closed to outsiders.

The $50 billion paid for a featherbedded pre-war staff of 1,000 international employees and some 3,000 Iraqis all helpfully supplied by Hussein’s socialist Baath Party. More paid for a whole range of things that had nothing to do with feeding the Iraqi people or paying for medicine for sick children, stuff like TV broadcasting equipment, “boats” and boat “accessories” from France and “sport supplies” from Lebanon, all approved by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

It was a scam, and the truth is now coming out as documents uncovered in Iraq are showing. Documents such as those unearthed by Britain’s Telegraph newspaper show that George Galloway, a top Labour Party Parliament member who bitterly opposed Tony Blair’s part in the war, was allegedly on Hussein’s payroll. The paper reports that Galloway received an annual cut from Iraq’s exports under the oil-for-food program worth approximately $585,500.

Galloway denies the accusation, but the corruption that centered on the Oil for Food program is hard to ignore.

Rossett wrote that Annan handed out contracts to Hussein’s favored trading partners — France, Russia and Syria, the latter two of which mysteriously won contracts to supply Japanese vehicles to Iraq. France and Russia were among the top five contractors in the oil-for-food program.

Back in 1997, Hussein found what he thought was a way to block U.S. efforts to stop him from dominating the region. He would get U.N. approval to lift sanctions and allow unrestricted oil sales, by bribing France, Russia and China with juicy contracts giving them a right to develop Iraq’s major oil fields — contingent on the lifting of sanctions.

In short, France and Russia strove mightily to keep their good buddy Hussein in power to keep the gravy train running in their direction. It’s time to kiss them off, nullify those contracts and get out of the corruption-ridden United Nations once and for all.

Mike Reagan, the eldest son of President Ronald Reagan, is heard on more than 200 talk radio stations nationally as part of the Premiere Radio Network. His columns are syndicated through www.caglecartoons.com.

http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/con...ory.asp?id=100

22 april 2004, 19:30	#1
Pascal L. Gouverneur Geregistreerd: 18 maart 2003 Berichten: 1.033	Een artikeltje op Al-Jazeera vandaag over de VN oil-for-food corruptie en het anti-oorlogs/pro-Saddam fanatisme van een aantal regeringen ... Enkel de Europese media en regeringen doen nu nog steeds of hun neus bloedt. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- UN Oil for Food, or Oil for Corruption? Al-Jazeera - 22/04/2004 01:40:00 GMT Oil for food, or oil for corruption By Michael Reagan If anybody wondered why the sainted United Nations, France, Russia and Syria joined forces in trying to block the United States from ousting Saddam Hussein’s brutal regime in Iraq, the answer is now becoming clear; they feared exposure of the corruption into which they had dragged the now-infamous Oil for Food program. That program was meant to allow Hussein to sell a certain amount of oil outside of the bounds of the U.N. sanctions. The proceeds, handled by the United Nations, were to be used to buy food and medicine and other basic necessities for the Iraqi people, thus keeping the sanctions from punishing innocent Iraqis who were, in effect, prisoners of their despotic government. It didn’t quite work out that way. As Gen. Tommy Franks said, the Oil for Food programs should have been called “the oil for palaces” scam. The way it did work out built scores of posh palaces for Hussein and lined the pockets of France, Russia, Syria, China and the United Nations, which alone raked in more than $1 billion from its 2.2 percent “commission” on the more than $50 billion worth of oil Iraq exported under the program, allegedly to pay the costs of running the program. According to a New York Times expose, written by Claudia Rossett, U.N. staff members say the program’s bank accounts over the past year had more than $12 billion in the kitty, none of which will the United Nations account for — the books are closed to outsiders. The $50 billion paid for a featherbedded pre-war staff of 1,000 international employees and some 3,000 Iraqis all helpfully supplied by Hussein’s socialist Baath Party. More paid for a whole range of things that had nothing to do with feeding the Iraqi people or paying for medicine for sick children, stuff like TV broadcasting equipment, “boats” and boat “accessories” from France and “sport supplies” from Lebanon, all approved by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. It was a scam, and the truth is now coming out as documents uncovered in Iraq are showing. Documents such as those unearthed by Britain’s Telegraph newspaper show that George Galloway, a top Labour Party Parliament member who bitterly opposed Tony Blair’s part in the war, was allegedly on Hussein’s payroll. The paper reports that Galloway received an annual cut from Iraq’s exports under the oil-for-food program worth approximately $585,500. Galloway denies the accusation, but the corruption that centered on the Oil for Food program is hard to ignore. Rossett wrote that Annan handed out contracts to Hussein’s favored trading partners — France, Russia and Syria, the latter two of which mysteriously won contracts to supply Japanese vehicles to Iraq. France and Russia were among the top five contractors in the oil-for-food program. Back in 1997, Hussein found what he thought was a way to block U.S. efforts to stop him from dominating the region. He would get U.N. approval to lift sanctions and allow unrestricted oil sales, by bribing France, Russia and China with juicy contracts giving them a right to develop Iraq’s major oil fields — contingent on the lifting of sanctions. In short, France and Russia strove mightily to keep their good buddy Hussein in power to keep the gravy train running in their direction. It’s time to kiss them off, nullify those contracts and get out of the corruption-ridden United Nations once and for all. Mike Reagan, the eldest son of President Ronald Reagan, is heard on more than 200 talk radio stations nationally as part of the Premiere Radio Network. His columns are syndicated through www.caglecartoons.com. http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/con...ory.asp?id=100