LionelHutz
03-18-2004, 10:44 PM
Still want to turn over control in Iraq to the UN?
Food for oil? (http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=aFvh1Vltzm4w&refer=top_world_news)
March 17 (Bloomberg) -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has ordered an investigation of reports that UN officials knew or benefited from Saddam Hussein's alleged theft of $2.3 billion from the world body's program to sell oil to buy food and medicine for Iraq, spokesman Fred Eckhard said.
Iraqi officials said former Iraqi leader Hussein used some of the money from the UN-administered oil-for-food program to bribe hundreds of companies and individuals, including Benon Sevan, director of the program, the New York Times has reported.
``The investigation is active and ongoing,' Eckhard said. ``The secretary-general does not have authority to investigate other allegations of wrongdoing by governments or companies. He trusts and has confidence in Benon Sevan.''
Sevan, who is on vacation until the end of April, declared his innocence in a statement read by Eckhard. The UN has also questioned former program officials and other unidentified ``outsiders'' involved with it, according to Eckhard.
The UN's office for internal investigations has twice asked the Iraqi Governing Council and the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority for documents that might reveal impropriety, Eckhard said. They haven't responded, he said.
``These are very serious charges and we are looking into the matter,'' said Richard Grenell, spokesman for the U.S. mission to the UN.
About 3.4 billion barrels of oil valued at $65 billion were shipped from Iraq under the program, which Annan suspended when the U.S.-led war against Iraq began. Beginning in 1997, Iraq was allowed to export oil under an exception to UN sanctions imposed after the country's 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
While there were regular audits of the program and the UN Security Council monitored contracts for the sale of oil and purchase of humanitarian aid, Iraq's violation of UN sanctions has been reported for several years. The General Accounting Office, the auditing arm of the U.S. Congress, said two years ago that oil smuggling and illegal surcharges imposed on companies buying oil generated $900 million a year from 2000 to 2002 for Hussein's regime.
The Wall Street Journal reported that documents showed a ``Mr. Sevan'' among those who received oil coupons, or vouchers to buy oil at below market prices. The newspaper's list of those who benefited included Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri, George Galloway, a former member of the British Parliament, and former French Interior Minister Charles Pasqua.
Eckhard said it would be up to the Security Council to investigate allegations of wrongdoing by 270 officials and companies listed by an Iraqi newspaper in January as accepting bribes.
Food for oil? (http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=aFvh1Vltzm4w&refer=top_world_news)
March 17 (Bloomberg) -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has ordered an investigation of reports that UN officials knew or benefited from Saddam Hussein's alleged theft of $2.3 billion from the world body's program to sell oil to buy food and medicine for Iraq, spokesman Fred Eckhard said.
Iraqi officials said former Iraqi leader Hussein used some of the money from the UN-administered oil-for-food program to bribe hundreds of companies and individuals, including Benon Sevan, director of the program, the New York Times has reported.
``The investigation is active and ongoing,' Eckhard said. ``The secretary-general does not have authority to investigate other allegations of wrongdoing by governments or companies. He trusts and has confidence in Benon Sevan.''
Sevan, who is on vacation until the end of April, declared his innocence in a statement read by Eckhard. The UN has also questioned former program officials and other unidentified ``outsiders'' involved with it, according to Eckhard.
The UN's office for internal investigations has twice asked the Iraqi Governing Council and the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority for documents that might reveal impropriety, Eckhard said. They haven't responded, he said.
``These are very serious charges and we are looking into the matter,'' said Richard Grenell, spokesman for the U.S. mission to the UN.
About 3.4 billion barrels of oil valued at $65 billion were shipped from Iraq under the program, which Annan suspended when the U.S.-led war against Iraq began. Beginning in 1997, Iraq was allowed to export oil under an exception to UN sanctions imposed after the country's 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
While there were regular audits of the program and the UN Security Council monitored contracts for the sale of oil and purchase of humanitarian aid, Iraq's violation of UN sanctions has been reported for several years. The General Accounting Office, the auditing arm of the U.S. Congress, said two years ago that oil smuggling and illegal surcharges imposed on companies buying oil generated $900 million a year from 2000 to 2002 for Hussein's regime.
The Wall Street Journal reported that documents showed a ``Mr. Sevan'' among those who received oil coupons, or vouchers to buy oil at below market prices. The newspaper's list of those who benefited included Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri, George Galloway, a former member of the British Parliament, and former French Interior Minister Charles Pasqua.
Eckhard said it would be up to the Security Council to investigate allegations of wrongdoing by 270 officials and companies listed by an Iraqi newspaper in January as accepting bribes.