Posted on 12/11/2004 7:46:38 AM PST by Libloather
Oil-for-food scandal actually pretty dull
By Rachel Campbell
"First of all, this isn't a movie. Second of all, even if it was, none of us could exactly pass for Tom Cruise; so he would be the one screaming that, not us. We would be lucky to be cast as Mute Juror No. 6."
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The Journal Times has gotten a bit of flak lately for not covering the oil-for-food scandal as prominently as some would like. Personally, I haven't covered it thus far because, frankly, there isn't much to report. But in the name of fairness and balance, here's what's goin' down: In 1996, the United Nations' Security Council adopted the oil-for-food program, in which Saddam Hussein could sell oil in exchange for funds to be used specifically for food, medicine, and other necessities.
In short, the money was supposed to go directly to his people. What isn't surprising is that Saddam managed to siphon money away from his people through this program over the years, corrupting various officials as he went. What is surprising is that he did it so well: out of Iraq's $64 billion total oil-for-food income, Hussein took nearly a third - $20 billion - for himself. The wheels he allegedly greased to make it possible are the source of the word "scandal" in "oil-for-food scandal." These include several American oil giants, government officials across the globe, and, most notably, the very U.N. official chosen to facilitate the program. These parties and others, according to documents recovered in Iraq, received options to buy Iraqi oil significantly below public market prices in exchange for looking the other way.
What has people shocked and appalled lately is that U.N. leader Kofi Annan's own son, Kojo Annan, has been receiving "non-compete" payments for years from a Swiss firm, Cotecna Inspection S.A., that won an oil-for-food contract in 1998.
Now, here's why we in the liberal media aren't running around gritty city streets and polished court hallways, sleepless and intense, dramatically screaming things like, "The public has a right to know!" First of all, this isn't a movie. Second of all, even if it was, none of us could exactly pass for Tom Cruise; so he would be the one screaming that, not us. We would be lucky to be cast as Mute Juror No. 6. Third of all, no evidence exists - yet - that proves that Kofi Annan had anything to do with his son's business maneuvers. Furthermore, no evidence exists - yet - that the payments Kojo Annan was receiving were illegal - "non-compete" fees are perfectly legitimate, if not required, by Swiss law - or that Cotecna was explicitly on Saddam's payroll.
I stressed "yet" because conservatives already furious with the U.N. would love to get their hands on such evidence: if it exists, I've no doubt they will uncover it, one way or another.
Online reporter Rachel Campbell, who doesn't mind not having any lines as long as she gets a writing credit and is invited to the cast parties, can be reached via e-mail at rachel.campbell@lee.net.
Cotecna and the UN Oil for Food Program
Press Release, 1st December, 2004
The following points provide a brief overview of Cotecna's role in the UN Oil for Food Program and current press coverage concerning it.
1) Beginning in February, 1999, Cotecna worked under contract for the UN to authenticate shipments of freight arriving in Iraq under the Oil for Food Program that aimed to provide humanitarian aid to the people of the country at a time when Iraq was under UN trade sanctions. Authentication consisted of verifying paperwork accompanying shipments that carriers voluntarily presented at the border. Only in a very small percentage of cases was Cotecna given the mission to inspect the goods. Cotecna's work was professional in every way and the contract was renewed on several occasions, including renewals by the Coalition Provisional Authority and by the Iraqi Interim Government.
2) UN and US Congressional investigators are looking into reports that the UN management of program was faulty, which, it is alleged, allowed funds to be misappropriated. Cotecna had absolutely no role in the financial management of the program nor any connection with the funds that were disbursed under the program.
3) Very recent press coverage includes erroneous information about Cotecna's cooperation with the investigations under way. Fortunately, the investigators are attempting to correct the misunderstanding through public statements that Cotecna has cooperated fully from the first day of the investigations and has been providing accurate and complete information in its possession. (See attached press release from the U.S. Congress) (See attached press release from the U.S. Congress) Cotecna is confident that the investigators' reports will demonstrate that the company has always acted professionally and ethically in its work for the UN Oil for Food Program.
4) Other questions have been raised about the relationship of Cotecna winning the contract with the presence of Kojo Annan as a Cotecna trainee and then consultant from 1996 to the end of 1998. There was no connection between the two; indeed, Cotecna won the first tender offer from the UN in 1992, four years before it had any contact with Kojo Annan. (That contract was never implemented because of lack of agreement of Iraq with the UN). Neither was there any connection between Kojo Annan and the Cotecna work in Iraq; Mr. Annan worked in West Africa for Cotecna.
5) Questions also have been raised about Cotecna's relationship with Kojo Annan following his departure from the company at the end of 1998. Cotecna and Kojo Annan undertook a 'non-competition' agreement through which Kojo Annan agreed not to work for competitors of Cotecna in West Africa, where important bidding situations were under way at the time he left. Under Swiss law, such agreements must be accompanied by compensation if they are to be enforceable in the courts. Modest compensation was ageed to by both parties. A leading member of the UN investigating committee has stated that the modest payments to Kojo Annan correspond to those which are found in such non-competition agreements.
Press contact:
Seth Goldschlager
Email: seth.goldschlager@consultants.publicis.fr
Tel.: +33 1 44 43 72 42
Mob.: +33 6 09 42 50 40
Pre-Shipment Inspection Contracts: Submission of fraudulent documents feared to influence selection
News From Bangladesh - Dec 11 1:15 AM
A number of bidders vying for getting pre-shipment inspection contracts in the country might have submitted false documents to qualify in the technical evaluation, competent sources feared.
Investigating multi billion dollar fraud will never excite liberals when they are the beneficiaries of said fraud. Nothing to see here, so just move along and pretend it never happened.
Of course a liberal would find it dull. This is a story about socialists and how they betray their trusted positions. Liberals find nothing wrong in these actions.
If this were a conservative UN bunch the NY Times would be running front page stories, investigative reporters would be writing books, and Ted Koppel would have a special report on the evil conservatives at the UN.
This is the same reason that the Clinton campaign could cultivate ties to Chinese money for their campaign and get away with it.
It isn't exciting and glamorous. It takes ones attention and concentration to understand what the issue is.
If the MSM cannot display a soundbite like "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky" then the story isn't going to go anywhere.
And that is a crying shame.
I have yet to hear a mention on either the German DW-TV net or the French Channel 2 station of this huge scandal.
Both of those networks however have mentioned repeatedly, the "scandal" of the Marine shooting "an unarmed, wounded Iraqi" as they describe it.
KNOW YOUR FRIENDS.
"These include several American oil giants, government officials across the globe, and, most notably, the very U.N. official chosen to facilitate the program."
Notice the wording, AMERICAN OIL GIANTS, (unnamed) government officials across the globe..... nope, no bias here.
Come, now. There are some good "liberal" angles to this story. For instance, all those Iraqi children who starved to death because the money was spent on weapons and palaces instead of food. Tens of thousands of them, if we are to believe earlier stories in the liberal press, which universally blamed their deaths on President H.W. Bush. Don't these starving children count for anything?
Powerful rich people lining their pockets while poor third-world children starve to death. It's a story-line made to order for liberal news articles and editorials. And I'll give it to them for free, no royalties required.
According to whom? You, sweetie? Thank goodness we don't have to depend on your and/or your paper to fill us in. And if you should suddenly want to know just how little you do know, check out anything written by Claudia Rosett on this subject.
I actually have not seen any evidence of duplicity by 'American Oil Giants' The way the scheme worked was that Saddam gave underpriced vouchers to favored people who then got market price. To the best of my knowledge...no American oil company paid any kickbacks or got oil cheap from Saddam.
Amazing that this "reporter" managed to cite AMERICAN oil companies but couldn't quite bring herself to name who the french and Russians as the by far most significant corrupt government officials.
The 'rats that screamed the loudest about mythical corruption involving Cheney and Halliburton are (un)shockingly mum about UN corruption.
Left unsaid is that anything that tarnishes the UN gives conservatives and the President political traction. Thus, there can be no meaningful coverage of the biggest corruption scandal in history.
same here. I keep waiting for proof of that. I can't help but think there is nothing to it, or it would have been shouted from the rooftops by now, and long before anything was even mentioned about Russia, France and Germany.
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