Iraq wants U.N. to lift sanctions and remnants of sanctions and missing money returned

AP ^ | 2/1/5 | EDITH M. LEDERER

[SmithL]

UNITED NATIONS -- Iraq wants the United Nations to lift all sanctions and stop using the country's oil revenue to pay compensation to victims of the 1991 Gulf War and the salaries of U.N. weapons inspectors, Iraq's U.N. ambassador said Tuesday.

Ambassador Samir Sumaidaie called sanctions "anachronistic and inappropriate" and said it's time for the Security Council to recognize that Iraq is a "much more internationally friendly" country that wants to be at peace with its neighbors.

No longer needed, he said, was the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, which was responsible for dismantling Iraqi programs to build chemical or biological weapons or long-range missiles. The commission's inspectors left Iraq just before the March 2003 U.S.-led war that toppled Saddam Hussein, and the United States has barred them from returning.

The commission, known as UNMOVIC, is funded by proceeds from the sale of Iraqi oil, at a cost of more than $10 million a year.

"I think it's generally acknowleged that Iraq now does not pose such a threat, and does not in its present form have any weapons of mass destruction. And, therefore, to continue to fund a bureaucracy to do what, to just continue to say every day that they have found nothing?," Sumaidaie said.

"I think that we should work towards closing these files and unburden Iraq of the legacy of Saddam's rule," he said.

The Iraqi ambassador also took aim at the U.N. Compensation Commission based in Geneva, which consists of the 15 Security Council members and was set up in 1991 to pay compensation to victims of the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the war that followed.

It has received claims for $353 billion from individuals, companies and governments, and has approved payments of $51.8 billion.

[SmithL]

The UN has long since abdicated any right of influence in Iraq.

[Brett66]

I thought Bush asked for this back in 2003, they still haven't acted on the request?

[pillbox_girl]

This comes as a shock. The U.N. is still sucking away at the Iraqi oil teat?

Un-be-fricking-lievable.

[DTogo]

I'd love to see the new Iraqi government take the UN to court and sue for a full accounting and reimbursement of ALL oil-for-food money it squandered/pocketed/lost. NY State court, US Federal Court, World Court, you name it!

[Brian328i]

Update is needed, UN out of US, US and Iraq out of UN

[EagleUSA]

And Kofi says..."Uh, uh, uh, what money, er, what oil, I mean what money??"...

[claudiustg]

The new government in Iraq may end up owning the UN! Bushes fault! :^)

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Somehow I had assumed this had stopped when we deposed Saddam. Surprise, surprise!!

[river rat]

Does this mean Hans Blix is still on the UN/Iraqi dime?

Semper Fi

[MJY1288]

The U.N. has shown itself to be a useless debating society time and time again. The U.N. was created to address humanitarian issues before they became a crisis. For the past 30 years the U.N. has stood by and did nothing but issue worthless resolutions while millions were murdered around the globe.

Just yesterday the U.N. declared that Sudan was cleared of any charges of Genocide..... Well isn't that special? Here we have government backed (Muslims) killing Christians by the thousands and it's not considered Genocide. This world cannot afford to have such a worthless organization like the U.N. pretending to be a voice for the oppressed when the best they can do to address an emergency is to issue a statement that says they condemn the actions of a thug and do nothing to stop him.

How many times have we heard how "Disturbed" Kofi Annan is? and how many times has the U.N. actually acted ?......The answer is..........ZILCH, Nadda, Nothing

[SmithL]

a useless debating society

or a Kofi-klatch.

[bjcintennessee]

ping

[citizencon]

Kofi Annan should go to Iraq and personally return the money his son stole from the Iraqis. And also, wall-to-wall MSM coverage, please.

[MJY1288]

LOL, I like that description better :-)

[Just A Nobody]

Update is needed, UN out of US, US and Iraq out of UN

MEGA DITTO'S! Also, very nice of you to include Iraq. :)

[CDB]

Or, to use Rush's words, the Star Wars bar.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Time to turn the money tap OFF and tell these freeloaders they have 24 hours to get out.

[Mo1]

Please help me get this straight ... the money from the Oil in Iraq is still not going to the Iraqi people ??

[MJY1288]

NO, I believe the Iraqi's have their Oil Ministry is up and running. I believe the U.N. still hasn't dropped a bunch of the trade sanctions on Iraq

[maine-iac7]

"We will actively pursue what happened to Iraqi monies ... and if it's discovered that some of it was misappropriated or misspent or there was corruption involved, we will want to get to the bottom of that and insist on accountability," Sumaidaie said. "We will do everythg possible to recover what can be recovered. This belongs to the Iraqi people, and we have the duty to answer to the Iraqi people what happened to their money," he said.

Oh boy, let's sit back and enjoy the ride.

I can see Bush's hand in this too - don't mess with a Texas cowboy - they know how to play poker - know when to hold 'em - and lay them down.

He doesn't show his cards ahead of time to gain attention -

The Iraqis are going to be allows to be the ones to get the UN gang of thieves...how sweet is that?