Russia may ask Volcker commission to disclose its sources - FM

RIA Novosti ^ | 29/ 10/ 2005

[Lessismore]

MOSCOW, October 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russia could demand that the Paul Volcker commission, probing into the scandal around the Oil-for-Food program in Iraq, disclose the sources of fake documents it had received, the Russian foreign minister said Saturday.

Sergei Lavrov said the commission's report was being thoroughly studied.

In a number of instances, the commission presented Russia with "rather dubious or clearly falsified documents" concerning Russia's participation in the Oil-for-Food program, he said.

"If more fakes are discovered now or in the foreseeable future, we will urge the commission to explain how it came into possession of these so-called documents," Lavrov said.

The commission, led by former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, said more than 2,000 firms linked to the UN Oil-for-Food program were involved in making illicit payments, including briberies and kickbacks, to the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein in exchange for oil export quotas.

The UN Oil-for-Food program ran from 1996 through 2003.

[Semper Paratus]

Volker should turn his notes over to Judy Miller.

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Yeah dammit the mob hate's links and should have the right to off these people.

[cdrw]

Wouldn't be the first time the 'calling out of the fake document' strategy has been employed.

The fake document plant on the yellow cake that lead to the whole Wilson / Plame affair was a brilliant maneuver by somebody to undercut any assertions that Saddam was pursuing WMD. It worked (not on we Freepers but on the general public)

Now the Russians, who are implicated in the oil for food scandal, conveniently discover fake documents in the Volker report. They were probably planted in the path of the investigation by Russian intelligence in order to destroy the report's credibility and get the general public so confused they will just ignore the whole issue.

Quite clever of them actually. After all - the objective of our enemies is not necessarily to hide what they are doing but to prevent us from stopping them. Viet Nam taught them the lesson that the most effective way to fight the US is in the media and on the political front because our leadership can't just haul off and declare war simply because they know its they right thing to do. A public / political consensus must be established and maintained for the US to take any aggressive action. Fake documents shift the focus onto the investigation rather than the crime and cast serious doubt on even the best evidence presented. Kinda like catching someone in a lie on the witness stand - they're toast and their testimony becomes worthless.

Conspiracy theories ... I know, I know. I'll take my tinfoil hat off now. But before I do I will recall that Russian intelligence was up to its eyeballs in relationships with Saddam before the war started. They were allies so it's not all that far fetched.