Posted on 11/10/2004 3:58:55 PM PST by Mike Fieschko
Washington, DC - The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) has scheduled a hearing entitled, How Saddam Hussein Abused the United Nations Oil-for-Food Program. The hearing is set for Monday, November 15, 2004, at 12:00 p.m. in Room 342 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. This hearing will be the first of several hearings the Subcommittee intends to hold on this matter.Today, Chairman Coleman and ranking member Senator Carl Levin also sent a letter to Kofi Annan, the Secretary General of the United Nations, reiterating a request for access to UN internal audit reports as well as key personnel knowledgeable about the abuses of the UN OFF program. The Subcommittee also objected to the recent actions of the Independent Inquiry Committee (IIC) headed by Paul Volker, that are affirmatively preventing the Subcommittee from receiving key documents relevant to its investigation.
The Subcommittees first hearing on the Oil-for-Food Program (OFF Program) will lay the foundation for future hearings on how the OFF Program was exploited by Saddam Hussein. The Subcommittee is scheduled to hear from Charles A. Duelfer, author of The Comprehensive Report of the Special Advisor to the DCI on Iraqs WMD. Mr. Duelfer will testify as to how Saddam Hussein manipulated the OFF Program to erode United Nations sanctions, generated billions of dollars of illicit funds, and procured conventional weapons.
Also scheduled to testify is Juan Carlos Zarate, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Executive Office for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes at the Department of the Treasury. Mr. Zarate will discuss the extent to which funds illicitly procured under the OFF Program may have been used by Saddam Hussein for illicit purposes, including whether monies pilfered from the OFF Program are being used to fund the Iraqi insurgency or terrorist groups. The Subcommittee will also examine specific transactions in which the former Iraqi regime procured illicit funds and peddled influence by granting vouchers for oil deals, demanding kickbacks on contracts for humanitarian goods, and exacting surcharges on oil sales.
A background press availability with Senator Coleman and the Subcommittee staff will take place at 10:00 a.m. on November 15th in 199 Russell Senate Office Building.
The following witnesses are scheduled to testify at the Monday, November 15th hearing:
CHARLES A. DUELFER Special Advisor to the Director of the Central Intelligence for Strategy Regarding Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction Program Central Intelligence Agency
JUAN CARLOS ZARATE Deputy Assistant Secretary Executive Office for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes U. S. Department of the Treasury
...and HOW THE UNITED NATIONS ABUSED THE UNITED NATIONS OIL FOR FOOD PROGRAM....
...and the French, and Russians, and Germans, and French.
I no longer have to say I heard the scandal on Fox (I heard it here; I dont have Fox) to my friends. Now I can say, "Look, the senate is investigating!"
This ought to be good...
Go get 'em Norm!
I wonder why every time I write my senator about how we should get out of the UN, he disagrees with me....
maybe Norm is coming to the light?
This was referred to by Claudia Rosette on today's Hugh Hewitt show :)
You listen, too? :-)
They'll say...but a Republican is heading the investigation :-( ;-)
ping
I heard Senator Coleman speak on the Fox special about this deal and he was determined to get to the bottom of this -- I am really impressed with him as a Senator.
Is this going to be televised?
FNC should devote some time to it.
At least we got one good one.
And in 2006 we can get rid of Mark Dayton.
Write your senators and tell them to support HR 1146...to get us out of the UN.
You have a very good one and I would love to see Dayton go the way of the dinosaur in 2006!
I heard Hugh Hewitt talk about this last night sounds like this might finaly come out into the open.
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