Bush Calls for Full U.N. Oil-For-Food Probe

Reuters ^ | 12/2/04

[Brian Mosely]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush (news - web sites) called for a "full and open" accounting of the U.N. oil-for-food program on Thursday but would not say whether he thought U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan (news - web sites) should resign.

 

Amid a call from a prominent Republican senator for Annan to step down, Bush and other officials have neither defended the secretary general nor joined calls for his ouster.

"I look forward to the full disclosure of the facts, get an honest appraisal of that which went on. And it's important for the integrity of the organization to have a full and open disclosure of all that took place with the oil-for-food program," Bush said.

Sen. Norm Coleman (news, bio, voting record) of Minnesota, who is investigating corruption in the defunct oil-for-food program, on Wednesday called on Annan to resign. He said former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) reaped some $21.3 billion from the program because of Annan's lack of oversight, although his estimate is higher than some others.

The call for Annan to resign was deemed premature by a State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity and emphasized that the investigation was continuing.

"Certainly no one in the government is contemplating that. We want to have a full picture from the investigation before there's any talk about what the consequences should be," the official said.

At issue is a $64 billion program for Iraq (news - web sites), administered by the United Nations (news - web sites) and supervised by the 15-nation Security Council, that was meant to ease the impact of sanctions on ordinary Iraqis.

Annan's son, Kojo, worked for a Swiss firm, Cotecna, which inspected goods under the program and is under investigation.

When pressed on the question of whether Annan should resign, Bush would not say.

"On this issue, it's very important for the United Nations to understand that there ought to be a full and fair and open accounting of the oil-for-food program," he said.

"In order for the taxpayers of the United States to feel comfortable about supporting the United Nations, there has to be an open accounting," he said.

Explaining why the administration is skirting the issue, the State Department official said going out and giving a "ringing endorsement" would antagonize the senator.

Also, the official added, "While Annan has been a valuable interlocutor on a number of issues, we have had our differences with him -- particularly over Iraq."

[William of Orange]

give 'em hell George!

[Numbers Guy]

but would not say whether he thought U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan should resign.

Paybacks for election-year antics are hell, Kofi. If Bush comes out publicly against Kofi, then all the Bush/America-bashers will rally around Annan. Bush, by not taking a public position, sends a signal to Republicans to continue firing away.

[rabidralph]

"In order for the taxpayers of the United States to feel comfortable about supporting the United Nations, there has to be an open accounting," he said.

I like this part the best. Maybe we should e-mail the White House and State and tell them that we don't feel comfortable supporting the UN and NPR and Dept. of Ed and Planned Parenthood, etc.

[JesseJane]

I'm waiting to see the donations from Oil for Food made to Democrats. Perhaps Hillary would be the first at the blood-filled buffett, but you KNOW there are more of them.

3000 lives lost on 9/11 funded by the UN with complicit democrats that looked the other way for profit and power.

tick tick tick.

[NY Attitude]

It is about time. A probe should have been initiated as soon as it was known. It is also time for Annan to resign and time to boot the UN out of the US and for the US to get out of the UN. It has outlived its usefulness.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Good....Chirac is defending Kofi!!!

Also:

US raises the pressure on Annan's leadership

Hmmmm......

Calls for U.N. Leader to Resign Continue; White House stands by Annan

[Logical me]

My question is what the hell has the UN done for the US? Not a damn thing. If the UN had not stopped the Gulf War and we ousted Saddam, there would be no war now and no oil for food problem. It's time to drop out of the UN and kick it the hell out of the US.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

3000 lives lost on 9/11 funded by the UN with complicit democrats that looked the other way for profit and power.

Right on!!!!!!

David has something to say about that:

______________________________________________________________________________

Unholy Alliance

by David Horowitz
Hardcover - (September 2004) - $27.95

In this tour de force on the most important issue of our time, David Horowitz, confronts the paradox of how so many Americans, including the leadership of the Democratic Party, could turn against the War on Terror. He finds an answer in a political Left that shares a view of America as the “Great Satan” with America’s radical Islamic enemies.

[LtKerst]

Arrest Kofi Annan! before he can flee the Country!!!

[mlbford2]

If it is proven that Kofi has US soldier blood on his hands from his O.f.F. schemes, he should be put before a firing squad.

[dfwgator]

Probe them, then get us the hell out of the UN, and kick them out of NYC.

[bluebeak]

shouldn't this be renamed to the Oil for Coffee scandal (pun intended for Kofi)

[Conservative Canuck]

Without fundamental reforms (over 100 proposed yesterday, but I won't hold my breath), the UN will soon be totally irrelavent. As President Bush noted in his speech here yesterday, the world needs effective multilateral institutions which are focused on RESULTS, not PROCESS. I am pleased to say our in-many-ways-useless Prime Minister, Paul Martin, is on board with this 100%, and has proposed a new framework composed of leaders from 20 industrialized and developing countries. NATO will be next, as Europe continues to consolidate on a continental basis, and is developing its own internal multilateral frameworks.

It is NORAD which Canada and the United States can use to springboard a new relationship. Missle defense is just the beginning. Soon (within 50-75 years) North America, Europe and Asia will be three distinct, monolithic blocs, consolidated for mutual security and trading power.

The United States is on the verge of evolving from a Superpower to a Megapower; the Europeans, Russians and Chinese know this, and are moving their economis and military structures to counterbalance this growing hegemony. This is why President Bush and the United States are feared so much. That, plus the fact the French just can't admit that they are not, and never really were a Great Power; France was just a tawdry player on the colonial stage.

Great events are unfolding, and the next twenty years will change the world for a long time to come...

[smiley]

....humm.....one wonders if Marc Rich and/or Bill Clinton are getting a little nervous.....

[Natural Law]

Chirac defending Kifi is an extension of the Bush "Fly Paper Strategy" that is working in Iraq. We first cause the bad guys to congregate and then whack them "en masse".

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Ambassador Holbrook (sp?) was on Hardball the other night, defending Kofi...said his Son had mislead his Daddy......

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Chirac has some people in his own country looking to take him down for his corruption!

[NY Attitude]

Let's hope that the thought process that you provided in your post bears fruit.

[woodb01]

The UN's in trouble... There's blood in the water and Annan is going down...

Contrary to popular Internet propaganda, Bush is no supporter of the UN... He might have nice, polite, cute words for them, but he has opposed many of their initiatives, worked with them until he found them useless and then went into Iraq, defunded their abortion plans, and the list goes on.

See the ANTI-DNC Web Portal at --->
http://www.noDNC.com