Yes, some parliaments are not rubber stamps to the executive
branch. This is a member of the European Parliament
lifting a sign of "Nor War for Oil," while the European
Foreign Minister, Solana, giving a speech about
Iraq (An Nahar, 1/30/03).
This is not actually new. It was pointed out at the time that Chretien's daughter was married to one of the largest shareholders in TotalFinaElf, the French oil monopoly with large interests in Iraq. That, of course, was also why Chirac was so adamantly determined to block any U.S. effort to upset his extremely profitable applecart.
The problem, really, is how to get this news out. I daresay that many journalists and their editors and owners are aware of these connections, but they will never abandon their coverup.
FoxNews tonight reported that no less a personage than Paul Volker, former Federal Reserve chief, who heads the entire investigation of the U.N. for the U.N., has major league ties to TotalFinaELF, the French oil company which handled the illegal oil transfers, and Bank Paribas, the French bank which laundered billions of Saddam dollars. Paging Senator Coleman!
Paul Martin is walking the tight-rope above several scandals at the moment. Some international pressure on this one could really do him in.
bttt