Posted on 04/19/2005 10:22:47 AM PDT by knighthawk
KOFI Annan's leadership of the UN is under renewed pressure after one of his key advisers admitted to financial links with Tongsun Park, the shadowy South Korean businessman and former playboy spy at the centre of US investigations into Iraq's oil-for-food scandal.
Canadian Maurice Strong, a close adviser to Mr Annan and his special envoy to Korea, admitted Mr Park had invested in an energy company he was associated with in 1997 - the first full year of the oil-for-food program - but denied the funding had anything to do with Iraq.
In a statement, Mr Strong said he "maintained a relationship" with Mr Park, who provided him with advice on North Korean issues.
But on oil-for-food he said: "I cannot recall a single instance in which I had any contact or discussion on the program with any of the officials responsible."
Mr Strong's statement was a response to speculation he was the so-called "UN Official No2" identified in US court documents as having been targeted by Mr Park at a New York restaurant in 1996.
The documents said Mr Park, who was on the payroll of Saddam Hussein and trying to get Iraq the best deal possible from oil-for-food, afterwards told Iraqi-American Samir Vincent that he was providing $US1million ($1.3million) to a Canadian company associated with the UN official's son. Vincent has pleaded guilty to corruption charges related to the oil-for-food program and is co-operating with US authorities.
His information last week led to charges against Mr Park, Houston-based US oil company proprietor David Chalmers and two oil traders. Mr Chalmers and one of the traders appeared in the Manhattan federal court on Monday and pleaded not guilty to charges of paying kickbacks and conspiring to lower the cost of Iraqi oil purchased in the program.
Mr Park, who gained notoriety in the 1970s when he worked for South Korea's intelligence service and operated a slush fund used for bribing members of Congress, is charged with being an unregistered lobbyist for Iraq. He is in hiding in South Korea and considering a plea bargain deal with US authorities.
The court documents also refer to a "UN Official No1", believed to be former UN secretary-general Boutros Boutros-Ghali. Dr Boutros-Ghali was heavily involved in the early planning for the oil-for-food program in the mid-1990s, a period when he was known to be close to Mr Park.
UN insiders say the relationship was fostered by the late Ismat Kittani, Saddam's foreign minister and ambassador to the UN in the 1980s.
In the 1990s Mr Kittani was employed as an adviser by DrBoutros-Ghali and Mr Annan. Dr Boutros-Ghali has refused to comment.
The $US67billion ($87billion) oil-for-food program operated under UN supervision from 1996 to 2003 and allowed Baghdad to sell a limited amount of oil in exchange for humanitarian goods.
The bribes and kickbacks which resulted provided Saddam with an illegal income stream of between $US2billion and $US17billion.
UN sources said Mr Strong's admissions would increase the pressure on Mr Annan because critics would see it as further evidence of his inability to manage the UN and his penchant for surrounding himself with "ethically-challenged people".
Revelations last night that Mr Strong had served with Mr Annan's disgraced son Kojo on the board of a Saudi-based company would further heighten the scepticism.
Kojo Annan was named in the second interim report of the Paul Volcker-led inquiry into oil-for-food for attempting to mislead investigators about his unusual financial relationship with Cotecna Inspections, a Swiss-based company that held lucrative oil-for-food contracts from 1998 to 2003.
When the report was released on March 31, Mr Annan said he was hurt by evidence of his son's lack of integrity and his refusal to co-operate with the inquiry.
Mr Annan also claimed the report had "exonerated" him from accusations of conflict of interest, a comment that drew criticism for its arrogant dismissal of revelations that three years' worth of documents in his office were ordered to be shredded the day after the Volcker inquiry was commissioned.
No more UN for US-list
If people want on or off this list, please let me know.
It would be news if one of Koffi's pals WEREN'T.
I am so shocked. Shocked and amazed. Shocked and amazed and surprised.
I think I will go outside and pull weeds.
Tell me when Kofi resigns.
Maurice Strong is the architect of the Kyoto Accord.
This guy was up to his eyeballs in corruption as well.
Maurice Strong is also closely connected to the Jean Chretien/Paul Martin government in Canada. The Liberal government is about to collapse because of the Gomery inquiry. It is also useful to note that Strong is closely connected with Power Corp., a huge Liberal supporter and likely beneficary of Kyoto....
I wish a greater mind than mine could make the connection between Maurice Strong, Power Corp., Iraq, and the sponsorship scandal threatening to sweep the Conservatives into power in Canada......
Kyoto Accord... Wasn't he also a big pile driver for "Agenda 21?"
Shocking !!
NOT!
They're all crooks..
Also wouldn't surprise me if former Canadian Prime Minister Chretien caught wind of the gig being up, and then retired from office...they also need to check out Martin too.
Wasn't he one of the authors and composers of the supposed "constitution" for the world government? I wish I could find that document, once again. After I got voted off the island, I threw a lot of that stuff away... Oh well!!!
Ah! Bless you, my FRiend!! This thread may not be as big as the Pope thread, but it's still a way bigger story being covered by this thread!!! The biggest monumental monetary scandal in mankind's history!!!! (note the progressive punctuation)
Thanks for the ping.
Boutros-Ghali, Tongsun Park and Maurice Strong. And Soros! They just don't stop.
I am not a greater mind but can try to help some.This article should tell a lot about this crook..
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050419/wl_canada_nm/canada_un_oil_col_3
Three guesses why certain people on the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee are fighting so hard against Bolton's nomination....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.