Senate points to Russian officials in Iraq scam

reuters ^

[phoenix_004]

Saddam Hussein's government provided senior Russian officials with oil rights worth millions of dollars under the oil-for-food program in an effort to lift U.N. sanctions against Iraq, according to a U.S. Senate Committee report released on Monday.

The oil allocations were "compensation for support," Vice President Taha Yasin Ramadan told the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

The report, based on documents as well as interviews with Ramadan and Tareq Aziz, the former deputy prime minister, pointed to Alexander Voloshin, former chief of staff to President Vladimir Putin in the Russian Presidential Council, and ultranationalist parliamentarian Vladimir Zhirinovsky.

Both men had been listed in an October CIA report by Charles Duelfer, a former U.S. and U.N. weapons inspector.

But the new report produced documents on how the transactions were made, the shell companies in Cyprus, Switzerland and elsewhere and the involvement of Bayoil Inc., whose executives were indicted by U.S. prosecutors last month.

There is no evidence Putin knew of the payments, Senate investors said.

Zhirinovsky and his Russian Liberal Democrat Party were awarded the rights to sell 75.8 million barrels of Iraqi crude oil from June 1997 to December 2002, the report said. Those contracts could have netted Zhirinovsky and his party $8.679 million in profits, it added.

The panel estimated nearly $3 million was paid to the Russian Presidential Council, either through Voloshin or his confident Sergei Isakov. At the same time the transactions resulted in $5.6 million in kickbacks to Saddam's government. The Russian allegations are part of a hearing on Tuesday, which is also expected to include an appearance by maverick British parliamentarian George Galloway. He has denied allegations he accepted 20 million barrels of oil allocations

[phoenix_004]

IT is becoming pretty clear that all the prominent countries who opposed the iraq war benefited from the saddam regime.So its only logical to investigate german officials and find out how neck deep they were involved in this!!!

[Destro]

How much $ did the Pope get?

[Destro]

By the way, your statement is illogical. Russia and China and France would have opposed authorization in the Security Council for an American invasion of Iraq for free no matter what.

[Carry_Okie]

See? If Bush were like Clinton, he would know how to "negotiate" with our "European friends."

[RobFromGa]

Russia and China and France would have opposed authorization in the Security Council for an American invasion of Iraq for free no matter what.

Yeah, sure. Whatever you say. Hearing you call someone else illogical is worth a good laugh at least. Even if they would have opposed the US for free, that isn't what happened. Saddam bought them off and no amount of additional time spent at the UN was going to change anyone's mind.

The obvious result of all this is that it makes Pres. Bush's decision to act without the UN the only logical decision. Waiting for a bunch of corrupt beaurocrats to enforce their own resolutions was not gonna happen. I only regret we gave them any deference.

[MinuteGal]

I don't buy that part of the article where it states Putin knew nothing of the deals made between Saddam and corrupt Russian oil magnates.

Putey is an old USSR secret service thug and I doubt if there's much he's not privvy to when it involves millions upon millions of dollars appearing suddenly in the coffers of some of his leading citizens and their corporations.

Leni

[Destro]

That is like saying you would pay the Pope to be against Gay marriage. What Saddam did was reward his allies. America did the same thing after the invasion in a sense - we only allowed coalition members to get contracts in Iraq.

Saddam was giving out oil contracts to is allies so he could stick it to nations who were against him - it was not a bribe - you only bribe people who are likely to vote against you.

[Destro]

I am sure Putin knew but these bribes happened early in his presidency and he probably thought it wise to look the other way until he could replace these people he inherited from Yeltsin with his own people.

[Grzegorz 246]

ping.

[Howlin]

The Russian allegations are part of a hearing on Tuesday, which is also expected to include an appearance by maverick British parliamentarian George Galloway.

Is there any wonder it appears the whole world was against Bush?

Speaking of "Must See TV," it sounds like Norm Coleman's going to put on quite a show this week. I'm working like heck to get all my "stuff" done so I can watch!

[expatpat]

Yeah, that was probably put in there for politeness. They would probably not go after a sitting President of any country.

[BJClinton]

How much $ did the Pope get?

Do you have any evidence he received any money from Saddam?

[Destro]

LOL. Read the context I wrote that in - IT is becoming pretty clear that all the prominent countries who opposed the iraq war benefited from the saddam regime.

The Pope opposed the Iraq war you see.

[Paul_Denton]

The obvious result of all this is that it makes Pres. Bush's decision to act without the UN the only logical decision. Waiting for a bunch of corrupt beaurocrats to enforce their own resolutions was not gonna happen. I only regret we gave them any deference.

Unless sHitlery becomes president in 2008, that mistake will never be made again. We need to Get the U.N. out of the U.S. and U.S. out of the U.N.

[1Old Pro]

We NEED Bolton to start raising hell at the U.N.

[Destro]

You assume wrongly about H. Her husband went to war in Kosovo without UN authorization. At least Bush went to teh UN - Clinton did not even bother to.

[massgopguy]

Since he left nothing. I'll say he got nothing.

[Dr. Frank fan]

Russia and China and France would have opposed authorization in the Security Council for an American invasion of Iraq for free no matter what.

Assuming that's true all the talk of "multilateralism" and "getting our allies" to help was idiotic, no?

[Destro]

No not really. You missed the point. Those nations (France, Russia, China) were against invasion from the get go. What shocked us in our quest for allies is how Germany and Turkey shunned us. To call oil contracts to these nations a bribe is like saying you gave the Pope money to be against gay narriage.

[Dr. Frank fan]

Those nations (France, Russia, China) were against invasion from the get go. What shocked us in our quest for allies is how Germany and Turkey shunned us. To call oil contracts to these nations a bribe is like saying you gave the Pope money to be against gay narriage.

I do see what you're saying.

But there were lefties who were arguing (or faux-arguing) that Bush should have "tried harder to get France on our side" and the like. Presumably you agree then that those people, anyway, were idiots (or more likely, simply disingenuous).

On being against invasion from the get-go, I wonder. We are told that the US, or State, or someone, had promises from Villepin (or someone) that France would be on our side as late as January 2003. I do agree that France was against invasion from the get-go but there's still the question of why they were stringing us along so much. Bribery could have something to do wtih that.