Posted on 10/28/2005 9:32:43 AM PDT by MikeA
The publication yesterday of Paul Volcker's fifth and final report on the U.N.'s Oil for Food program tells us little we didn't know about the broad outlines of the $100 billion scandal. But, oh, are the details ever instructive.
The Volcker report confirms that Saddam Hussein demanded, and got, some $1.8 billion in illegal surcharges, kickbacks and bribes from companies doing business in Iraq. It confirms that he steered billions in oil and humanitarian contracts to his politically preferred clients, particularly Russia and France, and smaller sums to agents of influence (or their associates) such as British MP George Galloway, French Senator Charles Pasqua, and Oil for Food director Benon Sevan. It confirms that Saddam did so under the noses, and frequently with the connivance, of the U.N. agencies entrusted to monitor the program.
The report also provides a list, which runs to 60 pages, of influential individuals or groups awarded lucrative oil allocations by Iraq because they "espoused pro-Iraq views or organized anti-sanctions activities." Here again, the range is astonishing. In addition to Messrs. Galloway and Pasqua (each of whom was given oil allocations of 11 million barrels), one finds the names of a pro-Iraq Vatican priest (2.5 million), the Palestinian Liberation Front (nine million), the French-Iraqi Amity society (11.8 million), Burma's forestry minister (27 million), the Orthodox Church of Russia (two million), and the Presidential Office of Russia (21.3 million).
Among the handful of Americans named by Mr. Volcker is Shakir Al-Khafaji (12 million barrels), a well-connected Detroit-area businessman who led a delegation of anti-war Congressional Democrats to Baghdad in September 2002 and who funded an anti-sanctions documentary produced by former weapons inspector Scott Ritter. Mr. Al-Khafaji's financial involvement with Saddam was first documented in these pages by our Robert Pollock in March 2004.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Ritter and Congressional Democrats. Which Congressional Democrats?
I'm waiting for the clinton Liebrary to be mentioned.
Have they found Marc Rich's Iraqi oil kickbacks to Clinton yet?
Perhaps it was not a coincidence that Volker released his report while everyone was preoccupied with Miers and Plame. Not that the media have ever needed any excuse to cover up on behalf of Kofi Annan and his crooked friends at the UN.
As for France, they would be nowhere in international politics without their seat on the Security Council, which allows them to wheel and deal and solicit bribes from corrupt regimes all over the world. Time to put an end to that, IMHO
Later read
Michigan Rep. Bonior, Washington Rep. Jim McDermott and California Rep. Mike Thompson were on the trip. Were there others?
It is rather annoying how many sources completely glance over this. Here in New Russia (Canada), All the papers were focused mainly on US agencies that were connected-Didn't even mention a thing about the connections to the war. The US coverage is pretty bad as well.
Its really unfortunate that such a well intentioned program, from a group that does so much good for the world, could be so corrupt. /sarc off
Being swine, however, will prevent them from noticing that the "children" were being ripped off by corrupt despots and businessmen on an international scale.
Some body has some real dirt on this sack "o sh**. He turned midstream;I think Saddam must have had some video of him cavorting with the goat herd or something.
Chuckie Hagel was on that trip.
Volcker just passed away
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