Posted on 03/22/2003 12:11:55 PM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Iraq's ambassador to the United Nations accused U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday of violating the U.N. Charter by not denouncing the U.S.-led invasion of his country and for withdrawing key U.N. personnel before the attack.
Ambassador Mohammed Aldouri, in a statement read to reporters, was particularly angry at Annan's proposals to the U.N. Security Council, which would put him in charge of a program that used Iraq's oil revenues to pay for food, medicine and other humanitarian supplies to needy civilians.
Aldouri said Annan's was doing the bidding of the United States and Britain to put Iraq's natural resources under "the control of the world American and Zionist oil mafia."
"It is a flagrant material breach of international law, the U.N. Charter and the Security Council resolutions relevant to Iraq, all of which emphasize respect for Iraq's sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity," he said.
Annan's office said he would not comment on Aldouri's criticism until Saturday.
Aldouri's comments were the first time Iraq has attacked Annan personally, although the ambassador told reporters afterward his government was not angry with the secretary-general but believed his "deplorable" actions were taken under pressure from the United States and Britain.
"What draws regret and deploration is that the secretary-general did not make any statement condemning or deploring this attack," Aldouri said.
Annan should have at least submitted a letter to the council "alerting that the attack threatens international peace and security with the gravest of dangers and threatens the fate and future of the United Nations," the Iraqi ambassador said.
Aldouri assailed Annan for withdrawing all international staff, including peacekeepers from a demilitarized zone between Iraq and Kuwait, thereby providing what he called a "passageway for the invasion."
But he saved most of his anger for the oil-for-food proposals made by Annan, which included a draft resolution, that the Iraqi envoy said was drawn up by the United States.
Middle East experts on the Security Council are meeting over the weekend to draft a resolution on the program and are expected to allow Annan to expedite supplies Iraq ordered and paid for under the program for Iraqi civilians as soon as it is feasible.
The Security Council is not expected to decide the fate of Iraq's oil revenues until after the war is over. The oil-for-food program began in late 1996 to ease the impact of U.N. sanctions, imposed on Iraq when it invaded Kuwait in August 1990. ((Reporting by Evelyn Leopold, editing by Chris Wilson; Reuters messaging: Evelyn.Leopold.reuters.com@reuters.net; 1-212-355-7424)
I agreed with war, but with all info starting to leak out about the plans after the war is finished, it is starting to smell very bad.
I heard Perle was worried that Saddam might have been killed from that first attack, and therefore the US Govt. may have been unable to justify the invasion.
Who what a cruel web we weave
He lost his diplomatic immunity and should be hauled off to Rikers Island for tresspassing!
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