US Warned That Oil Cannot Provide Funds

Independent (UK) ^ | 4-4-2003 | David Usborne

[blam]

US warned that oil cannot provide funds

By David Usborne in New York
04 April 2003

A senior British official at the United Nations warned the United States yesterday that it should think twice before assuming it can administer post-conflict Iraq on its own terms.

Mark Malloch Brown, the director of the UN Development Programme, also said Iraq's crippled oil industry would not finance reconstruction after the war.

His candid remarks preface what is shaping to become another mammoth struggle between the powers in the UN Security Council over the role of the UN in running Iraq and helping it back to self-government. He said: "Maybe there are people in Washington who can't see round the next corner in the road and don't know where it goes, but eventually will."

There is growing alarm in UN circles at what appears to be plans by Washington to install its own government in Iraq, headed by retired Lieutenant-General Jay Garner. He and a group of carefully selected US officials are in Kuwait waiting for the moment to transfer to Baghdad and take over Iraqi ministries.

While Kofi Annan, the UN secretary general, has kept fairly quiet about the UN role after the war, Mr Malloch Brown has decided to start speaking out. "We will be pushing to make as international and broad-based as possible the management of humanitarian and reconstruction needs," he said.

He added that achieving agreement on a resolution granting UN powers in Iraq may yet be hard and several weeks away given the bad diplomatic blood spilt when the war started. "The emotions are still high and a lot of damage has been done. But everything drives you back to that little table [in the Security Council] and a new resolution." General Garner, he predicted, "will not be left there indefinitely".

Any attempt by Washington to stifle the UN's role is likely to be resisted by other governments, Mr Malloch Brown asserted. "An international, UN-sanctioned administration of the country is likely to be condoned by many as indispensable," he said.

He quipped that the "triangulated Tony Blair" was "in maximum leg-split" as he attempted to stand by President George Bush while responding to the "European concern for a UN international role for post-conflict Iraq".

He also questioned any US calculations that depend on oil flows from Iraq to bankroll the reconstruction costs.

"My numbers don't add up like theirs do," he said. "The oil industry in Iraq needs a sustained burst of new investment before it can contribute significantly to the capital costs of reconstruction".

[pointsal]

well the first response echos mine
screw the UN!!!!!!!!!!

[Arm_Bears]

Better yet--Here's a quarter; call someone who cares.

[caisson71]

The reply to the UN-nations should be, "come and get it, just try".

[Centurion2000]

If they are screaming now ... wait until we demand the 10 billion dollars in Iraqi funds sitting in French banks :)

[Nick Danger]

US Warned

Oh no, not another warning. It's nothing but threats and warnings these days, from people who sure can talk but can't do squat.

Here's another guy that does not understand George W. Bush. He tells us that "the United States... should think twice before assuming it can administer post-conflict Iraq on its own terms." Well, we thought about it more than twice. The UN had every chance to prove that it was more than a worthless debating society, and it failed the test. So now it can conduct worthless debates with itself. The rest of us have a job to do.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[Myrddin]

Oil and agriculture are the two primary sources of income for Iraq. The U.S., Britain and Poland should be repaid for the expense of booting Saddam and his minions. Selling oil is the easiest way to do that. The repair and rebuilding efforts can also be financed via oil. The beneficiaries of the repair and rebuilding contracts should be at the pleasure of the Iraqi people. It is THEIR money. It is no business of the UN or the EU to dictate how and where those funds are directed.

[joesnuffy]

HAHAHAHA
Watch Our Leader make you eat those words....
The UN cant stand that its criminal relationship with a brutal dictator IS OVER....

[6ppc]

SCREW THE UN!!

Exactly what I thought after reading the first sentence.

[RJL]

His candid remarks preface what is shaping to become another mammoth struggle between the powers in the UN Security Council over the role of the UN in running Iraq and helping it back to self-government. He said: "Maybe there are people in Washington who can't see round the next corner in the road and don't know where it goes, but eventually will."

What goes around, comes around, and this time the US will be using the veto on anything from the UN, French, Germans or Belgiums.

[monkeywrench]

"Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, said: "We are all agreed on the need to have a role for the UN but there needs to be a lot of discussions."

Yes, LOTS and LOTS of 'discussions'. They're about to get into that "quagmire" we've been hearing about.

[jackbill]

If they don't like the United States "ruling" Iraq, they can always mount a military action. If they've the guts and the means. Otherwise - tough $hit.

[DannyTN]

And while they are discussing, we will be pumping oil on behalf of Iraq and using the money for Iraq's reconstruction.

All the while the debating society will make itself UNuseful.

[cake_crumb]

The UN has never and will never 'help' Iraqis. They want all of Iraq's oil, so they can pay zillions of socialist parasites to keep Iraqi citizens poor an oppressed, thus insureing a neverending cycle of UN 'aid' into Iraq...which will, as is usual with any UN aid operation, rarely actually get to any of the Iraqi people.

In addition, the Axis of Weasels wants their cut of Iraqi oil wealth.

If the UN is allowed to administer Iraq, not a dime of Iraqi oil money is going to enrich the Iraqi people, except for a UN chozen few in the 'elite' ruling class, which the UN will also administer.

[mikenola]

The dishonest Euro-theives had their snouts in the trough of illegal trade with Iraq for 12 years . Being shut out of New Iraq is the price Europe et al will pay for their perfidy. Too bad.

Iraq is now a military zone under coalition control. Good luck getting in, UN.

Afghanistan showed that the US can do quite nicely in nation rebuilding. Srebenica showed what happens when the UN takes control.

[cynicom]

The man left standing at the end of the day, writes the rules. The Brits have done it many times in past history.

[ambrose]

Bwahahaha... they had their chance.

[ambrose]

You got it. That's how the media lies while still telling the truth.

[ambrose]

Let the UN have the lovely job of "peacekeeping", while the US/UK controls the new Iraqi government and its oil supply. How's that for a compromise?

[syriacus]

Russia, France and Germany are the ingredients that make up the "Un-coalition" nuts.