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".

[MileHi]

SCREW THE UN!!I'll second that, and France too, as long as you have your zipper down. {:0)

[LibKill]

I am so tired of of the U.N. It is way past time to pull the plug on this anachronism.

1. U.S. withdrawal from the U.N. All U.N. based agreements, treaties, whatnot are nullified. Any country that wants to make an agreement with the U.S.A. can do so on its own merits henceforth.

2. All U.N. personnel repatriated to their various countries of origin, whether they like it or not.

3. All U.N. properties in the U.S.A. seized. To be sold off to pay for our national debt, or used for U.S. purposes, whichever is more cost efficient.

[lodwick]

Mark, you ignorant, irrevalent flunky.

Pack sand my man.

[JWinNC]

"Where is that "Little Red Hen" story?"

oh man, I was thinking the exact same thing

[Yardstick]

The administration had better get on the ball and start laying out the case to the American people for why the UN should be kept on the sidelines during the post-war phase. I can just imagine an American public that is weary after the war effort and more inclined to just slouch back and say "Okay, let the UN in" rather than go through a whole new diplomatic war with the Europeans and have to endure all the world's criticism again. The Democrats will do their best to make sure this happens, of course. But we have a clever administration, so I have hope.

[Zon]

The United Nations proves its incompetence and some people at the UN still think the UN can be trusted to be competent. What's up with that!?

[FreeKnight]

A senior IRRELEVANT 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.

Here's a quarter, go call someone who cares.

[katana]

Based on their two weeks fighting in Manchuria, the Russians had similar ideas about the administration of Japan. I think I recall that after MacArthur informed them that the landing of Soviet troops on any of the main islands would be met with atomic bombing of their forces in Manchuria, the subject was dropped.

[Beck_isright]

"the United Nations warned the United States"

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHA AHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA

Damn you for making me rupture my gut laughing that hard.

V

[RJL]

Mark Malloch Brown, the director of the UN Development Programme

"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".

This guy is a real genius. Iraq has the second? largest known oil reserves in the world and he thinks they'll have a hard time raising money.

[Walkingfeather]

Can you point to documentation of that... I could use it.

[monkeywrench]

Sounds good to me. I wonder how much money would be left if the cost of reconstruction/lawsuits from suffering iraqis were deducted from the contracts the different axis partners had with the former govt. of iraq?

[Zon]

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

Honesty easily out-competes truth. As you noted, truth is easily taken out of context. It can change from one context to another and from one person to another. There is no gray area with honesty. Something or someone's action is either honest or not honest.

Dump truth and champion honesty.

[DoctorMichael]

Just in.......on FOX: "Rumsfeld wants to install 'Interim Government' ASAP; BEFORE WE GET SADDAM".

[Hodar]

Nicely said... Kudo's on a great post.

[ambrose]

I prefer the idea of the new government voiding the Saddam-era contracts.

[Route66]

'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.'
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Well if they are going to 'warn' us the way they 'warned' Saddam, I guess we should be really afraid. [how ridiculous...]

[monkeywrench]

Exactly. I think they'll figure they get off cheaply by voided contracts.

[nightdriver]

"The UN had every chance to prove that it was more than a worthless debating society, and it failed the test."

Precisely!

[philetus]

All the greedy little bast@rds are scared they won't get a piece of Iraq.