[wretchard]

This opens a can of worms. Kofi Annan and France had a vested interest in continuing the sanctions. The unspoken question is: will the new Iraqi government have the right to demand an accounting from Kofi Annan? Or is the UN morally above having to answer any questions.

[goldstategop]

The arrogant Axis Of Weasels are above everything. The UN is their toy and Kofi Annan is their puppet.

[aBootes]

Dang good piece!

[fightinJAG]

It also collects a 2.2 percent commission on every barrel — more than $1 billion to date — that is supposed to cover its administrative costs. According to staff members, the program's bank accounts over the past year have held balances upward of $12 billion. With all that money pouring straight from Iraq's oil taps — thus obviating the need to wring donations from member countries — the oil-for-food program has evolved into a bonanza of jobs and commercial clout. Before the war it employed some 1,000 international workers and 3,000 Iraqis. (The Iraqi employees — charged with monitoring Saddam Hussein's imports and distribution of relief goods — of course all had to be approved by the Baath Party.)

Ah ha. Now the truth comes out. You gotta love the Baath Party members overseeing Saddam's imports and distribution of relief goods.

[Diogenesis]

Annan is truly Earth's Terrorist-in-Chief, who also supports slavery, antiSemitism, and murderers of Americans.

Who cares what the terrorist thinks -- or his old Europe enablers.

[wayoverontheright]

On Feb. 7, with war all but inevitable, Mr. Annan approved a request by the regime for TV broadcasting equipment from Russia. Was this material intended to shore up the propaganda machine Saddam Hussein had built in recent years? After all, the United Nations in 2000 and 2001 approved more than a dozen contracts with Jordan and France for Iraq to import equipment for "educational TV."

Was Baghdad Bob supplied by the UN?....Hmmm....questions remain unanswered.

[Asclepius]

... which is due to expire on May 12 ...

How convenient. Problem solved. We simply allow the program to expire, and veto any attempt to renew it.

[ex-Texan]

*DUMP* a BUMP ! on the UN !

[snopercod]

Not mentioned was the issue of "smuggled oil". US and other countries provided Navy warships in the gulf to search for oil being smuggled out of Iraq outside the oil for food program.

What oil they found was confiscated, sold on the open market, with the proceeds going to the UN. To the best of my knowledge, the US and other countries just "donated" the warships and manpower.

[joesnuffy]

The whole objection of the UN for us going in a ousting Saddam Hussein physically was about the UN getting caught skimming the food for oil, oil for cash, cash for Kofi skim program
and of course the weapons for cash programs that France Germany and Russia cashed in on..

[Lockbox]

What may be very interesting are future lawsuits by the new Iraq Government to recover any left over and miss spent funds against the UN, the French and Russians. Similar to the suits against the Swiss for the Jewish bank accounts. A full and compete accounting could be trouble for the UN.

[Shermy]

Bump.

[Shermy]

The Iraqi government, with its new representative in the UN, should demand that the books be opened.

[Shermy]

Same writer:

The Oil-for-U.N.-Jobs Program

[green team 1999]

follow the money trail,UN too???? hhmmmm.

[GailA]

UN Food for Oil stats THREAD

[Poincare]

That Claudia Rosett got this much of her research into the NYTimes is the story of the day (now yesterday) as far as I'm concerned.