UN orders Iraq corruption inquiry

[emad]

From BBC News:

<snip>
The UN Security Council has approved an investigation into reports of massive corruption in the UN-administered oil-for-food programme in Iraq.

The now-defunct scheme was designed to help Iraq buy humanitarian goods and ease the impact of sanctions.

But an adviser to the Iraqi Governing Council told the BBC that it allowed Saddam Hussein to buy influence abroad.

He said the former Iraqi leader spent billions of dollars bribing foreign businesses, journalists and officials.
<snip>
Mhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3648409.stmore:

[boobooday]

1. Hmmm starting with Halliburton?

I wonder who came up with this idea?

http://www.wgoeshome.com

[emad]

3. The BFEE and Thatcher tooled up Saddam and then invented

an excuse to take his toys away, only to find them missing....Halliburton 'r' US is merely paving the way for McDonalds...

[farmbo]

2. Watch out...Cheney's man Chalabi invented this "scandal"

http://www.keepmedia.com/pubs/Newsweek/2004/04/26/446179

United Nations officials are reacting with resentment to a campaign by conservative media and pols alleging that top U.N. officials are implicated in a scandal surrounding a U.N.-operated Oil-for-Food Program that sold Iraqi oil and provided "humanitarian" supplies to Saddam Hussein's regime before the U.S. invasion. Some U.N. officials suspect the scandal was drummed up by elements of the current Iraqi Governing Council--including the controversial Ahmad Chalabi--who fear they could lose power if the United States lets a U.N. envoy assemble a new Iraqi authority to assume sovereignty on June 30.
<snip>

If the UN is in, Chalabi (a convicted felon) is out. He will stop at nothing to insure that the US retains substantive control of the Iraqi government, so he can still remain in power.

The "list" of UN conspirators was "discovered" by Chalabi, allegedly from Saddam's private records conveniently given to Chalabi by US Intel after the fall on Baghdad.

[Vladimir]

4. Why am I not surprised?

so the George Galloway thing really was only the tip of an iceberg... can't wait to see who they frame next!

[Mountainman]

6. Scarboro and Buchanan were talking about this 2 nights ago

It wasn't in the news at all yet NSMBC whores were ranting about it on cable propaganda media. They even said that the UN blames right wing media for inventing the scandal and then Joe and Pat started their fake laugh track.

I feel very sure this is a trumped up scandal to try and keep the UN out of Iraq.

[emad]

7. Chalabi link is interesting. He has a past history of corruption

linked to dodgy business dealings with ex-UAE ambassador to the UK Mahdi Al-Tajir, a billionaire who made his dosh taking a cut from all oil deals made with the UAE from 1973 onwards. He in turn is linked with corrpute ex-financier and Clinton-pardonee Marc Rich, and Rich was a former business assocuiate of crooked publisher Robert Maxwell, who stole over £400 million of UK Mirror Group pensioners' funds in the late 1980s....etc etc

[BostonTeaParty04]

5. Ah, finally something the USA can get behind....

and offer some teeth to...

the UN investigating itself in a manner that will further discredit the world organization -- at a time when the USA needs to be able to smear them... "Why they can't take over Iraq... they're a bunch of CROOKS!"

Finally... a resolution the US doensn't have to Veto...

I am sure it like a holiday for Bush and Chalabi....

[DoYouEverWonder]

8. Now didn't the Security Council oversee this program

and isn't the US the most powerful country on the SC?

Then, gee, you don't think the US knew what was going on or making sure their friends in places like Turkey also benefited from the situation?

I think Chalabi is going to learn a lesson in blowback real soon.

Now where that indictment for his arrest in Jordan go?

[cspiguy]

9. ruh roh

n/t