Originally Posted By Darkbeer <a href="http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/30478.htm" target="_blank">http://www.nypost.com/news/wor ldnews/30478.htm</a> >>Volcker charged that top officials at the U.N. engaged in a "willful closing of eyes" that paved the way for the massive kickbacks and bribes that extended from Baghdad to U.N. headquarters in Manhattan. He called for massive reforms of the U.N. system, including appointment of a chief operating officer at the United Nations who would oversee administration of the world body while the secretary general concentrates on "politics and diplomacy." Volcker also said his commission has no law-enforcement powers but added he hoped law enforcement and regulatory agencies pursue cases against companies and individuals who were exposed for doing dirty deals with Saddam Hussein in the bombshell final report issued last week. <<
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>He called for massive reforms of the U.N. system, including appointment of a chief operating officer at the United Nations who would oversee administration of the world body while the secretary general concentrates on "politics and diplomacy." << I think that's a great suggestion. I assumed (incorrectly) that there must be some such position already in place. I wonder if this story is getting more play around the globe than it is here in the US. Heck, even the Bush administration isn't making a lot of noise about this for some reason. It's strange.
Originally Posted By ElKay ">>I'm not going to blame the UN in it's entirety for the actions for a few of it's bureaucrats.<< Dougie:"It is the head of the UN who is implicated in this scandal." And Cheney and possibly Bush are implicated in inspiring the exposing of a US intelligence agent who specialized in WMD investigations? This really should have outraged Conservates more than the low opinion of the UN they've had for over 60 years. The fact remains that the kickbacks went to Saddam, not the UN itself. Ever one of the oil companies, including several US based firms, willingly participated in this subversion. Any of the companies could have blown the whistle on the whole scheme, but nobody did, because they were still making a healthy profits dispite allowing themselves to be shakendown. No matter what you UN foes say, it didn't matter how much Saddam pilfered from the oil for food program, because Saddam couldn't use a nickel of ill gotten loot to threaten the US or the Gulf States, because he was kept in a box by the sanctions. It's a terrible shame that Saddam allowed his own people to starve, but would it have surprised anyone that he would do such a terrible thing? NOPE. The UN oversaw the transactions. SADDAM was responsible for the distribution. Nobody was interested in telling Saddam how he was supposed to implement this program. The intent of the program was supposed to show that the World was trying to help the innocent peoples of Iraq and at the same time how Saddam was willing to starve his own people for his own agenda. This phony neocon outrage at the UN doesn't mittigate the foolish decision to invade Irag and finish off tens of 1,000s of innocent Iraqs by means of "shock and awe."
Originally Posted By DouglasDubh <The fact remains that the kickbacks went to Saddam, not the UN itself.> Several UN bureaucrats appear to have been greatly enriched by looking the other way. Several critics of our action against Saddam also benefited.
Originally Posted By DlandDug >>"It is the head of the UN who is implicated in this scandal." And Cheney and possibly Bush are implicated in inspiring the exposing of a US intelligence agent who specialized in WMD investigations?<< Which, of course, has absolutely nothing to do with the subject at hand. >>The fact remains that the kickbacks went to Saddam, not the UN itself.<< I don't believe anyone said that the UN itself benefitted. But it cannot be denied that the UN fell down on the job, and that the head of the UN himself derived benefit via his son. >>No matter what you UN foes say, it didn't matter how much Saddam pilfered from the oil for food program, because Saddam couldn't use a nickel of ill gotten loot to threaten the US or the Gulf States, because he was kept in a box by the sanctions.<< Having never been a foe of the UN, I cannot speak to that. But the issue is not how Saddam used the money he stole. The issue is that the stolen money was withheld from the neediest people in Iraq. Defending this in any way is inexplicable. >>It's a terrible shame that Saddam allowed his own people to starve...<< Yes, a terrible shame. Someone should have done something about it. >>Nobody was interested in telling Saddam how he was supposed to implement this program.<< Wrong. Benon Sevam of Cyprus, the Director of the Oil for Food program was supposedly interested. But since he was taking bribes, his interests did not extend to seeing that the prgram was implemented properly. >>The intent of the program was supposed to show that the World was trying to help the innocent peoples of Iraq and at the same time how Saddam was willing to starve his own people for his own agenda.<< Now there's an entirely novel (if not to say factually inaccurate) description of the Oil for Food program. Please provide any source, anywhere, that suggests that the program was intended to do anything other than ensure that the people of Iraq would benefit.
