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  • Senators accuse Annan of impeding investigation

    Senators accuse Annan of impeding investigation
    By Judith Miller
    The New York Times
    Thursday, November 11, 2004


    Leaders of a U.S. subcommittee investigating allegations of fraud in the oil-for-food program in Iraq have accused the United Nations secretary general, Kofi Annan, of obstructing their inquiry.

    In a letter sent to Annan on Tuesday, the leaders, the top Republican and the top Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, asserted that Annan and a panel he appointed to investigate the charges of abuse independently appeared to be "affirmatively preventing" the U.S. Senate from getting documents from a former UN contractor that inspected goods bought by Iraq.

    The senators also said Annan was blocking access to 55 internal audit reports of the program and other relevant documents and refusing to permit UN officials to be interviewed by the subcommittee's investigators...
    ...
    ...In a letter dated Aug. 31, the director of the UN legal affairs office told Lloyd's that while it should cooperate fully with Volcker's panel, "under no circumstances" was it authorized to provide documents to the Senate.

    Whole Story
    No man is free until all men are free - John Hossack
    I agree completely with this Administration’s goal of a regime change in Iraq-John Kerry
    even if that enforcement is mostly at the hands of the United States, a right we retain even if the Security Council fails to act-John Kerry
    He may even miscalculate and slide these weapons off to terrorist groups to invite them to be a surrogate to use them against the United States. It’s the miscalculation that poses the greatest threat-John Kerry

  • #2
    Playing the Devil's Advocate,

    I wonder if the US will allow the UN to check documents of the Halliburton deal. I am sure the US is quite capable of checking the details.

    While I am not commenting on the morality aspects, but I don't think the Senate can dictate terms to the UN. Armtwisting may work.

    Ipso fact, at this rate, even the parliamentarians of Fiji will ask for all sorts of documents from the UK as to why did they take over Fiji! :)

    I reckon it is the same that the UN cannot ask the US to allow their inspectors to visit the AQ prisoners in Gitmo. But the US Supreme Court can.

    It has to be a two way street morally speaking even though the US is the biggest financial contributor to sustain the UN.


    "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

    I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

    HAKUNA MATATA

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by Confed999
      Senators accuse Annan of impeding investigation
      By Judith Miller
      The New York Times
      Thursday, November 11, 2004


      Leaders of a U.S. subcommittee investigating allegations of fraud in the oil-for-food program in Iraq have accused the United Nations secretary general, Kofi Annan, of obstructing their inquiry.

      In a letter sent to Annan on Tuesday, the leaders, the top Republican and the top Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, asserted that Annan and a panel he appointed to investigate the charges of abuse independently appeared to be "affirmatively preventing" the U.S. Senate from getting documents from a former UN contractor that inspected goods bought by Iraq.

      The senators also said Annan was blocking access to 55 internal audit reports of the program and other relevant documents and refusing to permit UN officials to be interviewed by the subcommittee's investigators...
      ...
      ...In a letter dated Aug. 31, the director of the UN legal affairs office told Lloyd's that while it should cooperate fully with Volcker's panel, "under no circumstances" was it authorized to provide documents to the Senate.

      Whole Story

      This doesn't sound any different that the many BS loopholes the US has when it comes to the executive branch releasing information.

      Comment


      • #4
        I just saw Dateline London on BBC.

        Bush is the King of the World.

        Take it or leave it.


        "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

        I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

        HAKUNA MATATA

        Comment


        • #5
          Why are we still in the UN? It is the most corrupt organization on Earth and is the puppet of terrorists and dictators and gives in to their every whim. They appointed Sudan and Libya to head the Human Rights Council for petes sake.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by ChrisF202
            Why are we still in the UN? It is the most corrupt organization on Earth and is the puppet of terrorists and dictators and gives in to their every whim. They appointed Sudan and Libya to head the Human Rights Council for petes sake.
            Good question, why ARE you still in the United Nations? You constantly veto any measures that you disagree with, refuse to sign up to any of it's international treaties (convention on refugee's, world court, war crimes, convention on human rights) ignore others that you are signatories to (geneva convention on treatment of POW's), indulge in torture (send AQ prisoners to Algeria, Jordan etc where they can be tortured with US intelligence officials as 'observers') and refuse to pay your subs unless you get concessions in areas where it's advantagious to you.

            So if you don't like it, why not leave, and let the rest of us get on with it?
            In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

            Leibniz

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by parihaka
              and let the rest of us get on with it?
              Everyone else does the same things, including the UN. The UN needs some major reforms.
              No man is free until all men are free - John Hossack
              I agree completely with this Administration’s goal of a regime change in Iraq-John Kerry
              even if that enforcement is mostly at the hands of the United States, a right we retain even if the Security Council fails to act-John Kerry
              He may even miscalculate and slide these weapons off to terrorist groups to invite them to be a surrogate to use them against the United States. It’s the miscalculation that poses the greatest threat-John Kerry

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Confed999
                The UN needs some major reforms.
                Such as?
                In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

                Leibniz

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by parihaka
                  Good question, why ARE you still in the United Nations?
                  Because of one-world do-gooders in American society who believe that the best way to promote world unity is to dilute U.S. power and authority by ceding it to the United Nations.


                  You constantly veto any measures that you disagree with...
                  That is correct. We do...the same way other U.N. Security Council members veto measures that they don't agree with.


                  refuse to sign up to any of it's international treaties (convention on refugee's, world court, war crimes, convention on human rights)...
                  As is our perogative.


                  ...ignore others that you are signatories to (geneva convention on treatment of POW's), indulge in torture (send AQ prisoners to Algeria, Jordan etc where they can be tortured with US intelligence officials as 'observers')...
                  Well, torture doesn't appeal to me either. But when you deal with savages, sometimes you have to get a little dirty.


                  ...and refuse to pay your subs unless you get concessions in areas where it's advantagious to you.
                  Versus those who refuse to grant us concessions unless we give them our money? THAT is what they are really about.


                  So if you don't like it, why not leave, and let the rest of us get on with it?
                  Get on with what? Get on with whining? I completely support the notion of the U.S. abandoning the U.N.--particularly so that Americans no longer would have to listen to complaints from the citizens of pipsqueak nations as they kick the United States in the shins to soothe their national feelings of inferiority or to impress their international brethren in the "We Hate America" fan club.
                  "If I see further than other men, it is because I stand upon the shoulders of giants."

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by parihaka
                    Such as?
                    The fact that anyone can do anything they want with little or no attention from the UN would be a start. Make the UN accountable to the "member states", would be an interesting thing to do. You hit on a few of the things wrong with the UN, though you blamed the US even though they're doing the same things as everyone else.
                    No man is free until all men are free - John Hossack
                    I agree completely with this Administration’s goal of a regime change in Iraq-John Kerry
                    even if that enforcement is mostly at the hands of the United States, a right we retain even if the Security Council fails to act-John Kerry
                    He may even miscalculate and slide these weapons off to terrorist groups to invite them to be a surrogate to use them against the United States. It’s the miscalculation that poses the greatest threat-John Kerry

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Dont get me wrong, the UN means good and they try to do good but somtimes they just dont do good fast enough or they impede the "do gooders" from doing good, such as the US in Iraq.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        The UN was founded with good intentions, but like everything, the system will be abused in various ways, until proper reforms are made, and loopholes closed. For instance, I was under the impression that France was in the Ivory Coast on a "peacekeeping mission." However, today I read that France is aiding the rebels in overturning the government, and France claims they have the backing of the UN??

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          I guess now's the time to nail my colours to the wall. As you can see I'm from NZ, I'm the first for many generations who hasn't had to fight a war. Maternal grandfather Infantry WWI Gallipoli, Flanders, Paternal Grandfather Infantry Flanders, support Nth Africa (WWII), Father Sth Pacific Pilot.
                          Personal ethnicity Scottish, Irish, English & Maori.
                          NZ Military operations past 100 years.
                          Boer War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, Bosnia (UN peacekeeping), Israel/Egypt border (UN peacekeeping, ongoing) afghanistan (SAS combat) & engineering (ongoing), Iraq (engineering, finished for the mean-time 2 months ago).
                          Are we a 'pipsqueak nation'? Yep sure are.
                          Our security depends on a strong united response to world conflict and the only means we have to exercise that and do our share is through the United Nations and whatever its faults, to see that organisation demeaned and undermined rather than supported and strengthened places us at greater risk.
                          The reason that I seem to be critical of the United States Of America is that we have a sense of shared history with you guys. We are Kith and Kin. We fought with you in most of the above conflicts, and until recently shared the same world views. Would I criticise Afghanistan under the Taliban, Iraq under the Bathists, or any of the other freedom hating regimes around the world? yep, sure would, but they don't have freedom of speech so how do I talk to them?
                          My criticism of you is based on the fact that I can, that both our countries have this right, to criticise and be criticised...
                          sorry, not very coherent, but you get the gist.
                          In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

                          Leibniz

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Ray, i'm not quite sure how the UN would investigate us? I mean, the UN does not fund the US govt, but the US govt is the biggest contributor to the UN budget. Although, as stated above the US doesn't always pay its dues on time. =) The US taxpayer funds the functions of the US govt, and if there is accusations of corruption, the proper authorites will investigate. IE: The general accounting office of the congress or each dept proper, independent consuls, you name it. I don't think we need lessons from the UN on how to deal with corruption. Our system is far from perfect, but i think we've got a handle on it. But thanks for your concern. This is a simple audit of something that is funded by an entity, in most of the world, this is nothing more then fair.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              parihaka, you speak as if there's a giant concensus in the world to work for the "common good." That isn't true at all, what there's a concensus for is to act in one's own self interest, limiting the power of the world's sole superpower fits most everyone's interests well right now. Perhaps with the exception of Great Britian, which exerts far more influence then in reality it should. Depending on which aisle of the political spectrum one sits on, thats good or bad. I'm bothered by this delusion that people have that a country won't act in its own self interests.

                              Comment

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