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Politics : Just the Facts, Ma'am: A Compendium of Liberal Fiction -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Selectric II who wrote (3181)	1/27/2004 11:50:40 PM
From: Sully-	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 90947

They're so caught up in their anger, lies, delusion & denial, they don't even have a coherent strategy. The war was all about oil after all..... <font size=4> Iraq to Probe Alleged Saddam Oil Bribes<font size=3> Tue Jan 27, 9:01 AM ET Add World - Reuters to My Yahoo! By Khaled Yacoub Oweis BAGHDAD (Reuters) - <font size=4>Iraq (news - web sites) plans to investigate allegations that dozens of officials and businessmen worldwide illegally received oil in exchange for supporting former leader Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), officials said Tuesday. <font size=3> Their statements came after al-Mada, an independent Baghdad newspaper, published a list it said was based on oil ministry documents showing 46 individuals, companies and organizations from inside and outside Iraq who were given millions of barrels of oil. "I think the list is true. I will demand an investigation. These people must be prosecuted," Naseer Chaderji, a Governing Council member, told Reuters. <font size=4> The list includes members of Arab ruling families, religious organizations, politicians and political parties from Egypt, Jordan, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Sudan, China, Austria, France and other countries. Organizations named include the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian Communist Party, India's Congress Party and the Palestinian Liberation Organization. <font size=3> Assem Jihad, an oil ministry spokesman, said thousands of documents which were looted from the State Oil Marketing Organization after Baghdad fell to U.S. forces on April 9 may prove that Saddam used bribery to gain support. <font size=4> "Anyone involved in stealing Iraqi wealth will be prosecuted," Jihad said. <font size=3> Oil ministry officials say they have stopped selling oil to companies that may have acted as fronts to supporters of the toppled leader. Entifadh Qnbar, a spokesman for the Iraqi National Congress, a secular party headed by former exile Ahmad Chalabi, said even Arab oligarchs from oil producing countries received oil from Saddam. "These people took bribes. Sadly, the Iraqi people paid the price," Anbar said. Despite U.N. sanctions, Iraq was allowed to sell oil from 1996-2003 under an agreement with the United Nations (news - web sites) stipulating that proceeds from the oil sales be used to buy food, medicine and basic supplies. But bankers say some international companies selling goods to Iraq may have paid commissions to Iraqi officials that were deposited in Arab banks in exchange for winning contracts under the oil for food deal. Oil traders say Iraq also smuggled oil through southern ports not monitored by the United Nations and through a pipeline running to Syria. Damascus says the pipeline was only operating for testing purposes. "Saddam had no problem giving oil to whoever he wanted," said one Iraqi trader who did business with the former government.

To: Selectric II who wrote (3181)	1/27/2004 11:52:02 PM
From: Sully-	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 90947

The French Government is so in trouble! Ex-minister denies Iraq oil claim Former French Interior Minister Charles Pasqua has denied claims that he received gifts from Saddam Hussein in return for supporting his regime. Mr Pasqua rubbished recent reports in Iraqi newspaper al-Mada, saying he had "never received anything from Saddam Hussein, neither petrol nor money". The paper printed a list of foreigners who, it says, received oil coupons for backing an end to sanctions. Mr Pasqua denies claims he was given 12 million barrels of crude oil. He told French television: "I have never received any gifts from the Iraqi government and I am not in the habit of making my decisions on the basis of any remuneration I might receive. Former Interior Minister Charles Pasqua is not involved, but maybe other former ministers are involved Charles Pasqua "That is not part of my ethics or my conception of things." Mr Pasqua denied knowing that any such transactions were taking place in the 1990s but he said it did not surprise him. "Former Interior Minister Charles Pasqua is not involved, but maybe other former ministers are involved," he said. Mr Pasqua told Le Monde newspaper that he was not and had never been a friend of Saddam Hussein. He said the neo-Gaullist RPR party he was part of at the time of the first Gulf War in 1991 pushed for action against the Iraqi regime. There are at least 11 French names on the list of more than 270 foreigners published by al-Mada. Story from BBC NEWS: news.bbc.co.uk