BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: dianavan
Date: 19 Apr 05 - 01:15 AM

Kofi Annan is responsible for ending slavery? Thats a pretty big responsibility for just one guy. Maybe the U.S. could withdraw from Iraq and do something worthwhile like take some action on their own findings about international slavery. Or maybe they could ask the U.N. to help them take action to end slavery.

Oops - Thats right - They're too busy blocking access to hospitals, markets and transportation routes to do anything more than contribute to the misery of the people in Iraq.

and by the way - Did you hear the latest? The U.S. knew about kickbacks for Iraqi oil and did nothing to stop it and then had the audacity to claim that oil for food was not working. But heh - that guy from Texas made a pretty penny. So did the Brit.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Molotov
Date: 18 Apr 05 - 08:40 AM

What the fuck is the UN doing about it's own findings?

Kofi Annan is a miserable failure:

UNICEF (the UN Children's Fund) estimates that 200,000 children from West and Central Africa are sold into slavery each year.

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/slavery1.html

"Slave Trading on Africa's West Coast

The slave trade in Africa was officially banned in the early 1880s, but forced labor continues to be practiced in West and Central Africa today. UNICEF estimates that 200,000 children from this region are sold into slavery each year. Many of these children are from Benin and Togo, and are sold into the domestic, agricultural, and sex industries of wealthier, neighboring countries such as Nigeria and Gabon.
        
The most recent incident involved the MV Etireno, which was refused from ports in Gabon and Cameroon. When the ship reached Cotonou, Benin, in April, 2001, police began an investigation of the captain and crew. More adults than children were believed to be aboard.
Chattel slavery in Sudan

The enslavement of the Dinkas in southern Sudan may be the most horrific and well-known example of contemporary slavery. According to 1993 U.S. State Department estimates, up to 90,000 blacks are owned by North African Arabs, and often sold as property in a thriving slave trade for as little as $15 per human being.
"There he found several Dinka men hobbling, their Achilles tendons cut because they refused to become Muslims."        

Animist tribes in southern Sudan are frequently invaded by Arab militias from the North, who kill the men and enslave the women and children. The Arabs consider it a traditional right to enslave southerners, and to own chattel slaves (slaves owned as personal property).

Physical mutilation is practiced upon these slaves not only to prevent escape, but to enforce the owners' ideologies. According to an ASI report: "Kon, a thirteen-year-old Dinka boy, was abducted by Arab nomads and taken to a merchant's house. There he found several Dinka men hobbling, their Achilles tendons cut because they refused to become Muslims. Threatened with the same treatment the boy converted."

In a detailed article by Charles Jacobs for the American Anti-Slavery Group (ASI), Jacobs recounts how a 10-year-old child was taken in a raid on her village in southern Sudan, and branded by her master with a hot iron pot."

Molotov

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: Peace
Date: 11 Jan 05 - 01:39 PM

It's so refreshing to get a considered opinion every now and then.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Jan 05 - 01:36 PM

Yes I agree. He is not just a an asshole but he is a theif and a Bastard.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: CarolC
Date: 14 Dec 04 - 11:21 AM

I don't have an opinion about Kofi Annan at this time, Molotov. I'm not anywhere near as gullible as you.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Molotov
Date: 14 Dec 04 - 02:16 AM

In the same article Iraq Council Delays Choosing New Leader Monday, May 31, 2004 ( Before Al-Yawer was President )


"Al-Yawer, who 45, also has denounced violence against American and other coalition forces.

On the other hand, Pachachi, who favors Western attire, has said foreign troops must remain in Iraq until the violence is quelled and the army and police are fully prepared to protect the nation."

M

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: dianavan
Date: 14 Dec 04 - 01:59 AM

It seems the Ghazi al-Yawer says whatever is advantageous for him to say at the time.

"We blame the United States 100% for the security in Iraq [...] They occupied the country, disbanded the security agencies and for 10 months left Iraq's borders open for anyone to come in without a visa or even a passport." - said whilst President of the Governing Council.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Molotov
Date: 14 Dec 04 - 01:42 AM

CC: You haven't presented an argument to win or loose yet. Just a bunch of "if this is that then why is that this" drivel. When are you going to present some facts?

Do you like Kofi Annan or not and if so why?

M

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Bunky:
Date: 14 Dec 04 - 01:35 AM

Glenn Reynolds links to a Democratic Leadership Council article calling for Kofi Annan's resignation. It has to be done they argue, for the good of the United Nations.

Unfortunately, the United Nations' credibility has been steadily eroded by its own misdeeds, with a burgeoning scandal over its incompetent and sometimes corrupt management of the Iraq oil-for-food program being the most damaging example. .... But mismanagement, corruption, and manipulation of the program by Saddam Hussein allowed his regime to amass at least $21 billion outside of the United Nations' control, with the great bulk of that sum -- $17.3 billion -- pilfered between 1997 and 2003 on the secretary general's watch. In effect, the United Nations colluded in Saddam's successful evasion of U.N. sanctions. The most damning charge so far -- that a former chief of the oil-for-food program, Benon Sevan, accepted bribes from Saddam's regime -- was made in October by former U.N. weapons inspector Charles A. Duelfer, who led a Senate investigation into the scandal.

This recital of Oil-for-Food sleaze, which is old news to many in the blogosphere, lays the premise for the following conclusion: Kofi must go so the UN can stay.

As we argued last week, one of America's most urgent foreign policy needs is to retool international organizations and traditional alliances to provide collective security against the global threat of jihadist terrorism. The United Nations can and should be a central part of this new collective security system, but only if the organization is systematically reformed to serve that purpose.

This is a non-sequitur if ever there was one. Kofi Annan's accession to the post was greeted with relief by those who felt he would be an improvement on Boutros Boutros Ghali. In the beginning Boutros Ghali had to leave and Kofi Annan had to be admitted so that the United Nations could be saved. PBS recalls:

In November 1996, Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali's bid for reappointment was vetoed by the United States. Clinton officials said that the secretary-general was not as focused on reform as they deemed necessary. They said it would be hard to persuade a Republican-led Congress to pay off America's $1.45 billion in unpaid U.N. dues as long as Boutros-Ghali was at the helm. Because it is an informal tradition that a region of the world gets two terms as secretary-general, the Organization of African Unity had a short time to suggest candidate. After weeks of rancorous debate among the Security Council members, the U.N. General Assembly agreed upon Kofi Annan as Boutros-Ghali's replacement.

Annan was the the product and not the originator of a dysfunctional organization. This account of Annan's contest against his rival Amara Essy, described on a University of Connecticut website exudes something of the flavor of Byzantium.

In office, Boutros-Ghali proved to be an assertive, sometimes acerbic secretary-general who often rankled some members, especially the United States. President Clinton branded the secretary-general as ineffective and claimed that if he remained, it would be impossible to persuade Congress to appropriate funds for the UN. For these and other reasons, Washington, in effect, vetoed a second tern for Boutros-Ghali.

Since most recent secretaries-general have served two terms, the African countries felt that it was still their "turn," and the names of potential African candidates began to circulate. The process in the Security Council involved a search for consensus that Italy's representative likened to selecting a pope. The only difference, said the ambassador, was that in the UN "if you stare at the ceiling, there are no frescoes by Michelangelo to inspire you." In a series of straw votes, two names emerged: Kofi Annan, a career UN diplomat from Ghana, and Amara Essy, the foreign minister of the Ivory Coast. Annan was favored by the United States. He had a reputation as a capable and moderate diplomat and administrator, and his personal history (a B.A. degree in economics from Macalaster College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a master's degree in management from MIT) helped assuage Washington's concern that a secretary-general from black Africa might prove too radical. Annan is married to Nane Lagergren, a Swedish lawyer, who is a niece of Raoul Wallenberg, the heroic Swedish diplomat noted for trying to save Jewish lives during World War II.

France was the primary supporter of Essy, based on the fact that he spoke fluent French (but only halting English), had earned his law degree from Poitiers University in France, and came from a former French colony. The French threatened initially to veto Annan, but the American and British indicated they would veto Essy. In the end, with Annan clearly ahead in the straw votes, and given that he speaks at least some French, France gave way.

Annan was not a rogue UN bureaucrat, as Benon Sevan proves. He is perfectly representative of the system. It may be argued that certain Great Powers on the Security Council were the true ringleaders of the secret rearmament of Saddam; it may even be conceded that the United States was a willing participant in the wheeling and dealing that constructed the labyrinthine palace on the East River. But it cannot be maintained, as the Democratic Leadership Council does that "America's most urgent foreign policy needs is to retool international organizations and traditional alliances to provide collective security against the global threat of jihadist terrorism. The United Nations can and should be a central part of this new collective security system". Corruption at the United Nations was only tolerable for so long as it did nothing of consequence. But making it the central plank of international security would be tantamount to swallowing a box of razor blades and washing it down with sulfuric acid. The UN: into playschool or into the East River.

The Worm Orobouros
The indispensable Glenn Reynolds links to breaking aspects of the UN story. The first of course, is the DLC's reduction of their initial demand that Kofi Annan resign to merely stepping aside -- recusing himself in effect, from any participation in the Oil-for-Food investigation -- which should be a given anyway. But the stress gauge continued to creep up when Human Rights Watch announced the obvious, that the UN Human Rights Committee is dominated by a choice cast of villains; that the fox is charge of the henhouse.

Groups such as Human Rights Watch have been complaining about the U.N. commission's membership problem for years. The focus of the abusive governments on the commission, Human Rights Watch warns, is on "minimizing the exposure of their own human rights record rather than on stigmatizing the worst human rights violations in the world and devising methods to bring about effective responses to these abuses." ... No one would suggest seating Jean-Claude Duvalier and Gen. Augusto Pinochet on the International Criminal Court, so why put the countries that are their equivalents on the U.N.'s main human rights body?

Why? Because it's the UN, a place where the normal laws of gravity are inverted, everyone is immune from everything, where nothing works yet everything is beyond reproach. That's why. Having grasped that one essential fact it is necessary to accept the corollary. Neither the departure of Kofi Annan nor his replacement will alter the strange physics of the place which arises from the first-class funding of third-rate causes of the worst possible sort. If that is the definition of Oil-for-Food it is also the definition of the United Nations.

One of the shadow costs of an obsession with the United Nations is the preemptive dismissal of diplomatic structures which have historically worked. The recent crisis in the Ukraine was resolved without the United Nations. Someone may eventually remember that the diplomatic structures which defeated Hitler predated the UN. When one considers the diplomatic record of the 20th century the really striking thing is how little of consequence took place under the Baby Blue flag. Of the 50 odd wars that took place after 1945, including such humdingers as the Iraq-Iran War, the Chinese-Indian confrontations, the invasion of Tibet, etc. only two -- Korea 1950 and Kuwait 1991 -- were successfully met by collective UN action. To a large extent the UN's case for its own existence is its own existence. It's a circular argument and the strongest one it has.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Dec 04 - 12:59 AM

While we are sidetracked on the legality of the Iraq invasion and womens inability to reason, there was an interview last night on PBS between Charlie Rose and the President of Iraq, Ghazi al-Yawer.

I do not have any transcripts to link to but he had nothing bad to say about the invasion other than the US made a mistake in not using the existing army to control Iraq after the invasion. Of course the press uses this statement as an excuse for the headline "Iraqi leader attacks US 'errors' "

He said "What was done in Iraq had to be done for the benefit of the surrounding countries and Europe." as near as I can remember. The press does not mention this.

He also said that the things you hear about Iraqis hating America are not true. They are the product of a hostile press. The majority of Iraqis are optimistic and want the US to stay.

He is a Sunni Arab and business man educated in the US. He was not appointed by the US. he and Adnan Pachachi, another Suni were nominated and they sort of batted the position back and forth between them until it stuck with al-Yawer.

Before you start badmouthing Ghazi al-Yawer and calling me stupid, watch the program.

Iraq's Al-Yawar on Outlook for Country: Charlie Rose

M

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: CarolC
Date: 13 Dec 04 - 10:22 PM

( ...either that, or Molotov is resorting to the usual lame sort of female bashing that men with no balls use when they know they are losing an argument with a woman)

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: CarolC
Date: 13 Dec 04 - 10:12 PM

Troll alert

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Molotov
Date: 13 Dec 04 - 10:07 PM

Uninformed argumentative women:

Several Comgressmen want Kofi Annan out:
Many call for Kofi Annan's resignation

Bush does not:
The Bush administration expressed confidence in UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Thursday and said he should stay in office

A: You can bitch because the two do not agree.
B: you can bitch because Bush is wrong.
C: You can bitch because Congress is wrong.
D: You can always find something to bitch and whine about in any situation which seems to be the major role of women.

M

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: dianavan
Date: 13 Dec 04 - 09:27 PM

bb - If the United Nations is so ineffective, why is the U.S. sucking up to them at the present time?

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: CarolC
Date: 13 Dec 04 - 01:32 AM

I am more concerned over the people who would rather find a way to blame the US for the problems of the world than to do anything to make the world a better place.

You can't do one without also doing the other, beardedbruce. The US is responsible for a large share of the chaos in the world, and has been for a long time. If we don't do something to correct this, things will just keep getting worse, and they will never get any better. You can't fix the world's problems by throwing the baby out with the bathwater as you and others are trying to do with the UN. The UN needs to be fixed, not destroyed.

The world needs a democratic international body that fairly represents all of the people and nations of the world. As long as the US sees itself as the sole proprietor of the world and its resources, many many more innocent civilians will be killed so people in the US can accumulate more money and more power.

And if you are so concerned with the killing of innocent civilians in Sudan, why weren't you raising the alarm earlier when the same thing was happening to innocent civilians in the southern part of Sudan? Why have you only just recently got all righteously indignant about the killing of innocent civilians in Sudan when that very thing has been going on there for decades?

The reason is because the Western press wasn't bringing it to your attention in the way it is now. And their reasons for waiting until now to make a big stink about it have nothing whatever to do with human rights. You're a fair-weather human rights activist. You only advocate for it when the people who feed you your opinions need you to in order to promote an agenda that has nothing whatever to do with human rights.

And I guess you didn't get the memo from Pres. Bush about how you're supposed to support Kofi Annan now. It's in one of my earlier posts to this thread.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: beardedbruce
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 11:20 PM

Carol,

I am more concerned over the people who would rather find a way to blame the US for the problems of the world than to do anything to make the world a better place. This thread is about the INACTION of the UN in Sudan, and Annan's use of his position toenrich himself and his family at the cost of innocent lives. And you seem to be supporting him, by denying that there is any problem other than the US actions in the world. Sorry, I do not agree with you.

And what about answers to my earlier questions?

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: CarolC
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 11:15 PM

YOU are insane, if you cannot see that Saddam was doing what he had been doing for the last 13 years. He would give some small indication of compliance, then go back on his obligations as soon as the "International Comunnity" took enough bribes to let the innocents continue to die.

beardedbruce, most of the atrocities that Saddam committed, he committed at the behest of the United States, who used his dictatorship as a client state for many years. The United States is responsible for his rise to power. The only reason the US decided to take him out is because he stopped killing on behalf of the US and started killing on behalf of his own interests. If you really cared about innocent lives, you would be more concerned with the propensity of the United States to kill (or get someone else to kill on their behalf) for things like oil and world domination, than whether or not someone jumps quickly enough when the US tells them to.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: beardedbruce
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 11:05 PM

No, Carol,

YOU are insane, if you cannot see that Saddam was doing what he had been doing for the last 13 years. He would give some small indication of compliance, then go back on his obligations as soon as the "International Comunnity" took enough bribes to let the innocents continue to die.

But I guess that you will never understand. Too bad- you seem like a caring person...

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: CarolC
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 10:56 PM

Sorry CarolC, that was after the LAST deadline. He had his chance, and those like you who helped him to think he did not need to comply share the blood with him.

Who the hell cares whether or not it was after the last deadline, if using means other than force can save innocent lives? He was complying as of the last report from Dr. Blix. That should be enough to justify continuing the inspections.

To suggest that because Saddam didn't do everything the big and powerful US wanted him to exactly when they wanted him to do it justifies killing tens of thousands of innocent civilians as well as over a thousand US military personnel is just insane. And if you believe it yourself, you are criminally insane.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: beardedbruce
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 10:50 PM

Sorry CarolC, that was after the LAST deadline. He had his chance, and those like you who helped him to think he did not need to comply share the blood with him.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: CarolC
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 10:47 PM

If the international community had not been telling Saddam that he could get away with whatever he wanted, he MIGHT have thought about complying with the resolutions- and no invasion would have been needed. I guess that makes enough innocent blood on YOU and those like you that make excuses for his violation of international law.


According to Dr. Blix, Saddam was complying to the satisfaction of the UN inspectors, and no invasion was necessary at that time. That puts the blood of innocents on YOU and those like you.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: beardedbruce
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 10:33 PM

I disagree with your assessment. This whole thread is about how the UN was more interested in continuing their profits, at the cost of innocent lives, than in any resolution of the problem. In Iraq, or Sudan- just like Bosnia, Rwanda, Cambodia...

So what answers do you have to my questions?

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: dianavan
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 10:29 PM

Sorry, bb, you will never convince me that the international community was not taking action when, the UN inspectors were recommending continuation of the inspections process, not an invasion.

It was the U.S. who unilaterally decided to invade. It was not their call. Of course now they want the international community to go in and clean up the mess they made. They are BEGGING for U.N. involvement.

For the sake of the Iraqi people, the international community will help re-build Iraq - not because the U.S. was right.

The U.S. is biting its own flesh and the world knows it.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: beardedbruce
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 10:01 PM

sorry- sent before done...

War was not the answer- COMPLIANCE was. But since the international community refused to hold Saddam accountable, since that might endanger their profits, compliance was not possible. Thus, WAR- which those who told Saddam he need not worry about any actions to force him to comply are in part responsible for.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: beardedbruce
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 09:58 PM

War was not the answer- until the "international community" told Saddam that he could do as he liked without any action- THEN it became the answer selected by the situation.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: beardedbruce
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 09:55 PM

Address the facts, dianavan-

WOULD the US have gone to war if Saddam had complied with the UN resolutions?

Would he have been more likely to comply if the "international community" had not given him every reason to think that he could get away with non-compliance?

Goive me honest answers to that- THEN tell me what the answer would have been if there had been as much demand for Saddam to comply as there was for the US to not take any action.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: dianavan
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 09:47 PM

I'm not so sure the thousands of Iraqis and Americans that have been killed and displaced since the invasion would agree with you. There is no justification for the murder and the atrocities that have been committed because you think you are right.

War is not the answer!

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: beardedbruce
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 09:35 PM

dianavan-

The international community that was providing Saddam with material PROHIBITED by the UN resolutions? The International community making money off the suffering of the Iraqi people?

Or do you mean Canada, who continues to export asbestos to the third world, just to make money? I guess that is ok, as long as you can blame the US for something.

CarolC,

If the international community had not been telling Saddam that he could get away with whatever he wanted, he MIGHT have thought about complying with the resolutions- and no invasion would have been needed. I guess that makes enough innocent blood on YOU and those like you that make excuses for his violation of international law.

More blood than I can see on the US.

But I guess you can't bother seeing any point of view that might mean you were wrong.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 09:34 PM

THREE - names dates postings within this thread has been acknowledged and posted

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: dianavan
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 09:28 PM

Bush and beardedbruce think they know better than the international community. Bush has something to gain. Whats in it for you bb?

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: CarolC
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 09:12 PM

Yes I read all of it. The inspectors were recommending that the inspections process continue. They were the ones who had the authority to make that determination. They made it based on the fact that although Saddam's compliance wasn't the model of perfection, the progress that was being made was enough to render an invasion (at that time), unnecessary. An unnessary invasion is a heinous waste of human life. A point that you seem unable to appreciate. If the US decides to invade a country, killing tens of thousands of its civilians in the process, for reasons that are deemed unnecessary by the people in the field who were in a position to know, that is a criminal act, and certainly ranks right up there with some of the worst acts committed by Saddam himself.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: beardedbruce
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 09:03 PM

At the time that the US was planning the invasion, the UN inspectors HAD ALREADY STATED that Saddam was in non-compliance with the resolution. THERE WAS A DATE THAT HE DID NOT MEET! If you send in your mortgage three months late, I guess you would say that WAS OK.

I read it- all of it- DID YOU?




So, is this enough hijacking of the thread on Annan's incompetence in dealing with Sudan?

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: CarolC
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 08:59 PM

Nice try, beardedbruce... no cigar. Mine is dated, March, 2003 (bet you didn't even bother to read it). Much more up to date than the stuff you're providing. As I said before (and as you have consistantly failed to acknowlege), at the time that the US was making the decision to attack Iraq, the UN inspectors were recommending continuation of the inspections process, not an invasion. And it was their call to make. It was not the US's call to make.

At any rate, the original point of yours that I have disputed is whether or not the UN was enforcing its resolutions. The report from Dr. Blix states that not only was the UN inspections team enforcing the mandate of resolution 1441, it was also enforcing the mandate of several other resolutions at the same time. And you would know that if you had read the link I posted for the report from Dr. Blix.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Molotov
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 07:22 PM

Americans' Role Eyed in U.N. Oil Scandal

"Dec. 1, 2004 — Former American fugitive Marc Rich was a middleman for several of Iraq's suspect oil deals in February 2001, just one month after his pardon from President Clinton, according to oil industry shipping records obtained by ABC News."

M

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Molotov
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 06:58 PM

D: evidently you respect him more than Amnesty International. And because he is from Canada he is biased against America. Lots of idiots have jobs. Some have to feed on hatred to get and keep a job.

I am still waiting for the "reportedly" information about what the US supplied, when, where and how. Where is the report?

I see Hans Blix provided a list of the WMDs that did not exist in Iraq.

U.N. Oil for Food Scandal: The Marc Rich Connection
Written by Joe Mariani
Sunday, December 12, 2004

       "To say that just before Bill Clinton left office in January 2001 he exercised his privilege of granting presidential pardons is something of an understatement. With 176 criminals given pardons and commuted sentences in a single day, one might envision an "exercise" as frenetic as Richard Simmons on crack cocaine and Jolt Cola.

       Among the criminals Clinton pardoned was his own brother Roger, who had been convicted of drug trafficking. Susan McDougal, who was linked to the Clintons through the Whitewater scandal, also received a pardon. So did another Whitewater aide, Stephen Smith, though he said he didn't want one. Many of the pardoned criminals had personal connections to Clinton or had donated money to the Clintons' campaigns. Clinton pardoned Jack Williams, for instance, who had been convicted of making false statements to Federal agents. Williams was a lobbyist for Tyson Foods, the company in which Hillary Clinton invested $1,000 and miraculously made $100,000 in a single year. Another last-minute pardon recipient was Tansukhlal Bhatka, who had been convicted of tax evasion. Bhatka not only gave $5,000 to Hillary's Senate campaign, he hired her brother Hugh to lobby for his pardon. Hugh Rodham worked as a "consultant" to help other criminals gain pardons as well. For instance, Rodham received $245,000 in "consultant fees" from Allen and Vonna Jo Gregory, who had been convicted of bank fraud, but they had trouble describing his duties to Federal prosecutors when asked....

And, as it turns out, the Iraqi dictator could not have done it without the help of Marc Rich or the blatant disregard of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

       Shipping records show that just a month after receiving Clinton's pardon, Rich was acting as a middleman for some of Saddam Hussein's illegal oil deals. In their zeal to shift the blame for the scandal from U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his son as well as influential figures in France, Germany, Russia, and China, the "mainstream" media seems to be insinuating that Americans were somehow really culpable. ABC news, for instance, presented the Marc Rich connection in a story entitled, "Americans' Role Eyed in U.N. Oil Scandal." Los Angeles Times columnist James Traub characterizes those investigating the OFF fraud as "a right-wing mob" of "vigilantes," while Annan is "the gentle and generally accommodating leader of the United Nations." Traub's real culprit is, of course, the U.S. government, which "had dozens of people monitoring the contracts.

M

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: beardedbruce
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 06:42 PM

Iraq, with a highly developed administrative system, should be able to provide more documentary evidence about its proscribed weapons programmes. Only a few new such documents have come to light so far and been handed over since we began inspections. It was a disappointment that Iraq's Declaration of 7 December did not bring new documentary evidence. I hope that efforts in this respect, including the appointment of a governmental commission, will give significant results. When proscribed items are deemed unaccounted for it is above all credible accounts that is needed – or the proscribed items, if they exist.


The declaration of 7 December was the statement in non-compliance with the UN resolution. Iraq's LAST ( do you understand what that means) chance to come clean on its prohibited programs.

Thank you for supporting MY point- The US WAS justified in invading Iraq.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: CarolC
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 04:11 PM

Here you go, beardedbruce... Hans Blix, in his own words

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: dianavan
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 02:59 PM

Eric Margolis is a columnist for the Toronto Sun and an international syndicated columnist and broadcaster. Somebody must respect him or he wouldn't have a job. Just because you don't respect him doesn't mean much.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: ard mhacha
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 05:54 AM

Molotov take ir easy on those cocktails or you could finish up with a brain like George Bush.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: GUEST,Molotov
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 01:24 AM

D:

Show me where it says that Eric Margolis is a respected journalist any more than Mike Moore is. He makes his living from Bush bashing and feeds off of people full of hatred like you.

Show me where it says the the US supplied arms to the rebels other that where this hate monger says it is reported. Reported by whom when where and what did the US supply? You don't even have hearsay evidence.

The UN would not even be doing its window dressing attempts at dealing with Sudan if Colin Powell hadn't raised hell with the UN several times.

M

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: CarolC
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 12:27 AM

UNSC Resolution 1441 is the one Iraq would have been in violation of in this case. It was passed November 8, 2002. Here is a link to the resolution:

UNSC Resolution 1441

This resolution was for the purpose of establishing and maintaining a UN inspections process in Iraq. As of the time that the US decided to invade Iraq, the UN inspectors had stated that as far as they were concerned, Saddam was cooperating with the inspections process to their satisfaction, and they wanted to continue with the process because they determined that it was working. Under the terms of the resolution, it was a determination they had the authority to make. Under the terms of the resolution, the US did not have the authority to disrupt the inspections process, which is exactly what the US did when it kicked the UN inspectors out of Iraq and invaded that country.

I will look for documentation of the UN's position as I have described it above tomorrow, and I will post it when I have it.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: beardedbruce
Date: 11 Dec 04 - 10:01 PM

Brilliant, carol. I thought that there was a resolution before the end of the year, and the US attack was in what, March?


I guess calanders work differently where you are...

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: CarolC
Date: 11 Dec 04 - 09:57 PM

Oops. *not tonight*

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: CarolC
Date: 11 Dec 04 - 09:57 PM

I'll work on it beardedbruce, but not to night.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: CarolC
Date: 11 Dec 04 - 09:56 PM

The resolution in late 2001 was the one he was declared in non-compliance with- the LAST CHANCE.

Unless by this statement you are suggesting that Saddam was in violation of the 2001 resolution prior to it being passed, which even someone as thickheaded as you ought to be able to figure out is impossible. You can't be in violation of a resolution that hasn't been passed yet. You can't be in violation of it until after it's been passed.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: beardedbruce
Date: 11 Dec 04 - 09:52 PM

please show me that statement- I decall them stating that the report he gave them, supposedly his last chance to come clean about his programs, was NOT in compliance- please show me where they say otherwise.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: CarolC
Date: 11 Dec 04 - 09:50 PM

The resolution in late 2001 was the one he was declared in non-compliance with- the LAST CHANCE. You keep talking about things after that.Try to get YOUR facts right.

First of all, please show me the wording in the resolution that specifies what the action should be that would be taken if Saddam didn't comply, and also the wording that authorizes the US to take such action.

Secondly, as I said before, at the time the US was declaring its intentions to invade Iraq, the UN inspectors specifically stated that they considered Saddam to be in compliance with that resolution to their satisfaction. That is why they wanted to continue with the inspections and they did not want the US to invade. I repeat: according to the UN, Saddam was complying with the resolution to the satisfaction of the UN.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: beardedbruce
Date: 11 Dec 04 - 09:42 PM

The resolution in late 2001 was the one he was declared in non-compliance with- the LAST CHANCE. You keep talking about things after that.Try to get YOUR facts right.

We have a disagreement about the facts- perhaps you would care to review the actual resolutions, again?

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: CarolC
Date: 11 Dec 04 - 09:39 PM

Actually, I may be wrong about the Safwan ceasefire not being put on paper. But the contents of it were never made public.

Subject: RE: BS: Kofi Annan is an arrogant asshole
From: CarolC
Date: 11 Dec 04 - 09:34 PM

As I said before, it also states that this was the last chance before action would be taken, and the UN declared Saddam to be non-compliant. What part of that don't you understand?

The problem is not that I don't understand. The problem is that you have your facts wrong. The resolution declared Saddam to have been non-compliant prior to the passing of the resolution. The resolution and the resulting inspections were the remedy. At the time that the US kicked the UN inspectors out of Iraq, the UN itself was saying that Iraq was complying to their satisfaction with the inspectors. So he was not in violation of the resolution, the purpose of which was to establish and enforce UN inspections in Iraq, at that time. And by interfering in the ability of the UN to continue the inspections, and by not honoring the sovereignty and the boundaries of Iraq when the US invaded it, the US volated the resolution.

If by "violating the ceasefire), you are speaking of the Safwan ceasefire, that agreemen (which was never put on paper, and the contents of which were never made public), became obsolete shortly after the 1990 Gulf War.