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| U. S. Sen Coleman: "Kofi Annan Must Go" |
| 2004-11-30 |
| While many questions concerning Oil-for-Food remain unanswered, one conclusion has become abundantly clear: Kofi Annan should resign. The decision to call for his resignation does not come easily, but I have arrived at this conclusion because the most extensive fraud in the history of the U.N. occurred on his watch. In addition, and perhaps more importantly, as long as Mr. Annan remains in charge, the world will never be able to learn the full extent of the bribes, kickbacks and under-the-table payments that took place under the U.N.'s collective nose. Mr. Annan was at the helm of the U.N. for all but a few days of the Oil-for-Food program, and he must, therefore, be held accountable for the U.N.'s utter failure to detect or stop Saddam's abuses. The consequences of the U.N.'s ineptitude cannot be overstated: Saddam was empowered to withstand the sanctions regime, remain in power, and even rebuild his military. Needless to say, he made the Iraqi people suffer even more by importing substandard food and medicine under the Oil-for-Food program and pawning it off as first-rate humanitarian aid. Since it was never likely that the U.N. Security Council, some of whose permanent members were awash in Saddam's favors, would ever call for Saddam's removal, the U.S. and its coalition partners were forced to put troops in harm's way to oust him by force. Today, money swindled from Oil-for-Food may be funding the insurgency against coalition troops in Iraq and other terrorist activities against U.S. interests. Simply put, the troops would probably not have been placed in such danger if the U.N. had done its job in administering sanctions and Oil-for-Food. This systemic failure of the U.N. and Oil-for-Food is exacerbated by evidence that at least one senior U.N. official -- Benon Sevan, Mr. Annan's hand-picked director of the U.N.'s Oil-for-Food oversight agency -- reportedly received bribes from Saddam. According to documents from the Iraqi oil ministry that were obtained by us, Mr. Sevan received several allotments of oil under Oil-for-Food, each of which was worth hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars. To make matters worse, the actions of Mr. Annan's own son have been called into question. Specifically, the U.N. recently admitted that Kojo Annan received more money than previously disclosed from a Swiss company named Cotecna, which was hired by the U.N. to monitor Iraq's imports under Oil-for-Food. Recently, there are growing, albeit unproven, allegations that Kofi Annan himself not only understands his son's role in this scandal -- but that he has been less than forthcoming in what he knew, and when he knew it. As a former prosecutor, I believe in the presumption of innocence. Such revelations, however, cast a dark cloud over Mr. Annan's ability to address the U.N.'s quagmire. Mr. Annan has named the esteemed Paul Volcker to investigate Oil-for-Food-related allegations, but the latter's team is severely hamstrung in its efforts. His panel has no authority to compel the production of documents or testimony from anyone outside the U.N. Nor does it possess the power to punish those who fabricate information, alter evidence or omit material facts. It must rely entirely on the goodwill of the very people and entities it is investigating. We must also recognize that Mr. Volcker's effort is wholly funded by the U.N., at Mr. Annan's control. Moreover, Mr. Volcker must issue his final report directly to the secretary general, who will then decide what, if anything, is released to the public. Therefore, while I have faith in Mr. Volcker's integrity and abilities, it is clear the U.N. simply cannot root out its own corruption while Mr. Annan is in charge: To get to the bottom of the murk, it's clear that there needs to be a change at the top. In addition, a scandal of this magnitude requires a truly independent examination to ensure complete transparency, and to restore the credibility of the U.N. To that end, I reiterate our request for access to internal U.N. documents, and for access to U.N. personnel who were involved in the Oil-for-Food program. All of this adds up to one conclusion: It's time for Kofi Annan to step down. The massive scope of this debacle demands nothing less. If this widespread corruption had occurred in any legitimate organization around the world, its CEO would have been ousted long ago, in disgrace. Why is the U.N. different? |
| Posted by:Mrs. Davis |
| #13 I'm with you, D-A-P, and as a corollary I do not want someone I respect like Vaclav Havel replace him. The UN is rotten through and through, nothing that someone like Havel can "cure" -- he would only be tainted by it. |
| Posted by: Carl in N.H. 2004-11-30 11:15:20 PM |
| #12 Kofi going would be really bad. It would nicely wrap up the whole thing and all would be back to business as usual. Much better for a showdown with Kofi and the UN vs congress... ending in a bill to leave the UN and start a new organization. I don't want the UN to cooperate in the investigation. I don't want Kofi to step down. I don't want them to work with us. I want this situation to EXPLODE. |
| Posted by: Damn_Proud_American 2004-11-30 11:03:34 PM |
| #11 Let's not forget that Norm Coleman is the Republican who won the contest for Paul Wellstone's seat in 2002 against Walter Mondale. This was the contest made infamous at places like Rantburg by the Wellstone funeral that turned into a Get Out Your Rage rally, as well as the MSM's apparent assumption that Mondale would win and complete shock that he did not. Thank God Coleman won. |
| Posted by: Carl in N.H. 2004-11-30 10:45:33 PM |
#10 Here's the real reason to ditch the poxy bastards:
Yeah guys, but don't ya think those Un-Natural Persons (particularly those pesky Mode 1 & 2's) need lots more studyin'up on?... |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-11-30 10:39:23 PM |
| #9 ...the most extensive fraud in the history of the U.N.... LOL, $20 plus billion??? Its the most extensive fraud in the history of fraud! |
| Posted by: Darth VAda 2004-11-30 10:12:45 PM |
| #8 Good idea, B-A-R, but Senator Coleman is laying the groundwork first. Like building demolition. Weaken the main supports at the core and the building's mass will fall inward on itself. Heh heh. Barbara, pass the popcorn, please. This will be a total entertainment package. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-11-30 9:52:16 PM |
| #7 Amazing. Coleman succintly wraps up what the New York Times has never been able to do with one of the greatest stories of the year, if not the decade. Interesting that the only paper to do anything serious with this scandal has been the Wall Street Journal and the estimable Claudia Rossett. If she doesn't win a Pulitzer for her work, the prize is a total sham. But back to Coleman. He's got it exactly right. It is Annan who must take the blame for this mess and, it is Annan, who has on his hands the blood of the Iraqi people who suffered unnecessarily because of Saddam's perfidy. Our soldiers too are suffering and dying because of Kofi Annan's miserable stewardship of the Oil-for-Food program. Off with his head. |
| Posted by: RMcLeod 2004-11-30 9:51:55 PM |
| #6 How about taking it one step further, and getting the whole UN organization out of New York? |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-11-30 9:46:33 PM |
| #5 Senator Coleman's statement is concise, well written, and right to the point. The way you deal with this corruption, as well as the stonewalling, is to steadily move ahead and not let all the obstructions stall you. Senator Coleman's committee WILL get to the bottom of this, and any obstruction on the part of the UN will just make it worse. Kofi---how does it feel to be in a REAL Quagmire? Bwahahahahahahahahahaha! Hats off to Senator Coleman and his investigative committee. Keep up the pressure. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-11-30 8:40:02 PM |
| #4 Yaaah-hoooo! I do believe I hear the whistle as the train picks up speed coming down that "fuck-you" track. Buh-bye, coffee. Heh. Pass the popcorn. :-D |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2004-11-30 8:32:21 PM |
| #3 hopefully Mr. Davis can make the distinction :-) |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-11-30 8:30:35 PM |
| #2 That's OK, Frank, lots of people confuse us. We've both got a mouth. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2004-11-30 8:28:33 PM |
| #1 wow! My surprise Mrs D! - I figured Mike S posted this ;-) |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-11-30 8:25:42 PM |