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| Senators aim to break code of silence on UN scandal |
| 2005-05-02 |
| The United States Congress is demanding the right to hear from two investigators who quit the United Nations inquiry into the Oil-for-Food scandal because they felt that it was too soft on Kofi Annan. Norm Coleman, a Republican from Minnesota who chairs the Senate Permanent Sub-committee on Investigations, has ordered his staff to subpoena Robert Parton and Miranda Duncan to testify. The two Americans resigned from the UN inquiry last month after the panel, led by Paul Volcker, was said to have rejected two drafts that they had written that were highly critical of Mr Annan, the UN Secretary-General. Mr Volcker, a former head of the US Federal Reserve, has telephoned the chairmen of three congressional committees investigating the scandal in an effort to prevent them issuing subpoenas. The UN insists that the investigators are protected by diplomatic immunity. Diplomatic immunity? They're both Americans, being subpoenaed by the US Congress. What diplomatic immunity could they possibly have? |
| Posted by:mojo |
| #6 UN officials routinely get diplomatic immunity and this extends to UN conference participants. A situation that has long bothered me because unlike a state it is difficult to see how redress can be exacted with the UN. Lets say a diplomat is shown to be involved in terrorism, there are many sanctions that can be taken to punish the diplomat's country starting with expelling diplomats, thru trade sanctions and freezing bank accounts to bombing their capital. The state is rightly held accountable for the actions of its diplomat and that diplomat is normally accountable to the laws of the home country and the country can generally avoid sanctions by charging and punishing the person. But what happens if the person involved in terrorism is a UN official? I can guarantee the UN will say we are not responsible. How can we sanction the UN? In addition unlike a diplomat from a nation state the UN officer is not subject to any laws since he is also immune to prosecution in his home country and the UN itself has no laws against terrorism, rape, murder, fraud bribery or anything else. A UN diplomat, officer or attendee at a conference and there are many thousands of them are completely above any national law. In theory they are accountable to the ICC, but it has never charged anyone associated with the UN and almost everything we consider a crime is not a crime at the ICC since there is a very limited body of international law pertaining to individual acts. I find it particularly galling when Annan or some other UN functionary talks about international law when they are exempt from the laws that apply to the rest of us irrespective of our nationality. Hipocracy thy name is the United Nations. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2005-05-02 21:36 |
| #5 Spot-on, Grunter. He wasn't selected for his good looks - he was "family" to the entire Maurice Strong cabal. An excellent choice, at first, because it put the US dogs off the scent for quite awhile... but tireless people like Claudia Rossett kept looking and the banking and board connections revealed the sham of his "investigation" and the conspiracy of his selection. I hope the entire lot, Strong, Power Corp, all of his Tranzi Scams, the Annans, the UN, Volcker, Sevan, Park, et al go down in flames - er, go to prison, assets confiscated. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-05-02 4:39:33 PM |
| #4 Mr. Volcker should be treated as part of the problem. His intention from the beginning was to protect Annan from any serious investigaton of OFF. |
| Posted by: Grunter 2005-05-02 4:03:13 PM |
| #3 US citizens don't get diplomatic immunity from US laws, at least as I understand it. Even if these people have diplomatic immunity granted by the UN, we can declare them "persona non grata" and expell them from the US. They can either find another home, or stay in the US and be subject to US laws. As far as I'm concerned we should revoke the diplomatic immunity of ALL UN diplomats/employees. We can let them stay, but IF they do so, they're subject ot US law. |
| Posted by: Ralph 2005-05-02 3:10:30 PM |
| #2 Diplomatic immunity? They’re both Americans, being subpoenaed by the US Congress. What diplomatic immunity could they possibly have? That's what I don't get. As far as I'm concerned, the only way a US citizen can get diplo immunity is if the US grants them diplomatic status. We haven't for these jokers, so it doesn't apply. If the UN thinks they can grant someone diplomatic immunity, without regard to citizenship or legal issues in their native land, then what they're really saying is "you can never prosecute us, our agents, or anyone who knows too much". |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2005-05-02 2:14:20 PM |
| #1 It's a message to Kofi, quit or we hand your ass to you. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet 0’ Doom 2005-05-02 2:01:48 PM |