U.S. Says Annan Isn't Exonerated

[wicket]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050421/ap_on_re_us/oil_for_food_investigation_12

A U.S. State Department official said Thursday that an interim report on corruption in the U.N. oil-for-food program did not exonerate Kofi Annan as the secretary-general had claimed.

The statement from Mark Lagon, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, was the first time the United States has rebutted Annan's claim he had been cleared by the committee, made shortly after the release of the report on March 29.

In fact, the Independent Inquiry Committee's interim report faulted Annan's management of the oil-for-food program, which was set up to help ordinary Iraqis cope with crippling U.N. sanctions imposed on Saddam Hussein's regime after his 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

The committee did clear him of meddling in the awarding of a U.N. contract to Cotecna, the Swiss employer of his son, Kojo Annan. But it also said secretary-general did not sufficiently investigate possible conflicts of interest surrounding the contract.

[neuvocat]

1. Dear U.S.: who cares what you think? Sincerely, the world.

[SouthernDem2004]

2. So, we should do nothing about the corruption at the UN?

[thebigidea]

3. so that's your priority, then? UN corruption as opposed to US corruption?

who is a bigger threat to democracy, freedom, apple pie, etc. right now?

[SouthernDem2004]

6. You mean we can only do one thing at a time? Why is that?

[thebigidea]

7. did I say that? which is your priority?

[SouthernDem2004]

14. I can focus on more then one thing at a time. No need for one single

priority.

[catastrophicsuccess]

8. What specific corruption took place? n/t

[SouthernDem2004]

12. Your joking, right?

[wtmusic]

16. No joke

If you're going to fall for the idea that there *was* any corruption, then you might as well back it up with some facts.

The only fact I'm aware of is that the State Dept. has been on an obscene Kofi smear campaign ever since he had the nerve to suggest the invasion of Iraq was illegal.

GWB should be on his knees thanking Kofi for leadership in a program which the State Dept. website *still* claims has "prevented a potential humanitarian catastrophe in Iraq".

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2002/16176.htm

[Occulus]

18. Do you wonder what's for dinner when you're performing on stage? n/t

[neuvocat]

11. Fuck. What a lame-ass post.

The White House is extremely corrupt right now but you're more worried about about accusations that have been unproven so far. Tell you what, while you're at it, why don't you tell us about the corruption of the hen house that the fox has been screaming about.

[SouthernDem2004]

13. Wow, what a witty response.

[Cha]

4. bush will NEVER be

off the hook. Little coward.

[Todd B]

5. Note to the US:

Wow. That is that just not like the pot calling the kettle black?

:eyes:

[stillcool]

9. Total Bushit news....

The campaign against Kofi Annan is not going there way, so they just keep throwing sh*t hoping something will stick. The question is not corruption at the UN, the question is why the bushes have such animosity towards Kofi Annan. It probably does have something to do with Iraq, just not the oil for food program.

[grytpype]

10. Well, shit, what if we applied that standard to the Bush administration?

Don't get me started, it's the most corrupt and rotten administration in history...

they want to crucify Annan according to some standard they couldn't possibly survive themselves!

[Azathoth]

15. We've lost the moral authority to criticize Annan

The UN has a lot of problems and is in serious need of reform, but after the shit Bushco has pulled over the past couple years, we've lost any semblance of moral authority in the world. The Bush administration criticizing Annan for shady deals and corruption is kind of like Charles Manson criticizing Martha Stewart for not being an upstanding, law-abiding citizen. It's so far beyond hypocritical that everyone will just laugh at it.

[Spazito]

17. Yeah, well, the US(Bush, Condi, Rumsfeld, Powell) said

Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and that proved to be a LIE .........so.....................why would anyone buy this allegation?

[wicket]

19. kick

:kick: