Posted on 12/01/2004 5:36:47 AM PST by conservativecorner
Russia rejected charges yesterday that it is refusing to co-operate with a United Nations inquiry into corruption in the Iraqi Oil for Food programme.
The Russian deputy foreign minister, Yury Fedotov, dismissed a complaint by the head of the independent UN investigation, Paul Volcker, that Russian co-operation was not satisfactory.
The inquiry is looking at the pre-war sanctions scheme from which Saddam Hussein illegally siphoned billions of pounds, while channelling millions more to domestic and foreign supporters.
Mr Fedotov said: "Russia is co-operating with the so-called independent Volcker Commission in its investigations into allegations that the UN Secretariat might have committed some violations in implementing the Oil for Food programme."
Mr Fedotov's description of the investigation was disingenuous, however.
It is true that Mr Volcker's inquiry is considering allegations that senior UN officials in the secretariat profited from oil bribes, including the head of the programme, Benon Sevan. But the Volcker Commission has a far broader mandate to look at all aspects of who was corrupted by Saddam with illicit oil monies, and how.
According to Iraqi oil ministry files opened to US investigators after the fall of Saddam, Russia heads the list of nations in which politicians and businessmen helped Saddam dodge sanctions and siphon money from humanitarian contracts in return for bribes and kickbacks.
Asked about Russian co-operation by America's PBS television network, Mr Volcker said last week: "Am I fully satisfied at this point? No."
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