[Cicero]

The chief economic incentive for the UN is that the UN is currently the trustee of Iraqi oil funds, and is now sitting on about $10 billion squirrelled away in the bank. It collects the money and parcels it out, but it's very SLOW in parcelling it out.

This huge sum of money dwarfs the UN's regular budget.

You can live pretty high off the hog with expense accounts funded by the interest from $10 billion. And Saddam doesn't object because it puts Kofi Annan and the UN bureaucracy firmly on his side.

[Kay Soze]

Excellent Observation.