Documents: U.S. condoned Iraq oil smuggling (CNN)

[truthpusher]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/02/02/iraq.oil.smuggle/index.html?section=cnn_topstories

Documents: U.S. condoned Iraq oil smuggling
Trade was an open secret in administration, U.N.

From Elise Labott and Phil Hirschkorn
CNN

Wednesday, February 2, 2005 Posted: 7:19 PM EST (0019 GMT)

Iraq may have earned as much as $13.6 billion from the oil sales.

(CNN) -- Documents obtained by CNN reveal the United States knew about, and even condoned, embargo-breaking oil sales by Saddam Hussein's regime, and did so to shore up alliances with Iraq's neighbors.

The oil trade with countries such as Turkey and Jordan appears to have been an open secret inside the U.S. government and the United Nations for years.

The unclassified State Department documents sent to congressional committees with oversight of U.S. foreign policy divulge that the United States deemed such sales to be in the "national interest," even though they generated billions of dollars in unmonitored revenue for Saddam's regime.

more:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/02/02/iraq.oil.smuggle/index.html?section=cnn_topstories

[bpilgrim]

1. who gave up haliburtons recipts

cheney must be curse'n up a storm :->

peace

[rooboy]

2. Proof that CNN is a shit network...

the world knew this before the Iraq war.

[kuozzman]

3. Unfortunately, this report just makes today a normal day, rather than

the opposite.

:nopity:

[rox63]

4. Has * started blaming Clinton yet?

You know that BushCo will try to blame it all on Clinton. Everything's Clinton's fault. Nope, * don't make no mistakes, uh-uh...

:eyes: :grr: :puke:

[VegasWolf]

5. Yes, the Clenis did it! n/t

[BayCityProgressive]

6. Haven't

they been bashing the UN for the exact same thing? and congress (which was republican controlled) must have known...

[MGKrebs]

8. But I thought it was Kofi's son's fault!

"NEW YORK — The Justice Department criminal probe into the U.N. Oil-for-Food program is focusing on several individuals, among them U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's (search) son, FOX News has learned.

Kojo Annan (search), the secretary-general’s son, was employed by a U.N. contractor that monitored food and medicine shipments that were flowing into Iraq as part of the multibillion-dollar program created in late 1996.

The Oil-for-Food program is now being probed by the Justice Department and Congress as a boondoggle that enriched Saddam Hussein (search) and others. A report delivered last week by Charles Duelfer found that Saddam was able to "subvert" the $60 billion U.N. Oil-for-Food program to generate an estimated $1.7 billion in revenue outside U.N. control from 1997-2003."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,135503,00.html

[HysteryDiagnosis]

9. Hmmmmm, 1.7 billion over who knows how long vs 9 billion in less than

a year or so.... We are sooooooooo much better at this sort of thing. Hey, I know, let's spread our "democracy" so that this can become the norm rather than the exception.

[mediaman007]

11. Has Norm Colman R-MN demanded that Bush/Cheney* resign?

Its only right...where are you now Norm?

[hector459]

7. CNN breaks story same night as SOTU.

Wonderful!

[Supersedeas]

12. opens up memory hole...drops...and then drops the story...blame Kofi

[leftchick]

10. God they are so fucking slow...

Hellooo CNN bullshit "news" I read about this on the "internets" about 4 fucking weeks ago!

:eyes:

[Spazito]

13. Surprise, surprise, dumped on SOTU night...

I bet that wasn't planned, lol.

[shraby]

14. I read about it before the election and that

some U.S. companies were at the trough too.

[LynnTheDem]

15. Knew and condoned it...yet used it as an excuse to invade.

Knew & condoned the WMD...yet used it as an excuse to invade.

Knew & condoned Iran-Iraq war...yet used it as an excuse to invade.

That's America; biggest f*cking hypocrite on the planet. And THAT's why they hate us.

[Supersedeas]

17. ah, how the 'Merikan public 'ppreciates POST election revelations

[magellan]

16. At least the Corporate Media is catching up

Perhaps next they'll report the cherry-picking of intelligence BushCo engaged in to prop up their excuse for invading Iraq.

[d_b]

18. ..divulge such sales to be in the "national interest"

We get the goverment we deserve.

[genieroze]

19. A we were bitching about other countries doing it. hypocrites. eom