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Local Land Rights And "Oil For Food" documentary
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| Local Land Rights And "Oil For Food" documentary |
| 08.30.05 (3:52 am) [edit] |
Tonight I am going to find some jokes for this blog and tell you a little about the documentary from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation I just watched on the SBS television network detailing the web of lies and corruption in the administration of the UN "Oil for Food" program.
But first yesterday afternoon I went into the office of the Swan Valley Nyugah Community - the main local aboriginal community of the city of Perth where I live, and I discovered that the land rights rally held on Sunday the 21 August actually saw 200 people gather from a wide variety of organisations opposed to the private sale of WA coastline to a multinational corporation to develop an environmentally damaging Desalination Plant. The aboriginal people are lodging a Section 10 permanent protection order under the Federal Act protecting sacred sites. They are still awaiting a response from the Federal Minister, but plan further rallies which I am my friends in both Socialist Alternative and the Socialist Alliance will help build through leafleting, media releases, and other propoganda work.
The Canadian documentary disclosed the Saddam Hussein was given the privilige of being able to choose the suppliers of food and medicine and the customers for the Iraqi oil. He used this power to bribe - and the journalist was given a bribery list which shows a huge amount of kickbacks (commissions) for diplomats, politicians, businessmen, and even the Vatican and Russian Orthodox churces. Even Vladmir Zhironosky the Russian nationalist recieved a bribe of over 79 million barrels of oil for his
anti-sanctions crusading.
During the time of the "oil for food" program, there were many disclosures of these corrupt kick-backs, which were overlooked by both the US and the UN. The company charged with regulating the system of sanctions - a Swiss company headed by a Mr Benan Sevan - was already under criminal investigation for fraud and concealing unauthorised payments from it's sharedholders. Koffi Annan's son was employed by this company. Annan orginally claimed he had retired but it was later disclosed that his son continued to receive corrupt payments - as did Benan Sevan - well after he retired in 1998.
Koffi Annan strongly supported the "Oil For Food" program a long time before it was introduced, and had personally visited Saddam before becoming the Secretary-General of the UN.
For those unaware of the history, Saddam was the subject of blanket UN sanctions after the first Gulf War but successfully stalled for years until it became apparent that working-class people were the only Iraqis suffering from the sanctions. From this came former UN secretary general Boutros Boutros Ghali's idea of "smart sanctions" applied only at the Iraqi ruling class but allowing lifesaving food and medicine through to the Iraqi masses, who had urgent health care and starvation needs.
At the moment the US Justice Department and the Congress are both investigating criminal payments made by the middle-men in the management of the "oil for food" program. It is believed most kick-backs went to Syrian, Jordanian, Russian and French business, media and political interests.
Food for thought. I must admit my thinking would be very similar to Boutros Boutros Ghali's at the time the sanctions were introduced. But now many former supporters of the program, like myself, can see how it was abused and if anything support the blanket sanctions or at least a much better regulated system than was the "oil for food" fiasco. Some admire Koffi Annan for - albeit belatedly - instigating the Volker inquiry which investigated some of the corrupt deals. But many are also calling for him to be sacked, or put in prison, mainly for doing nothing for many years after it became clear the program was being abused to a massive degree.
Now enough of the serious stuff - I'm going scouring the net however long it takes for a couple of seriously funny jokes for the readers of my blog. A gift for my new-found friends. If I can get some good original poetry I'll share that for you as well.
With Affection,
Matthew
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