"I am both surprised and encouraged by the far-reaching interim report of the Volcker Committee. Surprised in that at this stage of a complex investigation the Report provides us with such a thorough description into certain irregularities. The Report carefully documents how the failure of a few officials to follow established UN procedures combined with a weak, under-staffed auditing system to lead to the awarding of certain contracts in the Oil for Food system. I am rather encouraged, however, that in this report the Committee has not found the 'system' to be corrupt or incompetent. Rather, with a number of new reforms that the Secretary-General can put in place, member states can be assured that procurement, monitoring and other important aid procedures will proceed with integrity and transparency at the UN.
George A. Lopez
co-author The Sanctions Decade
Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame
STATEMENT BY UNITED NATIONS FOUNDATION PRESIDENT TIMOTHY E. WIRTH ON THE RELEASE OF THE UNITED NATIONS OIL-FOR-FOOD PROGRAM REPORT
WASHINGTON, D.C. - "Mr. Volcker's interim report on the Oil-For-Food Program will bring us a step closer to identifying the problems in the program and will give the UN a blueprint to fix them. The Secretary-General took responsibility to ensure the investigation is independent, thorough and public. The Secretary-General has also stated he will hold any wrong-doers fully accountable, and to fix the problems identified by Mr. Volcker as quickly as possible. And, he already has begun to make the necessary changes. As 70 Nobel Laureates recently stated, 'Kofi Annan has never failed to take a critical look at the UN to examine its weaknesses and recommended improvements.'"
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The Los Angeles Times takes an in-depth look at the Oil-for-Food program: "The 15 members of the U.N. Security Council, including the United States, were at best complacent and at times complicit in Hussein's exploitation of the program, diplomats and U.N. officials say."
Eugene Oregon of Demagogue: "I fear that I, like many others, am getting distracted by the question over the legal determination of genocide [in Darfur] and overlooking the massive and irrefutable evidence of crimes against humanity. The report has 8 pages dedicated to chronicling evidence of rape and other forms of sexual violence, filled with case studies and testimony from victims. It is heartbreaking, yet I sense that the debate over genocide is overshadowing the report's assertion that "rape or other forms of sexual violence committed by the Janjaweed and Government soldiers in Darfur was widespread and systematic and may thus well amount to a crime against humanity."
"Phoenix Woman" of Mercury Rising, on the new CNN report: "CNN: Bush Allowed Saddam To Smuggle Oil - As CNN notes, this makes the alleged UN Oil-for-Food Scandal look positively insignificant in comparison."
"For all the rightwingers who used questions about the oil-for-food program to undermine Kofi Annan and disparage the U.N., a question: Where is the outrage about the complicity of the U.S.? CNN reports, and this won't be the last we've heard.... Yes, this occurred under Clinton's watch, too. We can't be happy about that. But he wasn't the one guilty of gross hypocrisy on this issue by using it to undermine the authority of the U.N." Read more...
From 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."
Zach at Burnt Orange Report comments on the United Nations commission investigating violence in Darfur: "Many prominent politicians and academics have condemned the U.N. commission for its refusal to brand the tragic events in Sudan as constituting genocide. Though I can understand their dismay, I feel that the U.N. commission made a wise, if not popular, decision."
UN Dispatch is a blog intended to promote thoughtful discussion about the UN, and to provide an outlet for important news and views on the UN. It is administered by Peter Daou, author of the Daou Report, and will feature frequent posts from knowledgeable guest contributors.