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Reject the UN

Sometimes justice is slow and chasing down the large cast of characters in the UN oil for food scandal is no exception. The public outcry, outrage and continued criticism can soften greatly over time. That is why periodic reminders are helpful and needed to keep more than politically correct government pressure on the source of the scandal. That source would be the United Nations, no doubt.

Also sometimes, the public suggestions for a potential solution to the world’s problems are not necessarily slow, but exceptionally mindless. Not only is the following suggestion ridiculous but it is more a suggestion of how to keep China happy satisfying its thirst for oil than how to solve the crisis in Darfur. Not to mention the unsupported claim that just because an oil for food program was responsible for massive corruption in Iraq does not mean that will happen again.

‘Oil for food’ in Sudan proposed

Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, Kenya - Jun 14, 2007
Written By:Muthoni Kariuki/bbc , Posted: Thu, Jun 14, 2007

The creation of an “oil for food” programme has been proposed as a way of ending Sudan’s conflict in Darfur by South African judge Richard Goldstone.

The former war crimes prosecutor said his proposal was a peaceful means to put pressure on the Sudan government.

He said it would enable China to continue buying oil, while supporting global efforts to end Darfur’s crisis.

Lessons had been learned from the UN oil-for-food programme for Iraq, which was tainted by corruption, he said.

“Because an idea was flawed to an extent in its execution should not, in my view, be the basis for excluding it under all circumstances in the future,” he told the BBC’s Newshour programme.

In the past, China has used its veto at the UN Security Council to block moves to impose sanctions on Sudan.

The typical resistance to UN-sponsored weak-kneed sanctions and empty promises of compliance by the target country again highlight the futility of the international organization’s largely public relations stunts commonly employed to provide the appearance of concern.

“Oil for food” in Sudan proposed

BBC News, UK - Jun 13, 2007Meanwhile, the UN Human Rights Council gave its unanimous support to the report on human rights in Darfur and is expected to adopt it within a few days.

The BBC’s Imogen Foulkes in Geneva, where the council is currently meeting, says Sudan has said it is ready to implement some of the recommendations.

African countries have blocked previous attempts to censure Sudan and for years the UN’s human rights watchdog has wrestled with what to do about Darfur, our correspondent says.

Another source is heard from on the same story who indicates involvement with the IIC and an apparent recommendation of an oil for food program also. The author does this as if merely by participating in the investigation qualifies as convincing proof that another UN fiasco-producing initiative is a reasonable idea.

An ‘oil-for-food’ program for Darfur

By Richard Goldstone
Published: June 12, 2007
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts:
Memories of the UN Oil for Food Program in Iraq may cause some to dismiss this idea, but that would be a mistake. The International Inquiry Committee into the program, on which I served, uncovered several serious weaknesses in the program.

There is some comfort in the convictions of those involved in the oil for food scandal that appear from time to time. Just this month there was a PR from DOJ indicating the convictions of Sanjaya Bahel and Nishan Kohli. Earlier this year Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexander Yakovlev were also convicted as well as Tongsun Park.

But the size of the list of offenders as published by Al-Mada and translated from Arabic indicates an overwhelming task that may never be completely finished. Another trio of offenders were recently apprehended in Britain and are in the process of extradition to the US. But it still leaves the burning questions over such notables as Kofi Annan and his son Kojo as well as relatives in NY still profiting by the family involvement with the UN and the fact that Kofi is still an ambassador. And last but not least are the remaining allegations of scandal involvement by officials at the highest levels in the UN and a laundry list of offenses by many UN individuals for a wide variety of crimes. Yet the UN lives on as evidence of world-wide complicity by all member nations in failing to correct this madness.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 27th, 2007 at 6:48 pm and is filed under Public Affairs, Terrorism, war, wordpress, oil, U.N., Africa, Foreign Affairs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.