US ignored warning on Iraqi oil smuggling

[Klast Brell]

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/1ea3ae70-6507- ... 511c8.html

"Although the financial beneficiaries were Iraqis and Jordanians, the fact remains that the US government participated in a major conspiracy that violated sanctions and enriched Saddam's cronies," a former UN official said. "That is exactly what many in the US are now accusing other countries of having done. I think it's pretty ironic."

[Relbeek Einre]

Well, I believe by earlier logic presented here, the US government is a hopelessly corrupt body and should be dissolved.

[Sindarre]

I would like to see you pull ONE fact out of that whole story that makes the US part of the conspiracy. The whole article boils down.. Everyone knew they were smuggling oil and the US did nothing about it.. they must be IN ON IT!!! Someone sent them information detailing tankers that have illegal oil on them. The information was forwarded to the US and UK capitals and nothing happened with in a couple of days. Obviously they are in on it!!!!

Seriously.. do you even read what you post Klast??

[Relbeek Einre]

I believe he's reading better than you, Sindarre.

Last week Paul Volcker, head of the independent commission created by the UN to investigate failures in the oil-for-food programme, confirmed that Washington allowed violations of the oil sanctions by Jordan in recognition of its national interests.

[Kulaf]

Chicago police today allowed many crimes to go on right under their nose a Chicago Tribune source proclaims.

Do you reconize the use of the word "allowed" and how totally ambiguous it is?

[Relbeek Einre]

It's not so ambigous, Kulaf. Citing Jordanian national concerns indicates an active choice.

[Fetten]

It's possibly more of an issue of those ships not being on either an approved or disapproved list of who is allowed to carry oil in the programme.

Also if those ships spent the majority of time in territorial waters there's nothing the US Navy could and it would be up to the countries those ships are sailing by to stop them.
None of the arab countries in the area are going to stop them either due to a) not willing to b) not having the means to do so, c) not knowing anything about it or d) all of the above.

I spent a year chasing the oil runners in the gulf and it's a pain in the ass job. It's not so much conspiracy as it is politics and BS. There's better ways to enforce that emabrgo I'm sure but the politics and BS kept getting in the way.

[Relbeek Einre]

The only BS is the Bushies screaming about the UN's actions in the oil-for-food program while they let crap like this slide.

[Fetten]

Possibly but if's something that has been going on since before the Bush admin. In fact the embargos and oil running started under Clinton. and there was plenty of finger pointing back then by both dems and reps on the countries that were in violation of it then too. It's not just a Bushism

[davidking]

There is no way in hell you are gonna convince Beeker that this isn't all about bush. Beeker is a rabid Bush hater and no matter what you say will deter him from thinking the way he does. He's like a loose mad dog filled with nothing more then hate with the loss of the Lurch party for presidency.

[Rsak]

Wasn't it the repsonsiblity of the U.N. to stop this kind of thing?

Did the U.N. request aid to stop this incident?

[Relbeek Einre]

Go Fetten! It clearly denoted this crap happened during the Bush administration.

[Kulaf]

Funny.....I just read the Briefing report by Volkers group and only see one mention of Jordan and no reference to this incident at all.

http://www.iic-offp.org/documents/IAD%2 ... 0Paper.pdf

Funny that. Maybe I will just wait for the interim report at the end of the month.