Funny, I don't think the so-called left cares whether or not Anan participated in the skimming (to this point, there is no evidence of such)...the opposition to the Iraq invasion is not predicated on a vote for Kofi Anan per se
...If the "oil for food" scandal ends up revealing and punishing those who are involved, that's a great thing...
funny thing is,
the US is part of the UN Security Council, and thus had oversight ability on the entire programme if they so chose...
now, the idea of "oil for food" is a simplified version of this complex programme...so, in a nutshell
1) the UN sanctioned the programme as a way of providing Humanitarian aid in light of the crippling sanctions done post Gulf War One.
2) The integrity of the programme rested in part on the performance of the inspection companies that were selected by the UN to monitor the export of Iraqi oil and the import of humanitarian goods. Three companies played roles; a Dutch firm (Saybolt Eastern Hemisphere BV), an English firm (LLoyd's Register Inspection Ltd.) which was later replaced by Swiss firm (Cotenca Inspection S.A.) - the English firm dropped out due to time issues.
3) the Iraq programme was supervised by Humanitarian coordinators stationed in Iraq, who reported directly to the Executive Director of the Office of the Iraq Programme.
Now, from what I can assertain, companies paid kickbacks to the Iraq government in exchange for "preferential" treatment...additionally, Iraq chose to sell its oil to countries who were "friendly" to Iraq in order to potentially influence them.
Bribes were offered, and they were taken...BUT I have seen no evidence of Kofi Anan being aware of nor participating in any wrong doing...and the report says as much.
For those interested, you can find a brief overview of the report here
http://www.ccil-ccdi.ca/index.php?op...=116&Itemid=64
The actual 630 page report is here...read pages 12-15 of the pdf for a summarized version of the results
http://www.iic-offp.org/documents/II...027Oct2005.pdf
statement from Kofi Anan on the fifth and final report:
Quote:
New York, 27 October 2005 - Statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General on the Final Report of the Independent Inquiry Committee on oil-for-food
The Secretary-General takes note of the findings contained in the fifth and final report of the Independent Inquiry Committee into the Oil-for-Food Programme.
He notes that a vast network of kickbacks and surcharges has been exposed, involving companies registered in a wide range of member states, and certified by them as competent to conduct business under the Programme. He hopes that national authorities will take steps to prevent the recurrence of such practices in the future, and that they will take action, where appropriate, against companies falling within their jurisdiction.
He recalls that, in his speech to the Security Council responding to the Committee's previous report, he already accepted responsibility for management failures in the Secretariat. He also notes that the latest report confirms the Committee's earlier finding that the respective roles and responsibilities of the Secretariat, the Security Council and the 661 Committee – which approved all of the contracts, including the prices – were never clearly enough defined.
Most importantly, the Secretary-General believes that thorough reform of the management structures and practices of the United Nations, especially those that relate to oversight, transparency and accountability, is vital. He has already instituted extensive reforms – including broader and more rigorous financial disclosure requirements, a stronger policy to protect whistleblowers, and a review of all oversight and audit arrangements. He intends to pursue these and other reforms with even greater vigour in the weeks and months ahead, and looks to member states for their support.
Finally, he wishes to thank the members of the Committee – Mr. Paul Volcker, Justice Richard Goldstone and Professor Mark Pieth – and their whole team for the extremely thorough investigation they have conducted. Such an investigation is exactly what the Secretary-General hoped for when he set up the Inquiry 18 months ago. He notes, as Mr. Volcker himself has done, that few other organizations would voluntarily expose themselves and their activities to such detailed scrutiny.
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http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=1760
note, the committee was headed by former US Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker...
judge for yourselves...