Saddam used U.N. program to curry favor, Coleman says

Aaron Blake
November 1, 2005
Star Tribune
Original Source: http://www.startribune.com/stories/722/5700552.html
WASHINGTON - Sen. Norm Coleman said Monday that Saddam Hussein used the United Nations oil-for-food program to influence the foreign policies of U.N. members by rewarding them for speaking in favor of his regime.
Member states received billions of dollars in financial incentives to turn a blind eye to kickbacks and corruption, said Coleman, R-Minn.
One of the questions that must be asked is -- did Saddam believe that the U.N. Security Council would not act against him because of the millions of dollars he had spread around to those connected member states?
Coleman's comments came during his Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations' fourth hearing on alleged corruption and mismanagement in the program.
A week ago, Coleman's subcommittee released its report on illegal oil-for-food payments made to individuals. Also last week, a report issued by the Independent Inquiry Committee said more than 2,000 companies, including American ones, were involved in illicit payments related to the program.
Coleman asked Paul Volcker, who chaired the independent inquiry, whether Saddam curried favor through his ability to choose oil buyers. Volcker's report said Iraqi leaders gave preferential treatment to China, France and Russia because those countries were perceived to be more favorable toward lifting the sanctions. Volcker was less willing to say a country like Russia, which according to his report received almost one-third of oil sales under the program, took a favorable position toward Iraq because of the sales.
Aaron Blake is a correspondent in the Star Tribune Washington Bureau.