Guess my previous post suggesting Annan might be quitting was a bit premature. The report comes out and 'clears' him of wrong doing in the Oil For Food program
From Reuters:
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A key report concluded on Tuesday that Secretary-General Kofi Annan did not influence contract decisions for a firm that employed his son but it faulted the U.N. chief for conducting a superficial probe of the controversy.
"Hell no!" Annan told a news conference when asked if he would resign, as some lawmakers in the United States, had demanded.
"After so many distressing and untrue allegations have been made against me, this exoneration by the independent inquiry obviously comes as a great relief," Annan said.
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Kojo Annan, 31, and living in Nigeria, issued a statement through his lawyers, saying "I have always maintained that neither myself nor my father exercised any undue influence in the awarding of the U.N. oil-for-food contract to Cotecna."
The younger Annan was a trainee with Cotecna from late 1995 until the end of 1998, about the time the firm received the U.N. contract for inspecting goods in Iraq.
He did not immediately reveal that he continued to earn $2,500 a month from 1999 until February 2004 in return for not joining Cotecna competitors in West Africa. The report also raises questions about Kojo Annan's one-time plans to do business in Iraq with Franco-Lebanese Pierre Mouselli, who at one time lived in Nigeria..
prying1 sez -
So much for improvements in the staffing of the UN. Wonder if they could move the U.N. building down and all its inhabitants down to Cuba. It is taking up valuable property that could be put to better uses.
Like a landfill.
Update: Question is asked by Rush Limbaugh as to why Billions are stolen through this program and everyone wants to focus on $400,000? Good Question!
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