Claudia Rosett, who was reporting on Oil-For-Food when virtually no one else in the mainstream press was doing so, has a new piece up at TNR. Kofi Annan must ultimately bear responsibility for this ripoff of Iraqi billions, says Rosett:
Over the past year, as each fresh Oil-for-Food revelation has hit the headlines, Annan has professed himself "surprised," "disappointed," and, most recently, "shocked." Along the way, his Secretariat has sent out hush letters to contractors, such as the inspectors hired by the Secretariat to monitor aspects of Oil-for-Food. Meanwhile, his senior p.r. staffers have produced a barrage of statements, articles, and letters to the editor explaining that the prime culprit was Saddam Hussein (fair enough, except the point was for the United Nations to oversee him); arguing that, within the U.N. sphere, the Security Council, not the Secretariat, was mainly to blame (but it was Annan whose Secretariat hired the inspectors and had the big budget to keep tabs); and that the Secretariat just followed orders and had no real say in the program (but Annan actively pushed to expand it, handpicked the now-disgraced Sevan to run it, and signed off personally on every six-month phase of the program, recommending to the Security Council that it be continued).
Best when served whole.
Posted by dan at February 19, 2005 11:52 PM