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Cover Story

Oil-for-food: The Russian Connection

by Judi McLeod
Tuesday, March 8, 2005

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi annan and Yevgeny Primakov, working hand in hand on UN reform, are close friends.

When annan visited Moscow last april, he met first with Primakov and second with Russian President Vladimir Putin. annan arrived in Moscow on Sunday, april 4, 2004 for what was described by Russian media as an early "working dinner" with Primakov, former President of the Russian Federation.

Handpicked by annan to "reform" the United Nations, Primakov has not surfaced in the probe into the ongoing oil-for-food scandal. Yet, information indicates that he could be the disgraced program's top Russian connection.

Primakov was appointed as one of a 16-person panel of political has-beens and diplomats from across the globe. The enormity of the scope of the mission handed to this panel of wise men can be understood in a closer examination of their actual mandate. The panel was asked to assess the global threat facing mankind, to consider how collective action might address them and to get back to annan advising how the UN should be reformed to make it all possible.

On his appointment, Primakov lost no time in teaming up with panel member Brent Scowcroft, former U.S. National Security adviser. This duo decided on an expansion of the Security Council to include six new permanent members: Japan, Germany, India, Brazil and two african states.

It was the Primakov-Scowcroft reform duo that recommended that the UN would recognize that weapons of mass destruction in the hands of terrorists may justify–but only as a last resort–pre-emptive strikes and preventative wars.

The ultimate precautionary principle, United Nations style.

There was not even the feeblest bleep from the mainline media when annan handpicked Primakov for the job.

If only by association, annan has a direct link to the mismanaged, multibillion-dollar Iraq 0il-for-food program: his son Kojo and the Switzerland-based firm, Cotecna, "which from 1999 onward worked on contract for the UN monitoring the shipments of oil and food supplies into Iraq." (Claudia Rosett, March 2004).

If only by association, Primakov has direct links to oil-for-food through his sister.

"at the same time as U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine albright was negotiating with Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny (sic) Primakov concerning a Russian-brokered deal to end a stand-off between Iraq and the UN weapons inspectors in October-November 1997, the United States turned a blind eye to the establishment of a Russian oil company set up in Cyprus." (Scott Ritter, Independent, Dec. 12, 2004).

"This oil company, run by Primakov's sister, bought oil from Iraq under oil-for-food, at a heavy discount, and then sold it at full market value to primarily U.S. companies, splitting the difference evenly with Primakov and the Iraqis. This U.S.-sponsored deal resulted in profits of hundreds of millions of dollars for both the Russians and Iraqis, outside the control of oil-for-food."

When annan brought Primakov to the UN reform table, he was bringing in a friend of Saddam Hussein.

The political relationship of Primakov and Hussein has been well documented.

"The most recent example of the enduring nature of the Primakov and Saddam relationship is Russia's secret $160 million deal to reinforce Iraq's air defences and upgrade squadrons of Mig fighters," Dr. andrew Campbell wrote in the National Observer in the winter of 1999. "Primakov approved this transaction in meetings with the Iraqi Deputy Premier, Tariq aziz, in December 1998. The agreements were signed in Moscow on 13 January, 1998.

"as a senior British Foreign Official commented to the media: `It is almost beyond belief that a permanent member of the Security Council could authorize such a flagrant breach of the United Nations arms embargo. It indicates that Russian relations with Iraq have become a great deal closer since Mr. Primakov became prime minister.'"

"a bodyguard of truth would publicly and truthfully identify Dr. Yevgenni Primakov and Saddam Hussein as the world's most dangerous political relationship."

One thing is certain. That "bodyguard of truth" will never come from Kofi annan's United Nations.


Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com


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