Panel Investigating Iraqi Oil Scandal Meets Resistance

The AP's Edith M Lederer:

The independent panel investigating alleged corruption in the multibillion-dollar U.N. oil-for-food program in Iraq released the names of 248 companies on Thursday that received Iraqi oil and 3,545 companies that exported goods to Saddam Hussein's government.

Former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, who was appointed in April by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to lead the inquiry, also said his probe had met some resistance in France and in Iraq.

… Annan on Thursday said the scandal has hurt the U.N.'s reputation. "And that's why we want to get to the bottom of it and clear it as quickly as possible," he said.

Yes, get the scandal behind us as soon as possible, so we can start moralizing again, and go back to bad-mouthing Uncle Sam from our pedestal in our usual high-falutin' way…

(Merci to Gregory Schreiber)