The Hindu : International : U.S. failed to monitor Iraq oil misuse: Democrats

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 18, 2005

International

International

U.S. failed to monitor Iraq oil misuse: Democrats

Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON: The U.S. Democrats have faulted the U.S. Treasury Department for failing to monitor American companies which flouted the United Nations sanctions on Iraq. A Houston-based oil firm avoided scrutiny as it paid the Saddam Hussein government some $37 millions in kickbacks, say the Democrats who are investigating abuses in the oil-for-food programme.

The Texas firm, Bayoil, which has been indicted by a federal grand jury had only received "minimal attention" from the Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control. The company is said to have imported more than 200 million barrels of crude between 2000 and 2002, says a report released by Carl Levin, senior Democrat on the Senate Sub-Committee on Investigations.

"...we've got to look in the mirror at ourselves as well as point fingers at others," he said adding that the Bush administration had not only failed to stop the smuggling of oil from Iraq but also appeared to have facilitated the same.

There had been allegations that the State Department and the Navy may have helped Jordan to smuggle some $53 millions of oil from Iraq in super-tankers prior to the start of the war.

The Democrats say the State Department and the Pentagon have denied requests for information and failed to provide adequate answers. Efforts are under way to formally subpoena those officials who may have been directly involved.

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