Saddam Paid Off French Leaders

"Saddam paid off French leaders"

By Bill Gertz
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

"Saddam Hussein used a U.N. humanitarian program to pay $1.78 billion to
French government officials, businessmen and journalists in a bid to
have sanctions removed and U.S. policies opposed, according to a CIA
report made public yesterday.

The cash was part of $10.9 billion secretly skimmed from the U.N.
oil-for-food program, which was used by Iraq to buy military goods,
according to a 1,000-page report by the CIA-led Iraqi Survey Group.
******

According to a section of the report on Iraqi weapons procurement, the
survey group identified long-standing ties between Saddam and the French
government. One 1992 Iraqi intelligence service report revealed that
Iraq's ambassador to France paid $1 million to the French Socialist
Party in 1988.

The CIA report stated that the Iraqi ambassador was instructed to
"utilize [the $1 million] to remind French Defense Minister Pierre Joxe
indirectly about Iraq's previous positions toward France, in general,
and the French Socialist party, in particular."

In the late 1990s, Iraq also used an oil-purchasing voucher system
through the U.N. oil-for-food program, which began in 1996 and ended in
2003, to influence the French to oppose U.S. initiatives at the United
Nations and to work to lift sanctions, the report stated.

The Iraqi Intelligence Service paid off French nationals by dispensing
vouchers that allowed the holders to make hundreds of thousands of
dollars in commissions by selling them to oil buyers.

The payoffs help explain why the French government, along with Russia
and China, opposed U.S. efforts in the United Nations in the months
leading up to the March 2003 invasion, U.S. officials said.

Iraqi intelligence agents also targeted French President Jacques
Chirac, by giving gifts to a spokesman, two of his aides and two French
businessmen, the report said.

One Iraqi intelligence report stated that a French politician assured
Saddam in a letter that France would use its veto in the U.N. Security
Council against any U.S. effort to attack Iraq.

Iraqi intelligence documents recovered in Iraq showed that the French
citizens linked to the influence operation were "ministers and
politicians, journalists and business people."

"These influential individuals often had little prior connection to the
oil industry and generally engaged European oil companies to lift the
oil, but were still in a position to extract a substantial profit for
themselves," the report said.

Former Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz told the Survey Group
that he personally awarded several Frenchmen "substantial" oil
allotments.

"According to Aziz, both parties understood that resale of the oil was
to be reciprocated through efforts to lift U.N. sanctions or through
opposition to American initiatives within the Security Council," the
report said.

The report named former French Interior Minister Charles Pascua as
getting a voucher for 11 million barrels of oil, and Patrick Maugein,
who received a voucher for 13 million barrels of oil. The report said
Mr. Maugein, the chief executive officer of the SOCO oil company, was a
"conduit" to Mr. Chirac. ******

Michel Grimard, the founder of the French-Iraqi Export Club, received a
voucher for 5.5 million barrels, and the Iraqi-French Friendship Society
received vouchers for more than 10 million barrels.

French oil companies Total and SOCAP were granted vouchers for 105
million and 93 million barrels of oil, respectively...."
----------------------------

Just as we said from the beginning in late 2002 and early 2003 -- when
France was opposing the United States in the U.N. Security Council and
deceiving Secretary of State Colin Powell. Jacques Chirac himself, in
concert with his Foreign Minister, did that.

Perfidious France.

"The final happiness of man consists in the contemplation of truth....
This is sought for its own sake, and is directed to no other end beyond
itself." Saint Thomas Aquinas, [1224/5-1274] "Summa Contra Gentiles"
[c.1258-1264]

"Populus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur. Odi profanum vulgus et arceo."

Quintus Aurelius Stultus [33 B.C. - 42 A.D.]

Prosecutio stultitiae est gravis vexatio, executio stultitiae coronat
opus.

'Nuff Said.

D. Spencer Hines

Lux et Veritas et Libertas

Vires et Honor

Combien gagne Bush avec la guerre en irak ? Soyez franc, tous le monde sais
que bush et son equipe gouvernemental ont des interet dans le petrole et
l'armement.
Tous le monde connais ses apointance aussi avec les grandes familles
d'arabie sahoudite.
Tiens ! comme oussama ben laden. Etonnant non ?
Oussama ben laden n'est rien sans Bush, et Bush n'est qu'un pantin debile
sans oussama.

"D. Spencer Hines" <poguemidden.TakeThisOut@hotmail.com> a ecrit dans le message news:
uFg9d.340$C4.10261@eagle.america.net...
> "Saddam paid off French leaders"
>
> By Bill Gertz
> THE WASHINGTON TIMES
>
> "Saddam Hussein used a U.N. humanitarian program to pay $1.78 billion to
> French government officials, businessmen and journalists in a bid to
> have sanctions removed and U.S. policies opposed, according to a CIA
> report made public yesterday.
>
> The cash was part of $10.9 billion secretly skimmed from the U.N.
> oil-for-food program, which was used by Iraq to buy military goods,
> according to a 1,000-page report by the CIA-led Iraqi Survey Group.
> ******
>
> According to a section of the report on Iraqi weapons procurement, the
> survey group identified long-standing ties between Saddam and the French
> government. One 1992 Iraqi intelligence service report revealed that
> Iraq's ambassador to France paid $1 million to the French Socialist
> Party in 1988.
>
> The CIA report stated that the Iraqi ambassador was instructed to
> "utilize [the $1 million] to remind French Defense Minister Pierre Joxe
> indirectly about Iraq's previous positions toward France, in general,
> and the French Socialist party, in particular."
>
> In the late 1990s, Iraq also used an oil-purchasing voucher system
> through the U.N. oil-for-food program, which began in 1996 and ended in
> 2003, to influence the French to oppose U.S. initiatives at the United
> Nations and to work to lift sanctions, the report stated.
>
> The Iraqi Intelligence Service paid off French nationals by dispensing
> vouchers that allowed the holders to make hundreds of thousands of
> dollars in commissions by selling them to oil buyers.
>
> The payoffs help explain why the French government, along with Russia
> and China, opposed U.S. efforts in the United Nations in the months
> leading up to the March 2003 invasion, U.S. officials said.
>
> Iraqi intelligence agents also targeted French President Jacques
> Chirac, by giving gifts to a spokesman, two of his aides and two French
> businessmen, the report said.
>
> One Iraqi intelligence report stated that a French politician assured
> Saddam in a letter that France would use its veto in the U.N. Security
> Council against any U.S. effort to attack Iraq.
>
> Iraqi intelligence documents recovered in Iraq showed that the French
> citizens linked to the influence operation were "ministers and
> politicians, journalists and business people."
>
> "These influential individuals often had little prior connection to the
> oil industry and generally engaged European oil companies to lift the
> oil, but were still in a position to extract a substantial profit for
> themselves," the report said.
>
> Former Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz told the Survey Group
> that he personally awarded several Frenchmen "substantial" oil
> allotments.
>
> "According to Aziz, both parties understood that resale of the oil was
> to be reciprocated through efforts to lift U.N. sanctions or through
> opposition to American initiatives within the Security Council," the
> report said.
>
> The report named former French Interior Minister Charles Pascua as
> getting a voucher for 11 million barrels of oil, and Patrick Maugein,
> who received a voucher for 13 million barrels of oil. The report said
> Mr. Maugein, the chief executive officer of the SOCO oil company, was a
> "conduit" to Mr. Chirac. ******
>
> Michel Grimard, the founder of the French-Iraqi Export Club, received a
> voucher for 5.5 million barrels, and the Iraqi-French Friendship Society
> received vouchers for more than 10 million barrels.
>
> French oil companies Total and SOCAP were granted vouchers for 105
> million and 93 million barrels of oil, respectively...."
> ----------------------------
>
> Just as we said from the beginning in late 2002 and early 2003 -- when
> France was opposing the United States in the U.N. Security Council and
> deceiving Secretary of State Colin Powell. Jacques Chirac himself, in
> concert with his Foreign Minister, did that.
>
> Perfidious France.
>
> "The final happiness of man consists in the contemplation of truth....
> This is sought for its own sake, and is directed to no other end beyond
> itself." Saint Thomas Aquinas, [1224/5-1274] "Summa Contra Gentiles"
> [c.1258-1264]
>
> "Populus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur. Odi profanum vulgus et arceo."
>
> Quintus Aurelius Stultus [33 B.C. - 42 A.D.]
>
> Prosecutio stultitiae est gravis vexatio, executio stultitiae coronat
> opus.
>
> 'Nuff Said.
>
> D. Spencer Hines
>
> Lux et Veritas et Libertas
>
> Vires et Honor
>