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BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Documents from Saddam Hussein's oil ministry reveal he used oil to bribe top French officials into opposing the imminent U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
The oil ministry papers, described by the independent Baghdad newspaper al-Mada, are apparently authentic and will become the basis of an official investigation by the new Iraqi Governing Council, the Independent reported Wednesday.
"I think the list is true," Naseer Chaderji, a governing council member, said. "I will demand an investigation. These people must be prosecuted."
Such evidence would undermine the French position before the war when President Jacques Chirac sought to couch his opposition to the invasion on a moral high ground.
A senior Bush administration official said Washington was aware of the reports but refused further comment.
French diplomats have dismissed any suggestion their foreign policy was influenced by payments from Saddam, but some European diplomats have long suspected France's steadfast opposition to the war was less moral than monetary.
"Oil runs thicker than blood," is how one former ambassador put his suspicions about the French motives for opposing action against Saddam.
Al-Mada's list cites a total of 46 individuals, companies and organizations inside and outside Iraq as receiving Saddam's oil bribes, including officials in Egypt, Jordan, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Sudan, China, Austria and France, as well as the Russian Orthodox Church, the Russian Communist Party, India's Congress Party and the Palestine Liberation Organization.
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"Don't try to threaten me Mulder! I've watched presidents die."
"If people would know the things I know, we'd all fall apart."
"Once again, tonight, the course of human history will be set by two unknown men standing in the shadows."
The authenticity of the papers hasn't been proven but is anyone really suprised by this? There was alot of talk about the very real possibility of finding evidence of something like this involving France, Germany and Russia.
I suspect it won't be incredibly difficult to hunt down any paper trails that may exist in the selling of the oil especially by unusual parties such as the Russian Orthodox Church.
I suspect that if this turns out to be authentic we will press France, Germany and Russia into sending troops to Iraq as peacekeepers rather then suffer the humiliation of our administration parading this information around the media.
Originally posted by SirStefan32 Didn't Arafat receive the Nobel Peace Price? That much about credibility.
I wonder what's Bush gonna do if France gets attacked. If I were W, I'd NOT get involved.
We will do what we always have done, go in bail them out, help them rebuild, and forgive the loans that we give them. We do this because we are morally superior to the entire world.
Originally posted by NickelBack Who threatened France with attack?
At this point France's military is so incredibly ill funded, under equiped and unprepared that Luxembourg could probably defeat France faster then we whipped Iraq.
There was a time awhile back where France could only have scrambled 4, yes 4, fighters to defend its own air space. This is why when the EU folks talk about creating a "world class" military I chuckle.
Pre-war I posted something similar to this - the ties between Saddam and Chirac are deep and long standing. I didn't trust Chirac's public reasonings for opposing the war any more than I trust W/Cheney/Rove's reasons for going to war - both basically self-serving wanting control of Iraqi oil.
I mean lets go against the war of a country who saved our butts twice so we can get oil.
Well shouldn't he have known we would kick their butts. I mean if Saddam would have offered them to me I'd laugh my butt off. I would say, instead of opposing the war, I'll buy them off you, I got some monopoly money here, which you KNOW will be worth more money to you after the war.
Didn't chirac see Gulf War I?
Either that or he thought HIS almighty word would prevent us from going there. Either way he's innept if its proven he opposed the war solely or even 75% because of the oil vouchers.
Chirac the croc. Chirac the croc.
Opposes his friends even when they give him back his block.
He loves to talk,
but his military can't walk the walk.
He told saddam his prescense stopping the war was a lock.
I'm sure his face when this news came out brimmed with shock.
Write down another french foreign policy blunder with chalk.
If France needs help again soon we should balk.
And tell france to go suck our co(you know)! (at least let 'em sweat a while)
Originally posted by Chris_Sanders You can sigh if you like but I would say he is pretty dead on.
You obviously missed the point of the sigh. It was probably due to the fact that the anti-bush Jon can't go a single thread response without attempting to fling verbal feces at Bush.
Originally posted by CardinalMike You obviously missed the point of the sigh. It was probably due to the fact that the anti-bush Jon can't go a single thread response without attempting to fling verbal feces at Bush.
Cardinal Mike!!
Nor can you or Stefan go a thread without leaping to his defense.
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