** Please visit our website: http://www.africanassociation.org **

Perhaps one good thing that may come out of Hurricane Katrina's devastation
is the realization that the 1st World is one natural disaster away from the
Third World and that we are all one humanity. It makes no difference if it
is locust in Niger or Sunami in Sri Lanka or hurricane in Louisiana, people
are all the same and no country is immune from or has a monopoly of natural
calamities.
The UN which Mr. Bolton has so much disdain for has offered the US aid. And
the US has accepted.
I hope Mr. Bolton has had his conversion experience.

Felix


>From: PETER W VAKUNTA <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: "AAM (African Association of Madison)"
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: UN head's son 'traded on his father's name'
>Date: Sun, 4 Sep 2005 14:13:40 -0500
>
>** Please visit our website: http://www.africanassociation.org **
>
>"The United States' new ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, has
>signalled his
>determination to scupper Annan's reforms by objecting to proposed UN
>commitments on aid to developing countries, combating global warming and
>nuclear disarmament."
>
>This quote reiterates Bolton's disdain for persons he views as lesser
>beings. He has a notorious record of disrespect for the UN. So the
>above stance does not come as a surprise to anybody who know this man.
>
>PETER VAKUNTA
>
>
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: f ossia <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: Saturday, September 3, 2005 9:00 pm
>Subject: UN head's son 'traded on his father's name'
>
> > ** Please visit our website: http://www.africanassociation.org **
> >
> > UN head's son 'traded on his father's name'
> > Report will clear the secretary-general of wrongdoing over the Iraq
> > oil-for-food plan
> >
> > Mark Townsend and Ned Temko
> > Sunday September 4, 2005
> >
> > Observer
> >
> > The son of Kofi Annan, the UN secretary-general, tried several
> > times to
> > trade on his father's reputation, a damaging report into the UN
> > oil-for-food
> > programme in Iraq will reveal this week.
> > However, sources who have seen the 1,000-page study said there
> > would be no
> > new 'smoking-gun' revelations or accusations of impropriety
> > against the UN
> > leader.
> >
> > Instead, it will show how Kojo Annan, 31, tried to take advantage
> > of his
> > family connections. One example concerns Kojo's attempt to get a
> > discount on
> > a car purchase in Ghana.
> >
> > However the long-awaited report by the independent commission set
> > up to
> > investigate the scandal-ridden oil-for-food programme will
> > criticise the UN
> > leader for a series of management failures.
> >
> > The inquiry, set up by Annan and headed by former US Federal Reserve
> > chairman Paul Volcker, will allege a culture of mismanagement,
> > lack of
> > oversight and incompetence throughout the body.
> >
> > The secretary-general and his Security Council committee, which
> > ultimatecontrolled the scheme, are among those under fire.
> >
> > Volcker investigated allegations concerning Kofi Annan and his
> > dealings with
> > a Swiss company, Cotecna, which paid his son as an adviser and won a
> > contract in the oil-for-food programme
> >
> > Although the report, to be published on Wednesday, clears the UN
> > chief of
> > improper behaviour over Cotecna, the broad criticism over the
> > handling of
> > the world's biggest humanitarian scheme will raise fresh questions
> > over his
> > future.
> >
> > To make matters worse, its publication will be on the eve of a
> > world summit
> > at the UN's headquarters in New York to mark its 60th anniversary.
> > Annantried to pre-empt the study's impact by unveiling reform
> > proposals of his
> > own as the scale of the oil-for-food scandal became clear. But
> > critics,particularly in Washington, claim they do not go far enough.
> >
> > The United States' new ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, has
> > signalled his
> > determination to scupper Annan's reforms by objecting to proposed UN
> > commitments on aid to developing countries, combating global
> > warming and
> > nuclear disarmament.
> >
> > Running to more than 1,000 pages and based on a study of more than 11
> > million documents and emails, Volcker's report is the result of a
> > year'sinvestigation by a three-man committee.
> >
> > A source familiar with the committee's findings told The Observer
> > that,while it would deliver the 'final word' on the political side
> > of the
> > oil-for-food failings, there would be further bad news for the UN next
> > month, in a separate report on the 4,500 private companies
> > 'involved either
> > in purchasing oil or supplying goods'.
> >
> > 'Adverse findings' notices had already gone out to 'up to 2,500
> > corporationsaround the world' that the committee suspects of
> > violating Iraq sanctions or
> > otherwise behaving improperly, the source said.
> >
> > Notices had also gone out to 'about a dozen individuals',
> > including Kofi
> > Annan, whom the committee intended to criticise. The secretary-
> > general was
> > told the report would include 'additional evidence and
> > conclusions' about
> > his role in the programme.
> >
> > A senior UN source confirmed that the report had rejected the most
> > seriousaccusation - that he attempted to influence business for
> > his son.
> > 'Essentially there is more evidence that Kojo traded on his
> > father's name.
> > This is ultimately a report about the fact that the management of
> > the UN is
> > unmodernised,' he said.
> >
> > After an interim report last March, the secretary-general claimed
> > he had
> > 'been exonerated' by Volcker, who was unable to prove that he knew
> > Cotecnahad bid for the contract before it was awarded. However, in
> > June Cotecna
> > released an emailed letter suggesting that its former executives
> > and Annan
> > did discuss the contract ahead of its being awarded. Even so,
> > Volcker will
> > clear Annan of improper dealings.
> >
> > Instead, top UN officials are braced for a 'detailed and
> > comprehensive'indictment of the entire programme. 'I'm sure there
> > are going to be some
> > nasty stories of venal, stupid behaviour - maybe not of corruption
> > in the
> > billions, but a lot of bad stuff,' one said.
> >
> > In a sign of a dramatic change in tone, the official said all the
> > UN's top
> > figures recognised that the oil-for-food scheme went badly wrong
> > 'from the
> > start'.
> >
> > The secretary-general's office, he said, knew that 'we did lots of
> > very bad
> > things'. But the scandal had uncovered a larger, systemic UN
> > problem which
> > Annan hoped would help bring consensus on proposals for reform.
> >
> > 'This was an organisation set up to do diplomacy, but, as oil-for-food
> > epitomised, got into managing and spending millions and millions
> > of dollars
> > without being equipped to do so properly,' the source close to
> > Annan said.
> >
> > The programme - set up in 1995 to provide humanitarian supplies to
> > Iraqduring sanction - was subverted by Saddam Hussein who took
> > bribes from firms
> > involved.
> >
> > _________________________________________________________________
> > On the road to retirement? Check out MSN Life Events for advice on
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> >
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