----- Original Message ----- From: Francisco Javier Bernal <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, December 17, 2000 1:55 PM Subject: The Biggest Robbery Of The Century [STOPNATO.ORG.UK] STOP NATO: NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK > http://www.dailystarnews.com/200012/09/n0120902.htm#BODY4 > > The Biggest Robbery Of The Century > > by Rafiq A Tschannen > Daily Star (Bangladesh), 9th December > > DURING the gulf war 1991 the USA has destroyed the water distribution > system of Iraq and thereby violated the Geneva war convention. Only > recently an American High School teacher submitted a study which > proved that the wilful destruction of a whole country was carried > out with a strategic calculation. Nearly ten years later the whole > population of Iraq continues to pay the price of the stubbornness of > the USA and Iraq's leader Saddam Hussain. There is no end in sight > in this situation. On the contrary during the US election campaign > both candidates were eager to outdo each other in their anti-Iraq > feelings. And quietly the robbing of Iraq continues as the work of > the UNCC United Nations Compensation Commission shows, an obscure > entity, which sucks off one third of all Iraqi export earnings. > > The UNCC has existed for the last ten years and remains nearly > unknown to the public. But actually this discretely operating > institution is one the most important instruments in the destruction > strategy against Iraq. The economic sanctions against Iraq are > being covered by the media. We see on TV malnourished children and > hospitals where the most basic items are missing. We see a whole > country and a whole culture being permitted to deteriorate > further and further. But hardly any journalist seems to be interested > in the work of the UN Compensation Commission and in their doubtful > legality and their dubious practices. And this in spite of the fact > that since December 1996, 11 billion dollars, approximately one third > of the export earnings of Iraq, have flown into the coffers of this > commission. > > In April 1991, shortly after the defeat of Iraq, the UN security > council decided that according to international law Iraq will be > liable for all losses, damages.... which other states, individuals, > or foreign corporations have had as an immediate result of the > Iraqi invasion and occupation of Kuwait. For the determination of > such damages the UN compensation commission was created. The board > of this commission is made up of representatives of the 15 members > of the UN security council. The executive council, which has been > dominated by its US members right from the start, is supposed > to inform the commission, although disinform would be the more > appropriate term. > > The method chosen by the Security Council is without parallel in > history at least not since the Versailles Agreement at the end of > World War I, which laid the foundation for the Second World War. > In article 231 of the Versailles agreement Germany was made to pay. > Hitler took advantage of this agreement that went too far. It was > easy for him to point out that "enough is enough". The United States > had not ratified the Versailles agreement, but today is carrying on > in the same way "Iraq will pay!" How will this time? > > Iraq is not even recognized as a defendant party". Every petty > criminal has the right of defence but the country of Iraq has no > say in how and how much the country is bled. Every year 50 million > dollars are being deducted from the Iraqi export earnings to > finance the activities of the commission. Excellent salaries of the > commission members and their travelling arrangements in business > class are financed. For the first time in the history of countries > since the Second World War a state has absolutely nothing to say > about a juristic case that directly relates to it. > > Iraq has no right to vote at the UN because it did not pay its dues. > At the same time the USA is in arrears for over one billion dollars. > Just another small example of the double standards prevailing today. > One law for the super power and another law for the rest of the world. > > No doubt Iraq does have a duty to provide compensation. But how can a > law case be fought and presented without giving the other side a right > to present their own case? For instance: The state of Kuwait had > presented a claim for 21.6 billion dollars in 1994. Baghdad was given > a summary of the claim five years later in 1999. The Iraqi Government > was given a dateline of 19th September 2000. Iraq requested permission > to use some fund out of the commission's funds actually Iraq's own > export earnings! to pay for a legal office to scrutinize all the > documents. The commission refused. After a long discussion finally > Iraq was given one hour on 14th December 1999 to present its point > of view. One hour to treat a 20 billion dollar claim! In spite of > Russian and French reservations the compensation was fixed at 15.9 > billion dollars. > > The UN Secretary General had recommended in 1991 that Iraq "be informed > about all claims and to be given the right to present to the commission > their point of view." The commission did not follow the Secretary > General's directive (or probably thought they could claim to follow > him by giving that one hour to Iraq to discuss a multi billion dollar > claim...). > > The UNCC justifies these practices through the necessity to process > hundreds of thousands of claims. In fact 2.6 million claims relate to > individuals. These amount to 20 billion dollars, a small part of the > total claims of approximately 320 billion dollars. The amount of 15 > billion dollars approved for the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation amounts > to about the total compensation approved for the 2.6 million individual > persons. And it is double of what the Iraq central government was given > from December 1996 to July 2000 for food and medicines of 15 million > Iraqis. > > In the C-category, individual compensation, the US citizen Michael F. > Raboin is the key figure. He brought along another American Norbert > Wuhler. This team is of course highly biased. Staff members were > shocked to continuously hear such instructions as the criteria should > be interpreted in such a way that maximum approvals can be given, and > doctoring the samples. It was made easy by the fact that most persons > could not provide proof of their claims and as such mere statements > of claimants were considered sufficient. > > Even more scandalous was the direct intervention of the US government > to the executives of the commission to reinterpret the parameters in > which the commission works. The practices of Washington remind one > of the work of the UN special commission for the destruction of arms > which were infiltrated by the CIA and totally manipulated by them > (UNSCOM). > > The largest claims are still under consideration. As at 16th June > 2000 a total amount of 267 billion dollars in claims was still > outstanding. A large number of them are totally absurd and might > well be rejected. Friends of the USA, such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia > and Israel, are receiving preferential treatment. A good example > how the commission works may be given in these instances: Many > Israeli shops and businesses were compensated for lack of business > during the war as for instance they were able to sell less flowers > or less cinema tickets due to the political tensions of the Gulf war. > Who would have got the idea that Great Britain could have claimed > from Germany compensation for cinema tickets not sold during the > Battle of Britain from 1939 to 1945? > > The total value of claims amounts to 320 billion dollars. Out of this > amount 180 billion are claimed by Kuwait, that is 9-fold of the gross > national product of Kuwait for 1989. Considering that for these claims > one third of the export earnings of Iraq is being confiscated it would > mean that Iraq might have paid off these claims by the year 2060. What > will be left of the hospitals and schools by then? > > Is it justified to make a country pay without regard to its ability? > In article 14 of the peace agreement between Japan and the United > States dated 1951 it is stated: Japan must pay reparations to the > allied powers for all damages occurred during the war. We however note > that the resources of Japan and the economy will not be sufficient to > pay for all such claims... and at the same time meet all their other > obligations. It may be reminded that at that time the Japanese Emperor > was also considered a war criminal just like now Saddam Hussain. UN > resolution 687 does specially state that the requirements of the Iraqi > people and the possibility to pay should be considered. > > Many jurists deny that the UN Security Council has the right to fix > the amount of a compensation. In several cases the Israeli attack on > the airport-of-Beirut in 1968, the Portuguese attack on Guinea in > 1970, the South African excursion into Angola in 1976 did the Security > Council state that compensation should be made. However for instance > in the case of Angola the British Ambassador stated that. The Security > Council is not a court, and therefore not the right place to decide > about compensation claims. > > Shortly after the UNCC meeting of 28th September 2000 the Security > Council decided to slightly amend the more scandalous points of the > rules. As from December of this year the quota of the export earnings > that will be confiscated by the commission will reduce from 30 to 25 > pre cent. Furthermore, the commission should consider the interest > of Iraq a bit more. As a compensation to this improvement France and > Russia agreed to the claim of 15.9 billion dollars, which is mostly > going into the coffers of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation. A deal > which proves once more that it is the United States that plays the > tune in the commission. > > The above mentioned actions of a UN commission bear ill for all other > UN activities. How can we believe that other UN agencies have the > welfare of the people as a whole at heart when the same UN permits > itself to be manipulated in this way? ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
