Posted Jan 5, 2008 by 
mlh in Politics | 4 comments | 287 views
Barham Saleh, the Deputy PM of Iraq has claimed that the corruption within the Iraqi government stems from the United Nations food-for-oil scandal/scheme and from international community, yesterday. He was speaking at the anti-corruption forum in Baghdad.“A large responsibility for the outbreak of corruption in Iraq lies on the international community,” said Saleh. “The scandals of food-for-oil and the wasting of public riches by the UN... is evidence of the serious damage that has deepened the problem in the country.”
From 1996 to 2003, the UN oil-for-food scheme decimated his country while Saddam diverted nearly $1.8 billion away from the people of Iraq and demanded kick-backs from the perpetrators of the oil-for-food scheme.
“The Iraqi people want a clear statement on how this money was administered in the past, to take back the stolen money, and to chase and call into account those who played with the public’s money,” said Saleh.The newly founded anti-corruption forum met for the first time and are demanding answers from the UN which allowed the corruption to run rampant in Iraq during their tenure during years prior to 2003. It seems that the anti-corruption forum is refusing foreign mandates on them.
“It is necessary to coordinate with the international society.” Saleh said, “But we refuse any foreign mandate on Iraqi resolutions.”As Iraq strains at returning to some semblance of normalcy, their leaders are taking business seriously and will work towards ending decades of corruption and wholesale deception.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki declared in his New Year message that 2008 would be a year of economic development and fighting corruption.Vote it up at Digital Journal.
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