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I've just learned a bit more about the Olympic plans mentioned in the article below (thanks, Peter, for noticing that). These plans will be paid for out of 'oil for food' revenues: "On 3 January 2002, the Secretary-General advised the President of the Security Council of his approval of the distribution plan for phase XI, submitted by the Government of Iraq on 23 December 2001" (http://www.un.org/Depts/oip/dp11/index.html). One of the sections of this distribution plan is entitled Special Allocation Requirements. The contents of its fifth component, "Board of Youth and Sports", are listed at http://www.un.org/Depts/oip/dp11/13-05.pdf. The last item is, "Project of construction of olympic sports city". To make the absurdity complete, the previous entry is "Sewing Machines" (admittedly, 200 of them). It's felt that Uday Hussein, Saddam's eldest son, is behind this project; he chairs Iraq's Olympic Committee. I cannot understand how the Iraqi government thinks that it can do things like this, especially at a time when the US appears increasingly interested in finding anything that can be used as a rationale for toppling the Iraqi government. Another disgusting story (reproduced below; thank you, again, Peter) is that of the Iraqi government's continued pursuit of the less than ten million dollars owed it by Uganda, one of the world's poorest countries. This, no doubt, will greatly strengthen Iraq's case when it comes to re-negotiating the tens of billions of dollars in debt that Iraq possesses. Colin Rowat work | Room 406, Department of Economics | The University of Birmingham | Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK | web.bham.ac.uk/c.rowat | (+44/0) 121 414 3754 | (+44/0) 121 414 7377 (fax) | c.rowat@bham.ac.uk personal | (+44/0) 7768 056 984 (mobile) | (+44/0) 7092 378 517 (fax) | (707) 221 3672 (US fax) | colinrowat@yahoo.com http://hoovnews.hoovers.com/fp.asp?layout=displaynews&doc_id=NR20020217670.4 _05380001873442d6 * SADDAM'S OLYMPICS Hoover's (Financial Times), 17th February Source: The Sunday Mirror, February 17, 2002 SADDAM Hussein is building a 100,000-seater super stadium complex in a bid to host the 2012 Olympics in Baghdad. News of the scheme comes as the US is believed to be planning to topple the Iraqi dictator. Saddam wants the stadium to meet standards set by the IAAF athletics federation and football's governing body FIFA. Saddam, who has insisted that a screened-off VIP area must be built to seat his entourage, also wants the stadium to "reflect Iraqi architecture in stages of history". The contract will attract bids from construction companies all over the world, although British firms may be deterred by the fact that Iraq is still subject to sanctions. But some UK firms may still bid. The British Contractors and Consultants Bureau said: "We have had a couple of tentative inquiries." http://allafrica.com/stories/200202060168.html * GOVERNMENT SAYS IT OWES IRAQ ONLY US $5.8M by Jude Etyang New Vision (Kampala), 6th February THE Government has admitted owing the Iraqi government US$5.8m and not US$10m as claimed in the commercial court suit filed by the latter. The Attorney General (AG) represented by The Commissioner of Civil Litigation, Cheborion Barishaki, admitted facts in the suit yesterday, before Justice Okumu Wengi. The Iraqi government represented by Charles Odere sued the Uganda Government seeking the repayment of a $10m loan that it said was inherited from the 1970's Idi Amin regime. Iraq filed the suit last year after Uganda wrote a letter demanding for the debt to be cancelled under the World bank Highly Indebted Poor Countries Initiative. Barishaki reiterated the Government's stand that only US$4,566,110 was received. He said of the amount received, US$1,960,278 had been paid back to Iraq and therefore the principal outstanding amount plus interest as by June 30, 2000 is US$5,847,507. The Iraqi government claims that on May 9, 1979 the two governments signed an agreement under which Uganda benefited from a US$10m loan aimed at financing industrial projects. It is also alleged that another loan agreement for US$4.8m was executed between the two governments on June 3, 1981, and it's payment was scheduled to commence on January 15, 1982. However, the AG in defence said the outstanding amount Uganda owes Iraq is $5.8m not $10m. He said although the agreements were executed, the disbursements were not effected as scheduled. The AG said no disbursement was ever made on the second loan "and therefore no liability from it is admitted." Saddam Hussein is the president of Iraq. _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk