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IRAQ AFTER SADDAM: Confusion over who controls Iraq oil ministry By Charles Clover in Baghdad Financial Times; Apr 21, 2003 http://tinyurl.com/9z9m Ringed by US tanks and guarded by US soldiers with a very exclusive admission list, Iraq's oil ministry, in charge of the world's second largest petroleum reserves, yesterday appeared secluded from the disorder that reigns in the rest of Baghdad. One question nevertheless provoked a great deal of confusion: who is in charge? The former minister is barred from entering, as are his deputies. A man in a green suit, standing outside the barbed wire, introduced himself as Fellah al-Khawaja and said he represented the Co-ordinating Committee for the Oil Ministry, which few of the employees had heard of. It draws its authority from a self-declared local government led by Mohamed Mohsen al-Zubaidi, a recently returned exile who says he is now the effective mayor of Baghdad. According to Faris Nouri, a ministry section chief, the committee has issued a list of who should be allowed into the ministry by US troops guarding the building. Yesterday it was announced that Mr Zubaidi's deputy, former general Jawdat al-Obeidi, would lead Iraq's delegation to the next meeting of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries. But when asked who was giving the orders at the ministry, most employees pointed to a portly man standing in the lobby, who looked to be in his 50s but declined to give his name. "I was a DG [director-general] in the old administration, and no one has told me I'm not a DG anymore," he said. Employees have been reappearing since Thursday at the ministry, which largely escaped the destruction suffered by most other public buildings in Baghdad, and is one of the few to be guarded by US soldiers. The director-general said he was confused by the lack of any formal notices, and had a only a vague idea of the committee, backed by the Iraqi National Congress, the formerly exiled opposition group. "I don't honestly know who they are, who chose them, how they are being motivated," he said. "I know I am in contact with no one and no one is in contact with me." However, he lamented the whole US approach to dealing with postwar Iraq. "We have a lot of experience with coup d'états and this one is the worst," he said. "Any colonel in the Iraqi army will tell you that when he does a coup d'état, he goes to the broadcasting station with five announcements." "The first one is long live this, down with that. The second one is your new government is this and that. The third is the list of the people to go on retirement. The fourth one, every other official is to report back to work tomorrow morning. The fifth is the curfew." This is usually done within one hour, he added. "Now we are waiting more than a week and still we hear nothing from them." ------------------------------------------------ Financial Times, April 20 http://tinyurl.com/9zam Iraq may look to S Africa on road back to recovery "The conflict in Iraq is barely over, and meetings have begun in the US to set up a South Africa-style Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to reshape the country's institutions and help Iraqis recover from the brutality of Saddam Hussein's 35-year rule. . .." ----- Original Message ----- From: "H Sutter" <citext@chebucto.ns.ca> To: <casi-discuss@lists.casi.org.uk> Sent: Monday, April 21, 2003 9:31 AM Subject: [casi] Questions about US-confiscated Iraqi assets > > Dear List, > > I read an article over the weekend which said > that the US has confiscated Iraqi (frozen) assets > and is going to use the money to pay Iraqis > (or others?) for services rendered. But I can't > recall details and can't find the article now. > > If anyone knows more about this, please post it. > > My questions are: how can the US confiscate these > assets? Are they not linked to the UN and the > sanctions? And how can banks worldwide just hand > over this money to the US? > > And please note that these arrangements were made > as early as March 24!! > > Background: > > On March 24 or thereabouts, CBS reported that the > US government has moved to seize over a billion > dollars in Iraqi financial (frozen) assets and have > them transferred to the Fed. Res. of NY. > --- > > At the same time Treasury Secretary John Snow > announced that the US is > > 1-- confiscating non-diplomatic Iraqi government > assets in the United States and use the funds > for the benefit and welfare of the Iraqi people, > (True philanthropists - forgive me for being cynical.) > > 2-- calling upon the world to identify and freeze > all assets of Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi regime, and > their agents... > > 3-- directing a worldwide hunt for the blood money that > Hussein and his cronies have stolen from the Iraqi people. > > (What "blood money"? An odd tone to strike for a > Treasury Secretary.) > > "Snow announces global effort to hunt for Hussein's > assets and use regime's assets for the benefit and > welfare of the Iraqi people." See at: > http://www.ustreas.gov/news/index1.html#content > --- > > On March 24, a Swiss (UBS) bank announced that it > will transfer frozen Iraqi-held deposits in the > United States to US authorities. UBS said "the funds, > blocked in 1990 under United Nations sanctions, had > been confiscated by the US Treasury and would be > transferred to the US government soon." > > Well, apparently, this has now happened. It seems > outrageous, and reminds me of pronouncements made > by a US senator several months ago that Iraq should > be made to pay for this war. > > --Elga > > > Here is the full article by Swiss Info: > > <START FWD> > http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/Swissinfo.html?siteSect=161&sid=1715459 > > Monday 24.03.2003, CET 20:42 > > UBS to hand over frozen Iraqi money > > swissinfo March 24, 2003 1:55 PM > > UBS says it holds millions of dollars of Iraqi assets in > the US UBS says it holds millions of dollars of Iraqi > assets in the US (Keystone Archive) > > Switzerland's largest bank, UBS, has said it will transfer > frozen Iraqi-held deposits in the United States to US > authorities. UBS said the funds, blocked in 1990 under > United Nations sanctions, had been confiscated by the US > Treasury and would be transferred to the US government > soon. > > The confiscation is part of an order last week from the > Treasury Department to 17 banks in the US. > > The total money involved, said to be about $1.74 billion > (SFr2.41 billion) without interest, comes from > transactions between US oil firms and the Iraqi state oil > company, the UBS spokesman added. > > He declined to reveal how much cash was involved in UBS's > case but confirmed it was likely to be in the millions of > dollars. Reconstruction The US has pledged to use most of > the money for a fund earmarked for rebuilding and > providing humanitarian aid to the Iraqi population. > > The Swiss foreign ministry on Friday reported that > Washington had asked Switzerland to freeze any bank > accounts held by Iraq's President Saddam Hussein and his > associates. > > There has been no official reply, but the Swiss finance > minister said earlier this month that there were no signs > that Saddam Hussein had accounts in the country. > > "That statement is still valid. We have no indications > that he had money in Switzerland," said Foreign Ministry > spokesman Livio Zanolari. > > "But you can never rule anything out," he added. > <END> > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > 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 _______________________________________________ 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