Senate Hearing to Examine Saddam Hussein's Abuse of Oil for Food Program

The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations will hold a hearing today to examine how Saddam Hussein abused the United Nations Oil for Food program. The program, designed to provide humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people, was instead used by Hussein to steal an estimated $10 billion, a figure that may substantially underestimate the extent of the thievery. The hearing comes as subcommittee chairman Sen. Norm Coleman and ranking member Sen. Carl Levin have expressed frustration with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's lack of cooperation, citing his refusal to provide internal audit reports and permit investigators to interview U.N. officials.

Key Takeaways:

• The Oil for Food program, which operated from 1996-2003, was supposed to provide humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people, but was instead used by Saddam Hussein to steal an estimated $10 billion.
• U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has blocked access to 55 internal audit reports on the Oil for Food program and has refused to permit subcommittee investigators to interview U.N. officials.
• Sen. Norm Coleman and Sen. Carl Levin have expressed frustration with Mr. Annan's lack of cooperation and have suggested that he manipulates confidentiality rules to suit his own interests.
• Two government officials, Juan Zarate and Charles Duelfer, will testify before the panel today, providing insight into how Saddam Hussein used the Oil for Food program to fund his terrorist insurgency and maintain power.
• The subcommittee's investigation is a bipartisan effort, with Coleman and Levin working together to uncover the truth about the Oil for Food program.

Statistics:

• $10 billion: estimated amount of money stolen from the Oil for Food program by Saddam Hussein
• 55: number of internal audit reports on the Oil for Food program that Mr. Annan has blocked access to
• 1996-2003: dates of Operation of the Oil for Food program
• 4 months: amount of time that passed before Mr. Annan finally answered the subcommittee's requests for information

Sources:

• The Washington Times
• Letter from Sen. Norm Coleman and Sen. Carl Levin to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.