UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday proposed to investigate U.S. congressional claims that Hussein skimmed billions of dollars from the program.
The program was intended to allow the Iraqi regime to use revenue from oil sales to buy essential supplies in order to ease the impact of 1991 Gulf War sanctions on ordinary citizens. It ended last year.
Powell today said that the U.S. administration in Iraq and the Iraqi Governing Council have frozen all the records that exist in Baghdad with respect to the program and that these records will be available for UN investigators "whenever they will ask for them."
The program was intended to allow the Iraqi regime to use revenue from oil sales to buy essential supplies in order to ease the impact of 1991 Gulf War sanctions on ordinary citizens. It ended last year.
Powell today said that the U.S. administration in Iraq and the Iraqi Governing Council have frozen all the records that exist in Baghdad with respect to the program and that these records will be available for UN investigators "whenever they will ask for them."
