"Bought and paid for" ain't the British way

[ghost_of_theo]

Galloway denies new oil-for-food allegations
(Filed: 12/05/2005)

George Galloway, the former Labour MP who started his own party, has denied fresh accusations from a US Senate committee that he received vouchers for millions of barrels of oil from Saddam Hussein.


George Galloway denies the new allegations

The investigative committee cited several documents and interviews with former Iraqi leaders which it alleged showed Mr Galloway accepted oil vouchers under the oil-for-food programme.

Taha Yassin Ramadan, the ex-Iraqi vice president, gave testimony to the committee which stated Mr Galloway received the oil "because of his opinions about Iraq".

According to the report, the MP received allocations for up to 20 million barrels from 2000 to 2003.

Norm Coleman, the committee chairman, also said that it had uncovered new evidence which suggested a children's leukaemia fund set up by Mr Galloway was used to conceal the transfer of three million barrels of oil.

The Mariam Appeal was the charity the ex-Glasgow Kelvin MP founded to help four-year-old girl Mariam Hamza.

The Bethnal Green and Bow MP, who was re-elected to parliament last week running for his own Respect party, described the Senate committee as a "lickspittle Republican committee, acting on the wishes of George Bush".

He said: "Let me repeat. I have never traded in a barrel of oil, or any vouchers for it. I have never seen a barrel of oil apart from the one the Sun newspaper deposited in my front garden.

"And no one has acted on my behalf, trading in oil - Middle Eastern, olive, patchouli or any other - or in vouchers, whatever they are.

"Isn't it strange and contrary to natural justice you might think that I have written and emailed repeatedly asking for the opportunity to appear before the committee to provide evidence and rebut their assumptions and they have yet to respond, while apparently making a judgement."

The UN-backed oil-for-food scheme enabled Saddam to export oil to pay for essential humanitarian goods to help the Iraqi people cope with UN sanctions imposed in 1991. The regime could not legally sell its oil for cash.

However, Saddam sold the vouchers at below market prices to favoured parties who were able to sell them on at a profit.

In December last year Mr Galloway won a libel action against the Daily Telegraph over claims relating to the oil-for-food programme. Last month the newspaper won permission to appeal against the ruling to pay £150,000 damages and £1.2 million in costs.

The senate committee also alleged that Charles Pasqua, the former French interior minister received allocations for 11 million barrels in oil.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main...portaltop.html

[voltaires_priest]

*COUGH* *SPLUTTER* *AHEM*

Cousin Carter, I hope you're not putting all us Brits in the same box as Georgie...


V

[coolpharess]

vp ...this guy is provoking pople in here ...
be aware !

[ghost_of_theo]

Originally posted by voltaires_priest
*COUGH* *SPLUTTER* *AHEM*

Cousin Carter, I hope you're not putting all us Brits in the same box as Georgie...

V

Volty, you know me better than that. I love my brothers in arms; I like Britain. I like London. I like Bertrand Russell. I like Oxford. I like my heraldry. And I've stomped all over your island nation starting 15 years back, Dover, Brighton, York, Windsor (of course), etc.. - many places on many a holiday.

I'm saying the grease of industry isn't the British way (because Brits are honorable, err, somewhat, within acceptable norms anyway).

I just bang you in the head sometimes, that doesn't mean I turn my back on my countries best ally in times of war and peace.

[voltaires_priest]

Originally posted by ghost_of_theo


I just bang you in the head sometimes, that doesn't mean I turn my back on my countries best ally in times of war and peace.

You "bang" me?

LMAO I am so going to have to teach you some more UK colloquialisms

I would say I bang you right back, but for those on my side of the ocean it would conjure up even more disturbing pictures...


V

[ghost_of_theo]

Originally posted by coolpharess
vp ...this guy is provoking pople in here ...
be aware !

When I'm right, I'm right. And if that's provoking you, then you need to be provoked.

You've urrrrrrrrned (slang for earned) it CoolP.

And quit emailing your anti-Semitic pals and begging them to quip their kibbly wankerisms my way.

I can handle much more than you can give, and you don't even want to know how hard I hammer when I decide your pinhead needs flattening.

[ghost_of_theo]

Originally posted by voltaires_priest

You "bang" me?

LMAO I am so going to have to teach you some more UK colloquialisms

I would say I bang you right back, but for those on my side of the ocean it would conjure up even more disturbing pictures...


V

You passed a opportune chance to bang me on an obvious typo (I know how you love that so). It's "my country's", not "my countries."