The Washington Times is reporting today: "House Republicans call for Annan to step down"
Rep. Roger Wicker, the Mississippi Republican who introduced a resolution yesterday calling for Mr. Annan to resign, recognizes "I don't think we'll get all the facts as long as Mr. Annan is remaining at the helm."
I say the sooner that Annan steps down, the better...There is growing evidence that Saddam used his illegal oil-for-food revenue to bribe officials in France, Russia and other nations. It also has been revealed that Mr. Annan's son Kojo accepted money from a Swiss company that had a contract with the oil-for-food program.
Arizona Representative, Jeff Flake, and other Republicans say the United Nations is not cooperating with investigators, is withholding information, and has denied Mr. Volcker's investigation any subpoena power to get information.
"I'm convinced that the only way we can ensure the U.N.'s full cooperation is with the threat of withholding our funding," Mr. Flake said.
Rep. Flake is pushing legislation that would tie the United States' U.N. funding to the organization's cooperation with investigators.
Under Mr. Flake's bill, which has 77 co-sponsors, Congress would withhold 10 percent of its U.N. funding in fiscal 2005 and 20 percent in fiscal 2006, until President Bush certifies that the United Nations has agreed to certain standards laid out in the bill. The bill calls for full disclosure of documents related to the oil-for-food program, asks U.N. officials to waive diplomatic immunity, and asks any U.N. official who benefited from the program to reimburse the full amount that was improperly received.
It really IS time for this to get straightened out.
DR
