U.N. Inspectors 'Tanked'

'give the inspections more time' 'we can contain
Saddam and keep an eye on him' 'trust us to do the job'

Geeeeeeze ... the U.N. on the job. If it isn't stealing billions
of dollars or massively involved in sexcapades ... it's drunk.

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U.N.ers were oil 'Tanked'
NY Post
Niles Lathem
February 16, 2005

A former U.N. oil-for-food inspector told a Senate panel yesterday
that he witnessed managers drinking on the job while hundreds
of trucks carrying unknown cargo crossed the Iraqi border — unchecked.

Arthur Ventham, an ex-employee of the Swiss firm Cotecna, which
inspected aid shipments into Iraq for the United Nations, gave the
testimony before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

Ventham said he was stunned at the laxity of the operation set up on
Iraq's borders to police the program and ensure that Saddam Hussein
wasn't violating sanctions.

During a one-week assignment in January 2003 to a border station at
Al-Waleed, Ventham said he conducted inspections of only three trucks
entering Iraq, while between 400 and 500 were allowed to pass his
checkpoint and enter Iraq, showing only paperwork.

"I was somewhat surprised at the level and frequency of inspections
being carried out, as it did not seem appropriate to what I thought was
expected of an independent inspection agency, particularly when dealing
with a regime such as the Ba'ath Party in Iraq," Ventham said in a
written statement to the committee.

Conditions were even worse at the Iraq port of Umm Qasr, where
Ventham said he was assigned later that same month.

Ventham, a burly former Australian customs agent, reported that the
team leader and employees from the same country spent "the
majority of the day in each others' hotel rooms drinking vodka, as
opposed to managing and leading the team."

Full Story

[edit on 2/16/2005 by FlyersFan]

Hasnt this been done to death, I would like to know who WAS the forces for the policeingg of the iraqi borders instead of just blindly blameing the orginisation.
Shall we use this kind of judgement on judgeing americas or the UK's abuse causes (alleged just to please both sides)?

No, this has not been done to death. In fact, it's not being
done enough at all. The MSM is just ignoring fact after
nausiating fact about the UN and it's incompetence and
criminal neglect.

Your comment about using 'this kind of judgement against
America or UK ...' is strangely out of balance with the
article. What kind of judgement are you talking about??
The fact that we expect the U.N. to actually be doing it's
job when it says it is doing it? To look at the facts that
the inspectors were just on a drunken joy ride instead
of actually inspecting like they were supposed to?
That's not 'judgement' ... that's decernment. We are
supposed to DECERN if the UN is doing what we pay
it to do. Obviously ... it wasn't and still isn't.

Edited to add - of COURSE the organization is at fault.
They are directly over the inspectors. If they can't
manage their people, which is obvious that they can't,
then again ... they aren't doing what we pay them to do.


[edit on 2/16/2005 by FlyersFan]

Originally posted by FlyersFan
No, this has not been done to death. In fact, it's not being
done enough at all. The MSM is just ignoring fact after
nausiating fact about the UN and it's incompetence and
criminal neglect.

Yet again are you trying to make the UN as an independant and soverign country?
Sounds like it, MSN hasnt done anything about it since that doesnt really attract the amount of users using it does it?

Your comment about using 'this kind of judgement against
America or UK ...' is strangely out of balance with the
article.

Not realy, I am showing how you cant treat this like the UN is a country.

What kind of judgement are you talking about??
The fact that we expect the U.N. to actually be doing it's
job when it says it is doing it?

Has WW3 started as of this second?
No, the UN was designed to stop a world war, yes or no?
Has it failed in this mission?
YES OR NO??
The UN is responsble BUT i think it is rather disgusting that you blame the UN before you blame the actual people doing the act!

To look at the facts that the inspectors were just on a drunken joy ride instead
of actually inspecting like they were supposed to?
That's not 'judgement' ... that's decernment. We are
supposed to DECERN if the UN is doing what we pay
it to do. Obviously ... it wasn't and still isn't.

Last time i checked they did inspect these "weapons facilities" but hey if you want to believe they didnt do so then hey do so, you americans sure believe any tripe that has ethier ; 9/11, weapons of mass destruction or alquida in it.

Edited to add - of COURSE the organization is at fault.
They are directly over the inspectors. If they can't
manage their people, which is obvious that they can't,
then again ... they aren't doing what we pay them to do.
[edit on 2/16/2005 by FlyersFan]

Might I add again that the UN is not a country, you cant blame it.
Second you can only blame the person , tell me who where the inspectors?
Who where the ones incharge?
Tell me if you feel so fine to charge the UN with crimes, then you must know the situation of what happened and by who