Russia's foreign ministry flatly rejected a New York Times report accusing Moscow of impeding US and British efforts to examine corruption within the United Nations oil-for-food program in Iraq, calling the allegations inconsistent with reality.
The ministry pointed to Russia's backing of UN Security Council Resolution 1538, adopted 21 April 2004, which authorized an independent inquiry into allegations of kickbacks, fraud, and misconduct tied to the program. Moscow said it was actively cooperating with the UN commission conducting the investigation.
The Times, drawing on a briefing document prepared for a US Congressional panel, reported that companies from Russia, China, and France had profited substantially from the program, and that those three countries had resisted scrutiny because their firms stood to benefit from leaving arrangements in place.
A House subcommittee on national security was set to hold a hearing the same day on how UN program managers and contractors responded to reported abuses. The US Government Accountability Office had separately concluded that Saddam Hussein's government diverted more than 10 billion dollars from the program for its own use.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in October 2004, in its own words.