UNSCAM UPDATE:

May 6, 2004 — U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan talks grandly of “transparency” in the so-called probe of the world body’s festering Oil-for- Food scandal – but don’t believe a word of it. For he seems to be running a coverup. . . .

The latest line from Turtle Bay is that the Oil-for-Food mess isn’t really a scandal at all, just an anti-U.N. plot inspired by “right-wingers” – or, alternatively, by former Iraqi exile Ahmed Chalabi.

Those are shameful lies.

In fact, the Iraqi Governing Council has been probing the mess since January, when the Baghdad newspaper Al-Mada published its now-famous list of the 270 officials from 44 countries who were bribed with oil vouchers by Saddam (see above: Benon Savan).

Indeed, reports of massive corruption in the $46 billion program began years before the liberation of Iraq opened government records to inspection.

Yes. If Kofi, et al., have nothing to hide, then why are they acting so guilty?