November 18, 2005

DON'T WORRY, NO ONE EXPECTS ANY BETTER OF YOU:

I took Saddam's cash, admits French envoy (Francis Harris in Washington and David Rennie in Brussels, 18/11/2005, Daily Telegraph)

One of France's most distinguished diplomats has confessed to an investigating judge that he accepted oil allocations from Saddam Hussein, it emerged yesterday.

Jean-Bernard Mérimée is thought to be the first senior figure to admit his role in the oil-for-food scandal, a United Nations humanitarian aid scheme hijacked by Saddam to buy influence.

The Frenchman, who holds the title "ambassador for life", told authorities that he regretted taking payments amounting to $156,000 (then worth about £108,000) in 2002.


What he really regrets is selling himself cheaper than Chirac likely did.

Posted by Orrin Judd at November 18, 2005 9:06 AM
Comments

Ah, now we know the price...

Posted by: Mikey at November 18, 2005 9:18 AM

Well, this just proves how dead wrong you are when you keep lumping Canada and France together. They are completely different. No self-respecting Canadian would sell out for less than a quarter of a million.

Posted by: Peter B at November 18, 2005 10:00 AM

What he really regrets is getting caught!

Posted by: Bartman at November 18, 2005 10:12 AM

Why hasn't Michael Moore made a film about all this?

Posted by: Brit at November 18, 2005 10:14 AM

"Why hasn't Michael Moore made a film about all this?"

Because he was primarily upset at the US engaging Iraq when the rest of the world disapproved. WHY they disapproved (i.e., stuff like the above story) didn't strike him as terribly important.

Posted by: John Barrett Jr. at November 18, 2005 11:20 AM

In Canadian money that's only about $632.

Posted by: oj at November 18, 2005 11:29 AM

If Moore had made a film about it, Mérimée would have been received his $156,000 in the form of colorful kites from the happy Iraqi people.

Posted by: John at November 18, 2005 11:48 AM

Watch your backside.

Posted by: Peter B at November 18, 2005 12:19 PM

They're called "weasels" for a reason.

Posted by: Mike Morley at November 18, 2005 12:25 PM

Why ask about Michael Moore? His name is probably on some list in Baghdad somewhere. And Caracas, and Havana, and Harare, and Paris, and Berlin, and on and on.

Posted by: jim hamlen at November 18, 2005 12:45 PM
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