The transfer of $150 million from money designated for "reconstruction" in Iraq to Sudan was approved by the Senate on September 15, 2004.
Patrick Leahy's (Sen., Vermont) website issued the report below but there is very little to be found about this shell game in the corporate media. One of our news reporters discovered it today on Sudan.Net.
Senate Panel Votes
To Tap Unused Iraq Reconstruction Funds
For Emergency In Sudan’s Darfur Region
WASHINGTON (Wednesday, Sept. 15) -- The Senate Appropriations Committee Wednesday approved legislation offered by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to redirect $150 million in unused Iraq reconstruction funds to be used for emergency relief efforts in Sudan.
Leahy, joined by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio), Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), and Democratic Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), drafted the amendment, which was added to the annual Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill. The Appropriations Committee Wednesday approved the bill with the amendment included. Leahy is the ranking member of the panel’s Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, which handles the Senate’s work in writing the annual foreign aid budget bill. McConnell is the panel’s chairman. DeWine is a member of the committee.The amendment triggers a provision Congress wrote into last year’s $18.4 billion supplemental appropriation for reconstruction assistance for Iraq. Only $1.1billion of that has been spent. In that bill, Congress opened the door to tapping up to .5 percent of any unused funds to be used in two countries: Sudan, and Liberia. The Leahy-McConnell-DeWine-Frist-Daschle Amendment gives the Administration 30 days from enactment of the bill to submit a request to Congress for the $150 million in humanitarian aid for the crisis in Darfur. If no request is made, the funds revert back to the Iraq account. "A humanitarian crisis is unfolding before our eyes, and the world’s response is inadequate to the scope of this tragedy,” said Leahy. “This is an opportunity to save the lives of thousands of people who would otherwise succumb from hunger, exposure and disease, simply because of their ethnicity.”
Leahy said the amendment is flexible and allows the Administration to use the funds for virtually any needs the Administration identifies in the Darfur crisis: assistance for the African Union mission, humanitarian aid, or security assistance.
The Iraqi people continue to be enraged by the U.S. invasion and bombing of their infrastructure while the U.S. government is telling us that they are "rebuilding Iraq". Would not any one of us be enraged? The totally justifiable guerrilla war being conducted against the U.S. invaders is gaining momentum and power every day. The Bush regime continues to lie about Iraqi sentiment about the U.S. and about restoring schools, hospitals and clinics; electricity, roads and communication systems throughout Iraq ... and "democracy" of course.
On September 22, Bush announced that money going into "rebuilding Iraq" will have to go to "safety first", meaning the U.S. military putting down the heroic Iraqi resistance forces.
They are also lying about the installation of democracy (note oxymoron: democracy installed?) in Iraq. Today, corporate news agency AP reports that Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage (#2 in State Dept.) told a House that "Elections are open to all Iraqi citizens", contradicting Rumsfeld's statements that elections will only be open to "secure areas". On September 23, 2004, the U.S. puppet, Iraqi "Prime Minister", Iyad Allawi also spoke to a joint session of U.S. congress:
We are succeeding in Iraq" ... "that elections would be held in Iraq (news - web sites) as scheduled in January, and that despite a tough struggle "we are succeeding."Wait one minute. Didn't Bush promise that Iraqi elections would proceed in June, 2004? On May 24, 2004, Bush delivered a speech reported on the White House Website under the title:"I know that some have speculated, even doubted whether this (January election) date can be met," Allawi said. "So let me be absolutely clear. Elections will occur in Iraq on time in January because Iraqis want elections on time."
President Outlines Steps to Help Iraq Achieve Democracy and Freedom. In that speech he stated:
"The first of these steps will occur next month, when our coalition will transfer full sovereignty to a government of Iraqi citizens who will prepare the way for national elections. On June 30th, the Coalition Provisional Authority will cease to exist, and will not be replaced. The occupation will end, and Iraqis will govern their own affairs."
So now:
Now it's in January, 2005 that elections will be held - to all citizens of Iraq? It has been often said that the worst nightmare of an honest election and real democracy in an occupied country is the worst nightmare of the U.S. government. They must be confronted with their lies to the American people through a complicit corporate press.
So now:
The Iraqi infrastructure is being restored with money that has already been diverted to Sudan?
Confused? You are just one of the many confused people who listen to these throwaway speeches and wait for the next.
There is only one certainty in this ugly mess:
The U.S. Government and it's corporate media partner will continue to lie to the American people about the reason for the war; the numbers of dead and injured U.S. soldiers and Iraqi civilians; the rebuilding of Iraq's infrastructure; democracy in Iraq and U.S. plans for Iraq in the future. - Les Blough
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