U.S. Bill Would Withhold UN Cash Over Oil Probe [View All]

[Barrett808]

The United States should withhold some of its U.N. contributions until the world body cooperates with congressional probes of alleged corruption in the Iraqi oil-for-food program, a group of lawmakers said on Monday.

The lawmakers are pushing legislation that would seek to compel the United Nations to turn over all oil-for-food records to congressional investigators and require U.N. program officials to waive immunity to U.S. criminal and civil laws.

"The only way we can get the U.N. to move is to condition our funding upon it," U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican and one of 77 co-sponsors of the bill, told a news conference.

The measure would withhold 10 percent of U.S. contributions to the United Nations in fiscal year 2005, rising to 20 percent in 2006, unless the world body satisfied President Bush that it was cooperating with the congressional investigation.

That could affect about $40 million in 2005, double that in 2006, Flake said.

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