Statement by the Honorable Michael Burgess, MD

The United Nations Oil-for-Food Program: A Review of the 661 Sanctions Committee

June 21, 2005

Thank you Mr. Chairman, and thank you for holding this important hearing.

As we all know, the United Nations originally established the Oil-for-Food program for the noble cause of aiding and providing for the humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people trapped under Saddam Hussein’s regimen. This program was quickly warped into a financial scandal of epic proportions. It has turned into an international crisis, and I sincerely hope that this committee will continue its oversight regarding this serious matter.

At our last hearing we focused on the Hussein’s Regime use of oil allocations to accentuate divisions within the U.N. Security Council as a means of undermining sanctions. I look forward today to examining these divisions from the perspective of individuals who actually worked within the 661 Committee. Particularly, I would like to discuss if there were divisions among the Permanent Member States within the 661Committee concerning the Oil-for-Food program. Also, I would like to examine whether certain Permanent Member States resisted remedial efforts to eliminate many of the abuses of the Oil-for-Food program perpetrated by the Regime. I realize that these concerns may have to be further addressed during the closed session, but I look forward to getting to the bottom of this grave issue.

Again, Mr. Chairman, I thank you for this hearing on this crucial investigation.