Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told an official inquiry yesterday he knew nothing about huge kickbacks paid to former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's government despite 21 diplomatic warnings which were sent to his office.
Downer was the second minister after Trade Minister Mark Vaile on Monday to appear before the commission of inquiry into the bribes. He may be followed into the witness box later this week by Prime Minister John Howard.
The probe into national wheat exporter AWB's huge sanctions-busting bribes was the first time Australia's longest serving foreign minister has faced such a public grilling in his 10 years in the job.
Downer avoided a huge media contingent awaiting his arrival at the inquiry by slipping in through a side door.
Giving evidence, Downer displayed none of the scorn he has heaped on opposition politicians demanding answers about the US$220 million in sweeteners AWB paid to Iraq. Instead he slumped slightly in his chair and occasionally chewed his lip as he concentrated on questions.
In a written statement released to coincide with his appearance, Downer said he did not know the kickbacks were being paid through a Jordanian trucking company, Alia, which was partly owned by Saddam's regime.
"My recollection is that I did not know and was not otherwise aware at any time during the period from about 1999 to 2003 anything about Alia," he said.
Downer said he did not know "that money paid by AWB to Alia or any other Jordanian trucking company was paid, whether advertently or inadvertently on the part of AWB, to the Iraqis."
Downer denied knowledge of 21 diplomatic cables which were sent to his office warning about possible problems with AWB's practices in Iraq.
He said the cables had been assessed by his office and many were not thought worthy of bringing to his attention.
In his written statement, Downer used the phrase "I do not have a specific recollection of having received or read this cable or of it otherwise being brought my attention" 19 times in relation to the 21 cables. He repeated the phrase with slight variations more than 30 times while testifying, admitting "no one's memory is perfect."
He defended his department's failure to investigate warning signs that AWB was paying kickbacks, saying he believed that the UN was vetting the contracts and that his department did not have the power or expertise to act.
A humanoid robot that won a half-marathon race for robots in Beijing on Sunday ran faster than the human world record in a show of China’s technological leaps. The winner from Honor, a Chinese smartphone maker, completed the 21km race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, said a WeChat post by the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as Beijing E-Town, where the race began. That was faster than the human world record holder, Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo, who finished the same distance in about 57 minutes in March at the Lisbon road race. The performance by the robot marked a significant step forward
Four contenders are squaring up to succeed Antonio Guterres as secretary-general of the UN, which faces unprecedented global instability, wars and its own crushing budget crisis. Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, Argentina’s Rafael Grossi, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan and Senegal’s Macky Sall are each to face grillings by 193 member states and non-governmental organizations for three hours today and tomorrow. It is only the second time the UN has held a public question-and-answer, a format created in 2016 to boost transparency. Ultimately the five permanent members of the UN’s top body, the Security Council, hold the power, wielding vetoes over who leads the
South Korea’s air force yesterday apologized for a 2021 midair collision involving two fighter jets, a day after auditors said the pilots were taking selfies and filming during the flight and held them responsible for the accident. “We sincerely apologize to the public for the concern caused by the accident that occurred in 2021,” an air force spokesman told a news conference, adding that one of the pilots involved had been suspended from flying duties, received severe disciplinary action and has since left the military. The apology followed a report released on Wednesday by the South Korean Board of Audit and Inspection,
An earthquake registering a preliminary magnitude of 7.7 off northern Japan on Monday prompted a short-lived tsunami alert and the advisory of a higher risk of a possible mega-quake for coastal areas there. The Cabinet Office and the Japan Meteorological Agency said there was a 1% chance for a mega-quake, compared to a 0.1% chance during normal times, in the next week or so following the powerful quake near the Chishima and Japan trenches. Officials said the advisory was not a quake prediction but urged residents in 182 towns along the northeastern coasts to raise their preparedness while continuing their daily lives. Prime
RSS