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Left demands probe into Volcker report

     New Delhi: The Left parties, which provide crucial support to the Congress led UPA coalition have demanded a probe into allegations made in the Volcker report on External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh and the Congress party, even as the Opposition stepped up its offensive on the issue. Communist leaders, who earlier met with Singh, said only a thorough probe could clear the air. "We have basically asked the government to enquire into the whole matter, so that people come to know what is true and what is false and today we had a meeting with Natwar Singh. We listened to his version and he told us that that what has been said in the report is baseless and false. He even told us that the main report dose not contain any name, only in some annexure some names appear," D Raja, national secretary of the Communist Party of India, told reporters. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has also called for a probe on the issue. "We said that the government should investigate the matter. There are numerous reports in this issue, throughout the world. There is no substantiation. So we have asked them to probe the matter," said Brinda Karat, member, Politburo, Communist Party of India (Marxist). But the Opposition BJP continued to train its guns on Singh and said that he was trying to divert the people's attention by denying any wrongdoing. "It is a proof of how badly the government is trapped in an international scam.

    The Congress Party and the External Affairs Minister have not been able to give a logical argument on the issue and are trying to divert the attention of the people from the matter," said Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, spokesperson, Bharatiya Janata Party. The Samajwadi Party also said Natwar Singh had to make his stand clear on the issue. "There is confusion regarding the position of the External Affairs Minister. We are trying for the membership of the Security Council of the United Nation. The UN has set up a high- level enquiry committee, which found the involvement of some companies of Switzerland, Italy and India, and after that Singh gave a statement that he is being implicated for supporting Saddam Hussein's regime," said Amar Singh, General Secretary, Samajwadi Party. The Volcker Committee report has said that politicians in several countries were given oil vouchers that could be sold for a commission to help Saddam Hussein in his quest to get UN sanctions lifted and the ruling Congress party and External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh received favours from him. The Congress had reacting to the issue, on Thursday said that it was deeply concerned by "unverified references" made in the report by the UN established Independent Inquiry Committee, led by former US Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker. It said that the party would issue a legal notice to the United Nations and the Volcker Committee and ask for evidence to prove the charges. While both the Congress and Natwar Singh have denied any wrongdoing, the Opposition has nevertheless attacked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Congress-led coalition government after the report was published last week. The BJP has repeatedly demanded that Natwar Singh be sacked, even as the External Affairs Minister has said that the report was an attempt to target those opposed to the US-led war on Iraq. The oil-for-food programme, which began in 1996 and ended in 2003, was aimed to ease the impact on Iraqis from the UN sanctions imposed when Baghdad's troops invaded Kuwait in 1990. Under the scheme, Iraq was allowed to sell oil to buy food, medicine and many other goods. The UN report also said that some 2,200 companies made illicit payments totalling 1.8 billion dollars to Saddam's government under the programme.

      "We talked to Mr. Natwar Singh today. He consistently refuted the report saying it was baseless. Natwar Singh said that that many of the documents produced in the report appeared to be dubious or falsified. We know many countries have refused the report, even Russians have said it is a forged document. So, at this point of time, it will be too early to disbelieve him (Natwar Singh)," said CPI National Secretary D Raja. When asked to comment on the Congress Party's decision to issue a legal notice to the UN and to the Volcker Inquiry Committee, Raja said:"I do not see any relevance in Congress's decision to issue a legal notice to the UN. The UN is not a country but an organisation of 192 countries, and India itself is a member of it. In this case, sueing the UN means sueing ourself." CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan, who also met Singh, said that the latter has a strong case and there was no need for him to resign. Both Raja and Bardhan advised Singh to make a detailed statement in Parliament. While demanding a high level probe into the matter, Communist Party of India- Marxist(CPI-M) Politburo member Brinda Karat said that the concerned matter has to be seen from two points of view. Brinda said:"

    This report has two sides, If we go into the political background, the United States was trying to impose sanction on Iraq at that time. And, we cannot deny from any possibility if the latter is trying to frame all, who were opposing the US at that time. Secondly, We are receiving many remarks from all over the world about the authenticity of Volcker's report. So, we have demanded, and are waiting for the investigations". The Congress Party on Thursday had decided to send a comprehensive legal notice to the UN and the Volcker Committee demanding a full disclosure of the materials on the basis of which the Committee has said that the Congress party was a indirect beneficiary in the UN "Oil for Food" contracts. Meanwhile, UPA Chairperson and Congress President Sonia Gandhi called on Prime Minister Monmohan Singh here today. She is believed to have discussed with the Prime Minister the strategy to be adopted by the government on the Volcker Committee Report in the wake of the Opposition's demand for the resignation of Natwar Singh on the basis of report of the Volcker committee, which was appointed by the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan. Earlier, Natwar Singh said that he will make a suo motu statement when the Parliament meets later this month. He expressed his outrage over the report, charging that it was part of a campaign to malign the Congress party and its senior leaders. On the other hand, the Bhartiya Janata Party General Secretaries are meeting here to decide their further strategy over the report. The BJP on Wednesday had asked the PM to reconsider the clean chit given to the External Affairs Minister. They demanded his dismissal and registration of a criminal case against him and asked for an investigation in the wake of a UN probe report.

    Volcker investigations had revealed last month that some 2,200 companies made illicit payments totalling 1.8 billion dollars to Hussein's government under the UN "oil-for food" programme. It also named politicians in Russia, France, Britain, Italy and elsewhere who were given oil vouchers that could be sold for a commission to help Saddam in his quest to get UN sanctions lifted. Meanwhile, PDP leader Bhim Singh, who was also named in the report, said that he had seen documents which proved Natwar Singh had received the kickbacks offer. The oil-for-food programme, which began in 1996 and ended in 2003, was designed to ease the impact on ordinary Iraqis of UN sanctions, imposed when Baghdad's troops invaded Kuwait in 1990. Under the scheme, Iraq was allowed to sell oil in order to buy food, medicine and many other goods. Among other politicians, named in the Volcker report, were British lawmaker George Galloway, former French UN Ambassador Jean-Bernard Merimee, former French Interior Minister Charles Pasqua and Russian ultra-nationalist leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky.

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