Tariq Aziz pulls plug on Senate’s Galloway smears

international | anti-war / imperialism | other press Wednesday November 02, 2005 10:52 by frank - swp

from British Socialist Worker Online

www.socialistworker.org.uk

The key prop of the new allegations against Respect MP George Galloway spectacularly fell away this week.

Former Iraqi deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz has denied telling Norm Coleman’s Senate investigation that George Galloway personally profited from or solicited oil allocations.

Aziz, who is in a US military jail in Iraq, told his lawyer Badia Aref on 25 October — the day the Senate released its report — that he never discussed oil allocations under the oil for food programme with Galloway.

Aziz’s denial shoots down in flames Norm Coleman’s allegations against Galloway.

Of course the media, which devoted huge resources to covering the smears against Galloway, had either not covered Aziz’s denials as Socialist Worker went to press, or had dealt with them in just a few lines.

The Senate subcommittee accuses Galloway of lying during his testimony last May.

Norm Coleman claims Aziz provided the inquiry with “detailed descriptions of his discussions with Galloway concerning oil allocations, including Galloway’s request for allocations and his subsequent request to increase the amount of oil allocated to him and his political organisation, the Mariam Appeal.”

“These are lies, Aziz denies this,” says Badia Aref. “It is part of a media campaign aimed at smearing Galloway’s reputation.”

The report reheats other evidence on Galloway, including the document already exposed by Socialist Worker as a fake and a letter from an Iraqi intelligence agency said to have been found in the looted and burnt out foreign ministry building in Baghdad one week after the collapse of the regime.

The only other evidence provided by the Senate are the testimonies of two “anonymous oil traders” — one of whom is an arms dealer — who say they negotiated with Fawaz Zureikat sometime in 2000 for oil allocations in a deal that never happened, and where Galloway’s name was never mentioned.

Also at www.socialistworker.org.uk

Highlights
GUILTY MEN ARE IN THE WHITE HOUSE
Warmongers trapped by Iraq lies » more


Tariq Aziz pulls plug on Senate’s Galloway smears
The key prop of the new allegations against Respect MP George Galloway spectacularly fell away this week » more


Britain's prison crisis
Frances Crook, director of the Howard League for Penal Reform, spoke to socialist worker about Britain’s soaring prison population » more


Leadership questions and community tension
The recent riot in Birmingham has shown the need for unity between African Caribbean and Asian communities, writes Lee Jasper » more


Farewell, sister Rosa
US civil rights hero Rosa Parks died last month » more


Italy’s student revolt
Mass protests against privatisation » more



Full contents
News
» Guilty men are in the White House

Warmongers trapped by Iraq lies

» Tariq Aziz pulls plug on Senate’s Galloway smears

The key prop of the new allegations against Respect MP George Galloway spectacularly fell away this week

» Unspinning the US’s web of lies against Galloway

Two reports last week announced with great sound and fury that they had the “smoking gun” linking Respect MP George Galloway to the payroll of Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi regime

» Families demand an end to shoot to kill

Hundreds of people whose loved ones who killed by the police or died in custody held a procession through central London last Saturday

» Anti-fascist pressure forces the police to cancel Nazi rally

Holocaust Survivor Leon Greenman movingly outlined the threat of fascism on Monday of this week as activists geared up to protest against the Nazi British National Party (BNP) in Leeds

» ‘Let’s keep fighting to get our boys home’

Yvonne Stewart’s son Sammy is on his first tour of duty in Iraq

» New Labour fails its own tests over education

The government's own research has shattered one of the central planks of Tony Blair’s educational philosophy — that the way to raise standards in schools is by putting more pupils in sets

» ‘Don’t let the rich get their hands on our homes’

Tenants from council estates across the country met in Birmingham last Saturday at a meeting organised by Defend Council Housing

» Anger over threat to transfer NHS jobs

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has challenged the government’s plans to transfer up to 250,000 health workers out of the NHS

» Refugees reveal horror at a detention centre

Zimbabwean refugees have told Socialist Worker of appalling treatment at the Yarl’s Wood detention centre in Bedfordshire

» Rachid Taha to headline peace concert

The Stop the War Coalition is working with musician Brian Eno to put on a huge Bring the Troops Home concert in London on 27 November

» Students ready for conference

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» Who says?

Snippets from the week's news

International
» US sprays death from the air in Colombia

A new book exposes the human cost of the policy of mass fumigation of coca in Colombia

» Left Party congress is a step forward

Several hundred people gathered in Athens last weekend for the second Congress of the European Left Party

» Italy’s student revolt

Mass protests against privatisation

» Schiphol disaster

Eleven detained refugees were killed in a fire at the Schiphol airport prison last week

Alex Callinicos
» Will they bomb Iran or Syria?

The Bush administration had a couple of bits of good news recently, at a time when the picture facing it was generally pretty grim

Features
» Britain's prison crisis

Frances Crook, director of the Howard League for Penal Reform, spoke to socialist worker about Britain’s soaring prison population

» Fear and self harm

There are 77,800 people in custody in Britain today, of which 4,600 are women

» US prison system targets blacks and poor whites

The consequences of Britain’s draconian prison policies can be glimpsed by looking at the US, writes Matthew Cookson

» Farewell, sister Rosa

US civil rights hero Rosa Parks died last month

Evolution
» What contributes to ‘human nature’?

In the second column in our series, Viren Swami looks at evolutionary psychology

Letters
» Letters

How Respect is fighting for unity in Birmingham | Pensions, victory or defeat? | Twinning with Palestine | Scottish myths | McCarthy

Reviews
» Rubens — his brush was the sword of counter revolution

A new exhibition of paintings by Rubens needs to be illuminated with some history, writes John Molyneux

» Two documentaries revealing the truth about US occupation

A Day for Fallujah

» Reviews round-up

At This Time — Burt Bacharach | The Life of Galileo — Bertolt Brecht | The Daily Show

Editorial
» Blair and Blunkett aren’t in Wonderland

Cabinet divisions | Climate change | Trade protests

Debate and Comment
» Leadership questions and community tension

The recent riot in Birmingham has shown the need for unity between African Caribbean and Asian communities, writes Lee Jasper

News & Reports
» Angry mood over public sector pensions deal

Meetings of public sector union members are revealing disquiet with the pensions deal brokered by the TUC which, while preserving the pension age for existing workers, means future entrants will face higher contributions or retiring at 65

» Postal workers

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» Tell It Like It Is — great turnout for book launch

The launch of the new book Tell It Like It Is: How our schools fail black children, at City Hall, central London, on Wednesday of last week was a magnificent event

» Parliament cleaners strike

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» BBC workers

The NUJ and Bectu unions are campaigning against the BBC’s plans to axe foreign language services at BBC World Service, threatening 283 staff with redundancy

» Anti-racist gig in Liverpool

Over 1,200 people packed into the Liverpool Academy on Thursday of last week for a tribute gig organised by Love Music Hate Racism for Anthony Walker, the black teenager murdered by racists in July

» Respect

Aberystwyth | Student meetings | Film showing | Conference | What's the Future for the Unions?

» Gate Gourmet workers’ tribunal plan

Some 144 Gate Gourmet workers are considering going to an industrial tribunal

» City academies — Darlington trick or treat?

An impressive crowd of ghouls, ghosts, devils and witches gathered outside Darlington Town Hall this Halloween, in order to remind councillors that their proposals to privatise local education provision were nothing short of monstrous

» Newcastle hospital workers' strike

Over 500 hospital workers in Newcastle were on strike on Monday

» Abortion rights

Over 200 people packed into to the first public meeting of the campaign to defend the present time limit for abortion

» Sefton council’s weak case shouldn't get a hearing

Council workers in Sefton, Merseyside, were due to join trade unionists from across the region on Tuesday of this week to lobby Sefton council over the victimisation of leading trade union campaigners

» Teachers' fury at TLR pay cuts

Anger is rising in schools across England and Wales as thousands of teachers discover they are facing pay cuts of up to £10,000 a year under a new salary structure

» Eileen Short wins big support

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» Critical Mass bike riders defy threats

The London Critical Mass bike ride on Friday of last week was a great celebration of cycling

» Bus workers

Over 300 First Bus drivers in north Staffordshire struck again last Saturday and on Monday of this week

» Reports round-up

Glasgow City Council | Caretakers in Huddersfield | Provisional gain for driving agency | Humberside fire campaign | Swansea united on climate change | Omar Deghayes