Volume 1 - Iraq Watch

Iraq’s Relationship With FranceThe former Iraqi Regime sought a relationshipwith France to gain support in the UNSC for liftingthe sanctions. Saddam’s Regime, in order to induceFrance to aid in getting sanctions lifted, targetedfriendly companies and foreign political parties thatpossessed either extensive business ties to Iraq orheld pro-Iraqi positions. In addition, Iraq sought outindividuals whom they believed were in a position toinfl uence French policy. Saddam authorized lucrativeoil contracts be granted to such parties, businesses,and individuals.• In 1988, Iraq paid 1 million dollars to the FrenchSocialist Party, according to a captured IISreport dated 9 September 1992. ‘Abd-al-RazzaqAl Hashimi, former Iraqi ambassador to France,handed the money to French Defense MinisterPierre Joxe, according the report. The IISinstructed Hashimi to “utilize it to remind FrenchDefense Minister, Pierre Joxe, indirectly aboutIraq’s previous positions toward France, in general,and the French Socialist party, in particular”.• ‘Aziz says he personally awarded several Frenchindividuals substantial oil allotments. Accordingto ‘Aziz, both parties understood that resale of theoil was to be reciprocated through efforts to lift UNsanctions, or through opposition to American initiativeswithin the Security Council.The IIS flagged two groups of people to influenceFrench policy in the UNSC: French Governmentalofficials and influential French citizens. IIS documentsrecovered by ISG identify those persons ofinterest, to include ministers and politicians, journalists,and business people. On 25 January 2004,the Baghdad periodical Al Mada published a list ofnames of companies, individuals and other groupsthat received oil allocations from the former Regimeunder the auspices of the OFF program. These infl u-ential individuals often had little prior connection tothe oil industry and generally engaged European oilcompanies to lift the oil, but were still in a position toextract a substantial profit for themselves. Individualsnamed included Charles Pascua, a former FrenchInterior Minister, who received almost 11 millionbarrels; Patrick Maugein, whom the Iraqis considereda conduit to Chirac (which we have not confi rmed),who received 13 million barrels through his Dutchregisteredcompany, Michel Grimard, founder of theFrench-Iraqi Export Club, who received over 5.5million barrels through Swiss companies and theIraqi-French Friendship Society, which received over10 million barrels. The French oil companies Totaland SOCAP received over 105 million and 93 millionbarrels, respectively (see Oil Voucher Allocations ofthe Regime Finance and Procurement chapter foradditional information).• As of June 2000, Iraq had awarded short term contractsunder the OFF program to France totaling$1.78 billion, equaling approximately 15 percent ofthe oil contracts allocated under the OFF program.(See the Regime Finance and Procurement chapter.)40