This story is making the rounds today amongst blogs, however it is hardly "news" in the sense that this is new. After all, Claudia Rosett wrote about this for NRO back on the 16th or March, and Thomas and I thought it newsworthy enough to include it in our new column. And among the big guns touching on this today is Captain Ed.
As federal investigators examine how the leading U.N. agency in North Korea illegally kept 35 counterfeit American $100 bills in its possession for 12 years, documents indicate that more officials were aware of the existence of the fake currency — and earlier — than the agency has reported.
Spokesmen for the United Nations Development Program have said top officials at the agency's New York headquarters learned in February that their safe in Pyongyang contained the counterfeit bills and immediately reported it to American authorities. But several documents shown recently to The New York Sun indicate that higher-ups knew much earlier that the safe held counterfeit money.
The documents are part of a worldwide reporting system that allows the agency to keep track of the contents of its office safes.
One "safe contents count record" — shown to the Sun with the stipulation that the paper omit such details as the exact issuing date, which was before February — confirms that fake money was in the safe in Pyongyang. According to a source familiar with the system, this and similar records were filed with UNDP headquarters twice a year.
Counterfeiting our money was one of many reasons why we imposed sanction on North Korea to begin with. Worse, the UN now has another scnadal on their hands, in the wake of Oil-For-Food, and rather than give this its tranperancy that new UN Secretary General Ban-Ki moon promised, he is sweeping this under the rug. He has called for an internal investigation.
Stop the presses! Get Dan Rather! The UN is going to do what it does best: It will investigate itself, and refuse to hold anyone responsible. Whew! I am sure glad this will be over soon, then the UN can go back to being irrelevant.
Seriously speaking (and bad jokes aside), I find this most disheartening. The UN knew that Kim's regime was passing out funny money, and they covered up for him. Is it any wonder then why nations like North Korea and Iran do not give credence to the UN? (Or for that matter why so many people around the world --especially right here in America -- think the UN is a joke and has far outlived it's usefulness?) "Sure we will let you slide this time Kim, but the next time you will be getting a harshly worded letter." Give me a break already.
If the UN wants to show the world that they are going to stand tough on rogue regimes like North Korea and Iran, then there should be some "iron in the glove" when it comes to isolation and sanctions. But the bumbling bureaucratic buffoons in the UN could care less about doing something right. If they did that, Kim's feelings might be hurt, and we cannot have that, right?
With a little bit of hope, the federal prosecutors can return an indictment, which is much more problematic for the UN that OFF was. The indictment will state that the UN did knowingly and willfully help Kim hide a counterfeiting ring -- one that was reproducing our own money. Talk about a slap in the face for the United States, and sentiment towards the UN in the US is not going to get any higher. The problem is I am not sure if it can get much lower than it already is.
Marcie
As federal investigators examine how the leading U.N. agency in North Korea illegally kept 35 counterfeit American $100 bills in its possession for 12 years, documents indicate that more officials were aware of the existence of the fake currency — and earlier — than the agency has reported.
Spokesmen for the United Nations Development Program have said top officials at the agency's New York headquarters learned in February that their safe in Pyongyang contained the counterfeit bills and immediately reported it to American authorities. But several documents shown recently to The New York Sun indicate that higher-ups knew much earlier that the safe held counterfeit money.
The documents are part of a worldwide reporting system that allows the agency to keep track of the contents of its office safes.
One "safe contents count record" — shown to the Sun with the stipulation that the paper omit such details as the exact issuing date, which was before February — confirms that fake money was in the safe in Pyongyang. According to a source familiar with the system, this and similar records were filed with UNDP headquarters twice a year.
Counterfeiting our money was one of many reasons why we imposed sanction on North Korea to begin with. Worse, the UN now has another scnadal on their hands, in the wake of Oil-For-Food, and rather than give this its tranperancy that new UN Secretary General Ban-Ki moon promised, he is sweeping this under the rug. He has called for an internal investigation.
Stop the presses! Get Dan Rather! The UN is going to do what it does best: It will investigate itself, and refuse to hold anyone responsible. Whew! I am sure glad this will be over soon, then the UN can go back to being irrelevant.
Seriously speaking (and bad jokes aside), I find this most disheartening. The UN knew that Kim's regime was passing out funny money, and they covered up for him. Is it any wonder then why nations like North Korea and Iran do not give credence to the UN? (Or for that matter why so many people around the world --especially right here in America -- think the UN is a joke and has far outlived it's usefulness?) "Sure we will let you slide this time Kim, but the next time you will be getting a harshly worded letter." Give me a break already.
If the UN wants to show the world that they are going to stand tough on rogue regimes like North Korea and Iran, then there should be some "iron in the glove" when it comes to isolation and sanctions. But the bumbling bureaucratic buffoons in the UN could care less about doing something right. If they did that, Kim's feelings might be hurt, and we cannot have that, right?
With a little bit of hope, the federal prosecutors can return an indictment, which is much more problematic for the UN that OFF was. The indictment will state that the UN did knowingly and willfully help Kim hide a counterfeiting ring -- one that was reproducing our own money. Talk about a slap in the face for the United States, and sentiment towards the UN in the US is not going to get any higher. The problem is I am not sure if it can get much lower than it already is.
Marcie
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 6:56 AM
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