Fed: Rudd accuses Downer of AWB cover up

AAP General News (Australia)
08-30-2006
Fed: Rudd accuses Downer of AWB cover up

SYDNEY, Aug 30 AAP - Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd says documents
indicating the federal government was warned of AWB's involvement in the oil-for-food
scandal prove a "cover up of the worst order".

News Ltd newspapers today said the Cole inquiry has been given nine pages of handwritten
notes by a senior foreign affairs official that prove the Howard government was warned
of the scandal two years ago.

However, AAP has confirmed the documents are old and were tendered to the inquiry on April 27.

The notes, by veteran Australian diplomat John Quinn, mention such terms as "AWB Ltd",
"service fees", "10 per cent" and "exposure" in the context of the impending investigation
into kickbacks to Saddam Hussein's regime.

Speaking in Sydney today, Mr Rudd said the documents prove Foreign Affairs Minister
Alexander Downer misled a US inquiry into the oil-for-food scandal.

"In July 2004 Mr Downer, his department, is told directly by Australian government
officials that the AWB is into this up to its eyeballs, and three months later Mr Downer
swears on the bible to the Americans that there's not a problem," Mr Rudd told reporters.

"Why did Mr Downer do that?"

"This is a cover up of the worst order, and he wanted just to save his political hide,
and Mr Howard's political hide, going into the federal election."

Mr Rudd said the documents, no matter how old, prove the federal government knew about
AWB's involvement in the oil-for-food scandal.

"The bottom line is that the black and white writing, the notes taken by Mr Quinn,
head of the Iraq taskforce ... are there now plain as day for everyone to see," he said.

AAP dmc/klw/ks/bwl

KEYWORD: AWB RUDD

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