Some more friends of Saddam

Submitted by AWL on 14 November, 2005 - 2:08

Dunno why, but an article by Corinna Milborn (an activist in the Austrian Social Forum and in ATTAC (Austria)) which appeared in the Austrian “Forum” newspaper last week has an eerily familiar ring to it.

“Saddam’s Network in Austria – Fritz Edlinger Confirms He Received 100,000” reads the headline. The article follows up the UN report on the Iraqi Oil-for-Food scam, according to which: “Through kick-back payments amounting to a total of seven million dollars, 37 Austrian firms are alleged to have supported, at least indirectly, the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein.”

An Iraqi government minister, Mufid Jazairi, is quoted in the article as saying: “This does not surprise me, given that Austria was always an important partner for Saddam Hussein. This extended to the highest circles in Austria. Austria is one of the very few countries in the western world from which even today sympathy and support for Saddam Hussein’s people are still forthcoming.”

Milborn comments: “In saying this, Jazairi is not just referring to Jorg Haider, who visited Saddam Hussein several times, and even wrote a book about this, but also to circles close to the Socialist Party of Austria (SPO). To be more exact, the Society for Austrian-Arab Relations (SAAR), run by Fritz Edlinger, brother of the one-time SPO Finance Minister.”

Haider is leader of the extreme right-wing Austrian Freedom Party. In his book about his visits to Iraq – “A Guest of Saddam” – Haider refers to his close ties to Tariq Aziz and their joint opposition to the “international plots” of the US and “the Zionists” against Iraq.

Although Milborn does not make the point, when Saddam was still in power the leaders and organisations of the European far Right set up Iraq-solidarity campaigns which presented themselves as charities. ”SOS Children of Iraq” was set up by the National Front in France, “SOS-Iraq” was set up by the Freedom Party in Austria, and an organisation of the same name was launched by the Republikaner in Germany.

According to Milborn: “The UN report lists Edlinger amongst the individuals and organisations alleged to have been rewarded by the Iraqi regime for their support for Iraq. The amount of the donation, which was passed on through the front-firm al Hoda: 100,000 dollars, ‘in favour of Fritz Edlinger’. Al Hoda was one of the front-firms through which Saddam Hussein ran many of his illegal oil transactions.”

Challenged by Milborn about the allegation, Edlinger’s response was: “I do not dispute that this money was transferred. But it was a donation for our project for children suffering from cancer in the south of Iraq.”

According to Edlinger, who has been General Secretary of the SAAR since 1996, he had received the donation in Amman from “a common acquaintance”, who was a member of the Al-Khawan family. This family owned half of al Hoda. According to the UN report, the other 50% was owned by the Iraqi government.

Since one branch of the Al-Khawan family lived in exile, because of Saddam Hussein, explained Edlinger, he could not have suspected that the Iraqi regime was behind the donation: “It was a matter of saving the lives of crippled children. I would have accepted this money from anyone who did not attach any conditions.”

But, continues Milborn, “the origin of the donation, which Edlinger was previously unable to openly remember, is hardly surprising. During the oil-for-food sanctions the SAAR was in close contact with several Austrian firms which are now listed by the UN as having paid bribes. Some were affiliates of the SAAR.”

Hotwell Services (alleged to have paid bribes of 161,250 euros to the Saddam regime), Hot Engineering (alleged to have paid a bribe of 49,421 euros) and Burmoos (alleged bribe: 65,865 euros) all donated money to the SAAR. Other Austrian companies named in the UN report – Marquette, Odelga, Ortolan, and Siemens (Austria) – contributed to a symposium organised by the SAAR in Baghdad in November of 1998.

Milborn’s aside that Edlinger was previously unable to remember the source of the donation was presumably a reference to an article which had had appeared in the Austrian “Die Presse” newspaper a week earlier:

“At page 123 of the UN report it is documented that the Iraqi firm al Hoda transferred 100,000 US dollars to the SAAR. The cheque was issued on 29th October 2001, and specifically to the benefit of Fritz Edlinger. The ‘Arab Bank’ kept a record of the transaction.”

“In response to questions from the ‘Presse’, Edlinger did not want to confirm or deny the matter. ‘I cannot exclude the possibility that al Hoda donated money for humanitarian projects,’ he said. It was very common, he continued, for Iraqis too to have supported the SAAR. He was also able to remember that he had been in contact with al Hoda.”

Money from the Iraqi regime being transferred through an acquaintance in Jordan? Being used (allegedly) to ease the plight of Iraqi children suffering from cancer? Recipient made lots of trips to Iraq when Saddam was in power? Recipient (finally) decides that, yes, he did get the money from that source but had no idea that it was part of the oil-for-food scam?

Doesn’t this sound depressingly familiar?

Edlinger, it might be noted in conclusion, is well-known in Austria not just because of his brother’s former role in government, and not just because of his role in the SAAR. He is also a notorious anti-semite. (Type his name into a Google search engine.)

The best resume of Edlinger’s relationshiop with the Saddam Hussein regime was provided by Thomas Schmidinger at a meeting on Iraq organised by the SPO in Vienna in January of this year.

Schmidinger (a member of the German-based (genuine) Iraqi-solidarity campaign WADI) and Edlinger were both platform speakers. Schmidinger did not allow the fact that the two of them were sharing a platform to be a reason to refrain from criticism:

”Herr Edlinger, it is absolutely clear to me where you are coming from. I simply do not accept that you are really happy that Saddam has been overthrown. I do not believe you, Herr Edlinger, because for years you maintained the best of relations with the Iraqi regime, because you maintained the best of relations to its Embassy and regularly attended functions on its premises, and also not in the least because the name of your Society for Austrian-Arab Relations was named about a year ago in the Iraqi newspaper ‘Al Mahda’ as a recipient of the oil vouchers which Saddam Hussein distributed to a number of individuals and political parties.”

“You profited from that regime. Now you are trying to duck out by saying that you are glad that this regime is no more – perhaps because you also want to do business with the new people in power in Iraq. In fact, you do business with all authoritarian regimes in that region.”

“In 2001, as you yourself proudly wrote in your newspaper, you were present at the anniversary of the military putsch in Sudan. You congratulated Omar al Bashir, the Islamist military dictator in Sudan, on his seizure of power. You are a lobbyist of Arab dictatorships engaged in business dealings.”

Stan Crooke

Comments

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 26/11/2005 - 13:13

One should not forget, Fritz Edlinger was until about 2 years ago the representative of the austrian socialdemocratic party at the middle east commission of the socialist international.

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