April 17, 2004

Mortimer B. Zuckerman, US NEWS: If you wondered why the French were so hostile to America's approach to Iraq and even opposed to ending the sanctions after the 1991 Gulf War, here's one possible explanation: French oil traders got 165 million barrels of Iraqi crude at cut-rate prices. The CEO of one French company, SOCO International, got vouchers for 36 million barrels of Iraqi oil. Was it just a coincidence that the man is a close political and financial supporter of President Jacques Chirac? Or that a former minister of the interior, Charles Pasqua, allegedly received 12 million barrels from Baghdad? Or that a former French ambassador to the U.N., Jean-Bernard Merimee, received an allocation of 11 million barrels? Perhaps it was just happenstance, too, that a French bank with close ties to then French President François Mitterrand and one of the bank's big shareholders who is close to Saddam became the main conduit for the bulk of the $67 billion in proceeds from the oil-for-food program. All told, 42 French companies and individuals got a piece of this lucrative trade. No matter how cynical you may be, it's sometimes just plain hard to keep up with the French. 9:41:32 PM

Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi (AP Photo) Hamas official Rantisi killed in Gaza attack CTV, Canada - GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — An Israeli missile strike killed Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi on Saturday, hospital officials said. The senior Hamas official was killed Saturday, after Israeli military helicopters fired missiles at his car. Abdel Aziz Rantisi, his son Mohammed and a bodyguard were also killed in the attack. Rantizi was one of Israel's top targets after the assassination of Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin in an airstrike on March 22. Rantisi's vehicle was struck near his home in Gaza City. After the explosion, Israeli helicopters were heard in the area.  2:30:29 PM