This is Steve Ember with In the News in VOA Special English.

The United Nations will use money left over from its oil-for-foodprogram in Iraq to pay for an investigation of that program.Secretary General Kofi Annan told the U.N. Security Council thisweek that thirty million dollars will be used. The money was meantto pay costs of the program, which ended last year.

This past April, Mister Annan appointed Paul Volcker to lead anindependent investigation into reports of wrongdoing. Mister Volckeris former chairman of the United States central bank, the FederalReserve. The oil-for-food program also faces other investigations inthe United States and Iraq.

The Security Council established the program at the end ofnineteen ninety-six. The program was designed to ease the harmcaused to the Iraqi population by U.N. economic restrictions. Thesewent into effect after Iraq invaded Kuwait in nineteen ninety.

The program was valued at sixty thousand million dollars. Itpermitted the former government of Saddam Hussein to sell limitedamounts of oil. Money from the oil sales was used to buy food,medicine and other aid.

But in January, an Iraqi newspaper listed about two hundredseventy foreigners suspected of illegally profiting from the oilsales. There were more accusations last week in a report by anAmerican team, the Iraq Survey Group. Chief American weaponsinspector Charles Duelfer, a special adviser to the CentralIntelligence Agency, prepared the report.

The report said Saddam Hussein made eleven thousand milliondollars in oil profits outside U.N. control. It said his governmentalso imported military equipment and other illegal goods.

The report says the former government offered deals to hundredsof individuals, companies and governments in an effort to end theU.N. restrictions. It says many offers were aimed at Russia, Franceand China, all permanent members of the Security Council. The reportalso says there were illegal oil sales to Jordan, Syria, Turkey andEgypt during the full period of the restrictions.

The thousand-page Duelfer report says Iraq used a secret systemof oil vouchers. These permitted the holder to buy oil and resell itat a profit. Benon Sevan, the former chief of the U.N. oil-for-foodprogram, is listed among those said to have received vouchers. Hehas denied any wrongdoing. So have Russia, France and others namedin the report.

The Iraq Survey Group also listed American companies andindividuals. But American officials said they could not releasethose names because of privacy laws.

Mister Duelfer said the report was based on Iraqi documents andinformation from members of the former government. But many of thosenamed in the report say there is no independent proof that illegaloffers were accepted.

In the News, in VOA Special English, was written by Cynthia Kirk.This is Steve Ember.