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Time - Man of the Year
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Time_Man_of_the_Year_Compact_Publishing_3YX-Disc-1_Compact_Publishing_1993.iso
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1993-04-08
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THE WEEK, Page 18WORLDExtraordinary Stories
Government coaching on the Iraq embargo reddens faces in Whitehall
There's nothing like the publication of a cache of secret
documents to kick up controversy. And the furor was substantial
indeed when a court in London released memos and letters
indicating that government officials were long aware that
British companies were violating an embargo against shipping
military equipment to Saddam Hussein's armies before the Gulf
War. The documents were released when charges were dropped
against three British businessmen accused of falsifying export
papers for machine tools that could be used in the manufacture
of artillery shells and fuses. The prosecution's case crumbled
because Alan Clark, former Secretary of State for Trade and
Industry, testified that he coached companies on how to get
around the embargo.
British Prime Minister John Major scrambled to minimize
damage to his government, which in recent weeks has suffered
from a series of political embarrassments. Major appointed
Justice Richard Scott to head an immediate inquiry into the
affair. With considerable understatement, Major said, "There
have been some extraordinary stories about this matter."