Iraq takes over billions in oil revenue

The Iraqi flag flutters at the opening of the second refinery for crude oil in Al-Dora complex in Baghdad on September 16, 2010.Iraq takes control of a fund established by the U.N. following the invasionThe Development for Iraq fund contains billions of dollarsThe money is to be used to build up the country's economyThe U.N. resolution that established the fund requires some of the money go to Kuwait

(CNN) -- Iraq took control Friday of billions of dollars in oil revenues set aside by the United Nations following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, money intended to be used build up the country's economy.

The U.N. Security Council hand over of the Development Fund for Iraq is considered a milestone for Iraqi autonomy, which comes as the United States prepares to withdraw its roughly 47,000 troops from the country by the end of the year.

"The members of the Security Council welcomed the Government of Iraq's establishment of a successor arrangement for the transition of the Development Fund for Iraq," the United Nations said in a statement released Thursday.

The fund will be turned over to an Iraqi committee of financial experts that will operate under terms approved by Iraq's Council of Ministers, it said.

In the statement, the Security Council reiterated the commitment by Iraq to "ensure that oil revenue is used in the interests of the Iraqi people, and to ensure that transition arrangements remain consistent with the constitution and with international best practices in respect of transparency, accountability and integrity."

A 2003 Security Council resolution that created the development fund requires 5% of Iraq's oil revenue be used to pay reparations, primarily Kuwaiti claims that arose from the 1991 Gulf War.

In December, the Security Council lifted all but a few sanctions put in place prior to the invasion. Among the issues to still be resolved: war reparations to Kuwait, the demarcation of the Iraqi-Kuwait border and efforts to locate missing Kuwaitis and third-party nationals.

View the original article here

Maid's credibility questioned in Strauss-Kahn case

Prosecutors raise serious credibility issues with the accuser, a source saysDespite DNA evidence, prosecutors do not believe herThe defense team is asking for bail modifications for Strauss-KahnStrauss-Kahn is under house arrest in New York as he faces sexual assault charges

New York (CNN) -- In a revelation so serious that it could collapse the case, prosecutors will notify a court Friday of troubling credibility issues with the woman who alleged sexual assault against former International Monetary Fund Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, a source familiar with the case told CNN.

Credibility issues are so grievous that incontrovertible DNA evidence of sexual contact recovered from Strauss-Kahn's hotel suite may not be enough to overcome them.

"It's just an extraordinary, extraordinary development considering this case was brought with such great fanfare by the Manhattan district attorney and they very loudly trumpeted the credibility of the accuser," said Jeffrey Toobin, CNN's senior legal analyst.

"What makes it even more extraordinary is that the (DNA) evidence apparently shows a sexual encounter between Dominique Strauss-Kahn and the woman who is the maid. Yet even with DNA evidence, the prosecution is considering dropping the case. That shows how bad her credibility may be."

Prosecutors disclosed the issues Thursday in a meeting with Strauss-Kahn's defense, the source said. The credibility problems are expected to be explained in a letter to be filed Friday by prosecutors with the court.

Investigators uncovered four or five things that could shoot holes in her credibility, the source said.

Among them was that the woman, who worked as a maid at New York's Sofitel Hotel, "had not been truthful in her application for asylum from her home country of Guinea, or about details about a prior sexual assault," the source said.

The New York Times cited a law enforcement official as saying that the woman has repeatedly lied since her allegation of rape May 14.

"There was more concern about what she told investigators in a very believable way," the source told CNN.

The development is particularly stunning given prior statements by police and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, who spoke forcefully about the accuser's credibility, and it could ultimately mean a collapse of the felony case against Strauss-Kahn.

It's unlikely, however, that the felony charges against Strauss-Kahn will be scuttled immediately following Friday's hearing.

"There are a lot of different ways this could go," the source said.

Attorneys for the hotel maid did not respond to repeated attempts by CNN for comment.

While it is unclear what the immediate ramifications are for the prosecution, defense attorneys are expected to ask for a reduction in Strauss-Kahn's strict bail terms during Friday's hearing.

"Prosecutors will not object and, in fact, will ask for a bail reduction," the source said.

NYPD Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne told CNN he had "no comment" on the alleged credibility issue with the woman.

Strauss-Kahn, considered a viable candidate in France's presidential election before his arrest, faces seven charges that include criminal sexual acts and sexual abuse. He pleaded not guilty June 6.

Throughout, Strauss-Kahn has proclaimed his innocence. His defense team in June challenged the woman's credibility, threatening to release information that would "undermine the quality of this prosecution and also gravely undermine the credibility of the complainant in this case."

There are "serious issues regarding the credibility" of the hotel maid, a source close to the defense told CNN earlier Thursday.

Strauss-Kahn's defense team will ask for bail modifications at a court hearing slated for Friday morning, the source close to the defense team said.

In previous court appearances, the judge said that if Strauss-Kahn wanted to leave the city, he would require the court's permission. Strauss-Kahn was previously required to turn over his French passport and United Nations travel credentials to authorities.

Strauss-Kahn was released from jail on $6 million bail but is under house arrest in a luxury townhouse in Manhattan's Tribeca neighborhood.

He is under court-ordered watch as part of the terms of his bail agreement and must pay for 24-hour armed guards posted at the door, as well as electronic surveillance.

Strauss-Kahn has been paying roughly $250,000 a month for court-ordered security at the townhouse.

It is possible Strauss-Kahn's attorneys could ask Friday that he be released on his own recognizance, which would mean he would be released without bail.

Prosecutors may object to any request that allows for the return of Strauss-Kahn's passport to travel outside the United States, said the source familiar with the case.

The developments in the case come just ahead of the July 13 filing deadline for the French presidential primaries. If the case collapses, Strauss-Kahn theoretically has enough time to file.

Many of his supporters would still like to see him run, though some Parisians interviewed on the streets Friday said even if Strauss-Kahn was cleared of wrongdoing, it was too late for him to seek office this go-around.

CNN's Jim Bittermann contributed to this report.

View the original article here

Gadhafi daughter: 'My father is a guide'

Daughter: Gadhafi is 'symbol, guide'Ayesha Gadhafi is the Libyan leader's only daughterShe says the uprising and NATO campaign have brought her family together"Contrary to what has been said, our family is still very tight," she saysGadhafi's daughter says her father will not step down

(CNN) -- The only daughter of Moammar Gadhafi is standing behind her father, saying he will not step down because he is "a symbol, a guide" for the Libyan people.

"This is his country, his land, his people. Where would he go?," Ayesha Gadhafi, 34, told CNN affiliate France 2 during an interview at her home in Tripoli.

"There is one thing that you don't understand and that you will never understand. It is that my father is a symbol, a guide."

The comments by Gadhafi's daughter come as NATO's bombing campaign crossed the 100-day mark, raising concerns among some that the airstrikes could drag on for months.

Gadhafi has been under enormous international pressure to step down following a months-long uprising by rebels, emboldened by popular movements across the Middle East, trying to bring an end to his 42-year rule.

The U.N. Security Council approved a resolution in March authorizing force by whatever means necessary, with the exception of a ground invasion, to protect civilians. NATO began bombing military targets a short time later.

Gadhafi's daughter has accused NATO of war crimes for airstrikes targeting her father in Tripoli that resulted in the deaths of her four-month-old daughter, her brother and his two children.

"I am not hiding. I am at home. I live normally," she said in the France 2 interview that aired Thursday. "But you see, I've already lost one of my children and my brother in the bombings. Every day there are members of my people who die. Civilians. Anyone who has a heart can understand what I feel."

Gadhafi's daughter has been a staunch defender of her father and a familiar sight on Libyan State TV. She is believed to have had a hand in keeping the peace among her seven brothers, who have vied over the years for positions of prominence at their father's side.

"Contrary to what has been said, our family is still very tight. These events have brought us closer than ever. There is no division, no difference between us," she said.

"What is being said about it is pure invention."

Ayesha Gadhafi, who studied in France, admonished the French for their participation in the NATO campaign.

"Never would I imagine this country would one day kill my brother and my family," she told France 2.

"Through you, I want to send a message to the wives of the French pilots who bomb us. 'Your husbands are not working to defend civilians in Libya,''' she said.

"They kill my people and our children and for what? To satisfy, (French President Nicolas) Sarkozy, who thinks that the more Libyans he kills, the more votes he gets during elections."

She has been described as a longtime, loud supporter of anti-government groups, standing up for the IRA and Iraqi insurgents. She even joined Saddam Hussein's defense team prior to his being sentenced to death by hanging in Iraq.

When The Telegraph, a London-based newspaper, asked her how she felt about Iraqis who say Hussein slaughtered people, she said: "You are bound to meet people who may be against your policies."

View the original article here