Thursday December 1, 01:23 PM
US Senate asked to look into AWB's Iraq activities
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US Wheat Associates has asked the US Senate to probe AWB's activities in Iraq.
The export market development group also wants the American Government to suspend AWB and its US subsidiary from futures trading and credit or financing programs.
The US Agriculture Department first suspended and then lifted AWB USA Limited's ban from participation in a US Department of Agriculture export credit program.
US Wheat spokesman Dawn Forsythe says her group is "fine" with that decision "because AWB has publicly stated that they will not be using that credit program".
"Beyond that, we're asking the Senate to evaluate the US government's authority to temporarily suspend AWB from trading on US futures markets," she said.
US Wheat also wants the Congress to consider banning AWB from US Department of Agriculture and US export-import bank credit financing and guarantee programs after a UN probe found AWB may have paid kickbacks to Saddam Hussein through the oil-for-food program.
AWB was unavailable for comment this morning.
Meanwhile the US Department of Agriculture has confirmed a 200,000 tonne wheat deal with Iraq.
The sale brings US exports to Iraq to a million tonnes this month alone.
Australia's last deal with Iraq for 650,000 tonnes of wheat was negotiated in September prior to the findings of the UN investigation.
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