ABC Online;A legal claim from the Government has delayed the...

ABC Online;
A legal claim from the Government has delayed the appearance of federal officials at the oil-for-food inquiry.

The inquiry had been expected to begin hearing evidence from foreign affairs officials this morning, but is now considering a claim for "immunity in the public interest".

The Government has said it is cooperating fully with the Cole inquiry.

The inquiry has heard that the general thrust of evidence from Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials, if they appear, is that they acted as a post box for AWB.

They will tell the inquiry that the Australian wheat export contracts were not reviewed, merely sent on to the United Nations for approval.

Commissioner Terence Cole has heard that wheat contracts paid for from UN oil-for-food accounts were inflated to pay almost $300 million to Saddam Hussein's regime between 1999 and 2002.

The inquiry has examined material collected by intelligence agencies well before the inquiry began.

Counsel assisting, John Agius, SC, says agencies in Australia's intelligence communities obtained some potentially relevant information about possible circumvention of the oil-for-food program.

The commission has looked at the highly-classified material and asked for a limited number of documents it considers relevant.

The Federal Government wants them kept secret in the interests of national security.

Dave R. - the governor-general should sack them.