Washington ? Saddam Hussein was dead broke, the result of U.N. penalties. Or so it was thought.

So where did the Iraqi president find the money to pursue missile technology from North Korea, air defense systems from Belarus and other prohibited military equipment?

The CIA’s top weapons inspector in Iraq said Saddam carried out much of that trade with proceeds from illegal oil sales to Syria, one of three Iraqi neighbors that bought oil from Baghdad in defiance of the United Nations.

Trade with Syria, Jordan and Turkey was the biggest source of illicit funds for Saddam, more so than the much-maligned U.N. oil-for-food program, according to investigations of Saddam’s finances.

Though considered smuggling, most of the trade took place with the knowledge — and sometimes the tacit consent — of the United States and other nations.

With Republican-led congressional committees investigating allegations of oil-for-food corruption, some Democrats are pressing for answers about why the United States did little to stop the smuggling. The issue is part of a series of broader questions these lawmakers have about what U.S. officials knew about Saddam’s overall illicit finances.

“I am determined to see to it that our own government’s failures and oversights or mistaken judgments and decisions should also be exposed,” said Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif.

Some Republicans are promising to hold hearings on the matter next year.

“I believe the smuggling issue is huge,” said GOP Rep. Christopher Shays of Connecticut.