SADDAM HOSEYN MIGHT ACCEPT GOING INTO EXILE
By Safa Haeri (with reports from Dawn of Pakistan and agencies)
PARIS 17 Jan (IPS) Iraqi President Saddam Hoseyn might agree with an
Arab-Turkish proposal to leave Iraq and go into exile in an African country,
according to diplomats in the United Arab Emirates, confirmed by Iranian and
Turkish sources.
The diplomats in Dubai, one Western and two Arabs, quoted by "Dawn" of Pakistan on condition of not being named, said the Iraqi dictator was prepared to accept a deal under which he would leave the country if he was guaranteed not to be prosecuted or persecuted by the United States or any of its European allies.
"Saddam would be accompanied by members of his family, members of the government and their families and an African country is considered as their new home, they said", adding that the proposal was first put on the table by Egypt.
German influential weekly "Der Spiegel" also reported Friday that Iraqi strongman has set four main conditions for his resignation, which includes political immunity from prosecution and complete US troop withdrawal from the Persian
Gulf region.
Quoting Arab and western diplomats, the weekly said Saddam has also demanded an end to the UN sanctions and weapons inspections in his country as well as enacting international actions to halt Israel's production of weapons of mass destruction, conditions that had been flatly rejected by Washington, according to Der Spiegel.
Western and Arab politicians and observers had repeatedly dismissed speculations that Saddam might resign, adding that such rumours could have been spread deliberately in order to cause uncertainty amongst government officials in Baghdad. Iraqi officials insist that Saddam Hoseyn would not leave his country "under any circumstances".
The Egyptian proposal, which has been accepted by Turkey, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, would be discussed in detail at a meeting that would also invite Syria but exclude Iran, sources said, adding that this condition has been opposed by Ankara, insisting that Iran was "far more important" for the future of Iraq than is Syria.
Following Turkish Prime Minister Abdollah Gul’s tour of Damascus, Amman, Cairo, Riyadh and Tehran, Ankara announced that it has send invitations to all these countries to meet in Turkey and discuss a peaceful solution to Iraqi crisis before the United States goes on war.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Maher said Thursday his country would answer Turkey's invitation after studying its "details and proposed agenda" and consulting with "our Arab brothers", excluding the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Egyptian President Hosni Mobarak, who discussed "the contacts related to the Iraqi issue" in a telephone call he received from his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Asad, confirmed Wednesday that Arab states and Turkey are trying to find a formula acceptable to both Washington and Baghdad to head off war in Iraq.
Diplomats say Turkish proposal is based on the formula worked out in London last December by Iraqis opposition, proposing the establishing of a provisory collegial leadership for the post-Saddam period that give the Iraqi Kurds and Sh’ias a predominant position.
But Mr. Roger Hardy, a BBC commentator on Middle Eastern affairs points out that since Saudi Arabia is suspicious of both forces, considering the Kurds as non Arabs and the Shi’a as seditious among the Muslims, and both of them having close relations with Tehran, it prefers Iraqi officers taking over of the present dictator.
Though both Turkey and Egypt are close allies of the United States and welcome the departure of Mr. Hoseyn from power, but are also opposed to America attacking Iraq, fearing a regional backlash of unforeseeable magnitude.
Arab sources speculated that following the joint Turkish-Egyptian proposal, Syrian President cancelled sine die a scheduled trip to Tehran on Wednesday, and a visit to Cairo by General Ali Hassan al Majid, a cousin of Saddam, known as the "Butcher of the Kurds", was also postponed by the Egyptian Foreign Minister, indicating that the "timing was not appropriate".
Sources in Tehran said Asad cancelled his visit to Tehran, where he was scheduled to also meet Ayatollah Ali Khameneh’i, the leader of the Islamic Republic, after being briefed by the Turks that Iran had agreed to cooperate with Washington in the toppling of Saddam.
There was a flurry of regional diplomatic activities in recent weeks, involving Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan and Iran, aimed at resolving the Iraqi standoff through diplomatic and political means.
An Iranian newspaper said Thursday that Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi intends to visit Ankara and some Arab capitals, starting with Cairo, to discuss possibilities of preventing Washington’s looming attack on Baghdad.
But Arab, Turkish and Western sources say they are not convinced by Iranian efforts, as the leadership sends conflicting signals concerning its position towards the Iraqi crisis.
In the one hand, the regime’s leader, Ayatollah Khameneh'i, continue outbursts against the United States and opposes any cooperation in the war to come, but on the other, the Foreign Affairs Ministry projects a different approach, saying it would not oppose Iraqi groups based in Iran to shoulder American’s war plans. Syria's state-run radio on Thursday accused Washington of contradicting UN resolutions by amassing troops in the Gulf to prepare for invading Iraq before arms inspectors finished their work. ENDS SADDAM MIGHT LEAVE 17103