RFE/RL IRAQ REPORT
Vol. 4, No. 2, 12 January 2001
A Review of Developments in Iraq Prepared by the Regional
Specialists of RFE/RL's Newsline Team
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HEADLINES
* SADDAM BOOSTS PALESTINIAN CAUSE ON ARMY DAY
* MOSCOW CONDEMNS 'ILLEGAL BOMBING' OF IRAQ
* 'UDAY SAYS RUSSIANS 'FRONT' FOR U.S., BRITISH FIRMS
* UAE MINISTER SAYS SADDAM WILL FALL AFTER SANCTIONS
* IS IRAQI-IRANIAN DETENTE COLLAPSING?
* TURKEY DISPATCHES AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ
* IRAQI BOEING 747 GOES INTO DOMESTIC SERVICE
* IRANIAN PILGRIMS VISIT SHIITE SHRINES IN IRAQ
* SADDAM'S INNER CIRCLE DESCRIBED
* PALESTINIAN DELEGATION IN BAGHDAD
* TALABANI, BARZANI MEET ON KDP TERRITORY
* TALABANI INVITED TO TURKEY FOR TALKS
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SADDAM BOOSTS PALESTINIAN CAUSE ON ARMY DAY.
In a speech largely devoid of content, Saddam Husseyn
used his "Army Day" address on 6 January to call for support
of the Palestinian cause. In his summation, he said: "Long
live Palestine in whose battle Iraq has represented, with the
assistance of Allah, the potency of faith, side by side with
the heroic Palestinians and the armies and the will of the
Arab nation wherever the banners and the true stands endeavor
to fortify the nation and those who take those true
stands..."
Timed to coincide with this speech, London's "Al-Zaman"
featured an interview with two Iraqi army officers now in
exile about the state of the military in their homeland. The
two said that the army remains even now "the principal
national institution that the people rely on despite the
damages inflicted on its traditions and formations and the
attempts to keep it away from its national tasks."
Both officers, Staff Colonel Amir Mukhif Al-Juburi and
Air Force Brigadier General Jawdat Mustafa Al-Naqib, said
that the army had deteriorated significantly over the last 30
years. Al-Naqib said that "the Iraqi Army had been a
professional one when the current regime came to power in
1968, famous for its high discipline and excellent military
efficiency."
He added that the majority of the commanders and
officers now are grumbling about Saddam's dictatorship. And
he concluded that the unification of the people and army will
lead to a modern democratic Iraqi state where the sons of its
people can enjoy prosperity, justice, and freedom. (David
Nissman)
MOSCOW CONDEMNS 'ILLEGAL BOMBING' OF IRAQ.
The Russian Foreign Ministry on 9 January demanded that
the U.S. and Britain end what it called their illegitimate
actions against Iraq and respect that country's sovereignty
and territorial integrity, Interfax reported. Its statement
said that Moscow has often protested about the illegal nature
of bombing in the no-fly zones and said that "[w]e proceed
from the fact that the continued illegal bombing of the Iraqi
territory not only results in more innocent victims among the
civilian population, but to a large extent hampers the
process of the political settlement of the Iraqi problem."
According to Iraqi data, in the year 2000 U.S. and British
aircraft violated Iraq's air space 11,605 times - 8,199 times
from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and 2,866 from Turkey. (David
Nissman)
'UDAY SAYS RUSSIANS 'FRONT' FOR U.S., BRITISH FIRMS.
'Uday Saddam Husseyn, the eldest son of Saddam Husseyn,
said that a number of Russian firms working with Iraq were
actually being used as covers for British and American
companies, UPI reported on 4 January. He made this accusation
in a report to Iraq's parliament. He added that some of these
firms are being financed by Jewish businessmen and rely on
products imported from Israel. And he called on the Trade
Ministry to check all the companies with which it is doing
business. Since the start of the oil-for-food program in 1996
under which these firms operate, Russian companies have won
contracts worth more than $2.5 billion. (David Nissman)
UAE MINISTER SAYS SADDAM WILL FALL AFTER SANCTIONS END.
Shaykh 'Abdallah Bin-Zayid Al-Nuhayyan, the UAE's
information and culture minister, told Kuwait's "Al-Ra'y Al-
'Amm" on 8 January that "the Iraqi regime will not fall
unless the sanctions imposed on Iraq are lifted." Al-Nuhayyan
explained that "during the Islamic summit in Doha, the GCC
stood alone with regard to the position on Iraq, while there
was Arab and international pressure toward sympathizing with
Iraq. Reaching a decision concerning Iraq looked hopeless,
but we managed to achieve the best thing possible."
While the policy of each Gulf country might differ on
Iraq, the UAE official stressed that "there is total
commitment by the Gulf states toward Kuwait and its demands.
The Gulf states will not stop supporting Kuwait, but these
states, including Kuwait, cannot bet on a losing horse." And
he added that "the Iraqis can only hear Saddam and the Iraqi
media all he time. They do not have satellite dishes and they
cannot receive any foreign broadcasts to learn the other
point of view. All the time they hear that the planes fly
from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to bomb them and that Kuwait and
Saudi Arabia make them starve by working to maintain the
sanctions. Therefore, their hatred intensifies and this
affects the stability of the region." (David Nissman)
IS IRAQI-IRANIAN DETENTE COLLAPSING?
According to London's "Al-Sharq Al-Awsat" of 8 January,
an Iranian source said to be "close to the government" said
that the 7 January explosions near a Revolutionary Guards
center north of Tehran should be considered "a declaration of
the end of the truce between Tehran and Baghdad."
When Iraqi Assistant Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Qaysi
visited Tehran recently, the source said, a "quasi-agreement"
was reached to put an end to the activities of the opposition
groups in both countries in preparation for concluding a
comprehensive security agreement between them. This accord
was followed up by a joint decision to stop strengthening the
radio and television programs broadcast by the Mojahedin-e
Khalq from Iraq and Supreme Council for the Islamic
Revolution (SCIRI) in Iraq from Iran.
The potential conflict between the Mojahedin-e Khalq and
SCIRI may be in part responsible for the rumors that began to
circulate about Saddam Husseyn's alleged heart
attack/stroke/death. The rumor was launched into the media
when the SCIRI representative for Iraq gave an interview to a
dpa reporter (see RFERL Iraq Report, 5 January 2001) in which
he claimed that Saddam had been hospitalized after suffering
a stroke following the military parade in Baghdad on 31
December. From that point on, the rumor took on a life of its
own, acquiring a kind of virtual reality. Seen from this
angle, the Mojahedin-e Khalq attack could be considered
retaliatory, but the SCIRI-Mojahedin-e Khalq factors may
merely be an appendix to the ongoing Iran-Iraq dialogue.
According to the Iranian source, the explosions proved
the validity of Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani's views that
Baghdad's pledges cannot be relied upon and that a policy of
vigilance must be continued and the defense and security
preparations on the western border upgraded. But at the same
time, Iraq Deputy Trade Minister Fakhri Rishan, in Iran on a
trade mission, expressed the hope that Tehran-Baghdad trade
and economic relations would deepen in the future. He termed
his talks in Iran as "fruitful", according to an IRNA
dispatch of 9 January.
Subsequent to that report, the Mojahedin-e Khalq
announced that it had attacked the State Security Forces'
headquarters. According to a colonel from the office of the
commander of the complex, the shells fell at random on an
area of housing complexes. (David Nissman)
TURKEY DISPATCHES AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ.
Istanbul's "Milliyet" reported on 6 January that Ankara
has named an ambassador to Baghdad for the first time since
the Gulf War. In February, Mehmet Akad will replace charge
d'affaires Selim Karaosmanoglu who has been representing
Turkey there, the paper said. (David Nissman)
IRAQI BOEING 747 GOES INTO DOMESTIC SERVICE.
A Boeing 747, given as a gift by Saddam Husseyn to the
Iraqi Airways Company, flew the 300 miles from Baghdad to
Basra for the first time on 8 January, Baghdad radio
reported. Eleven passengers were on board, including Minister
of Transport Ahmad Murtada Ahmad, an Arab actress, an
Egyptian art delegation, and several media delegations.
(David Nissman)
IRANIAN PILGRIMS VISIT SHIITE SHRINES IN IRAQ.
The thousands of Iranian pilgrims who annually visit
Shiite shrines in Karbala and Najaf are a major source of
income for Iraq, according to the "Neue Zuercher Zeitung" of
9 January. Each Iranian pilgrim pays approximately $350 for
the six-day tour. With some 3,000 pilgrims each week, the
Iraqi state earns $40-$50 million a year in funds which are
not subject to UN control. Nonetheless, Baghdad regulates the
influx of pilgrims very carefully. At the border crossing
with Iraq, Iranian pilgrims must change from Iranian buses to
Iraqi ones and be examined by security officials. The
newspaper suggests that Baghdad is frightened that additional
pilgrims might spark disorder. (David Nissman)
SADDAM'S INNER CIRCLE DESCRIBED.
London's "Al-Wasat" of 25 December reports that "by
means of old and new periodic purges, Saddam has managed to
close off all avenues through which the winds of change could
blow and has strengthened his hold over the army, the Ba'th
Party, the security organs, and the media." Saddam's 'inner
circle', those who control access to Saddam himself, wield
exceptional influence and are worthy of closer attention, the
paper suggests. This inner circle now includes the president
himself, his son Qusay, Saddam's secretary 'Abd Hammud and
Saddam's cousin 'Ali Hassan Al-Majid.
Qusay and 'Abd Hammud control all of Saddam's movements
and appointments as well as the paper flow to his desk. Al-
Majid controls the Ba'th Party, especially in Baghdad. His
role is synonymous with the Republican Guard and Special
Guard, both of which are under the direction of Qusay, "but
one should bear in mind that 'Ali Hasan Al-Majid has great
influence in both of them," the paper says.
As for 'Ali Hasan Al-Majid, one diplomat told the paper
that the majority of the main officers in the guard units are
his direct relatives. Al-Majid's influence increased recently
when the director of his office, Tahir Jalil Hamish, was
appointed director of intelligence.
This inner circle has convinced Saddam "that he has
tremendous influence on the Arab man in the street and is
able to mobilize Arabs to threaten other regimes or overthrow
them. He also feels that there is no reason to count on the
peace process and that he would reap the fruits of this
situation sooner or later." (David Nissman)
PALESTINIAN DELEGATION IN BAGHDAD.
A Palestinian delegation, led by Faruq Qaddumi, head of
the PLO Political Department, arrived in Baghdad for a stay
of several days on 7 January, the "Voice of Palestine"
reported. 'Azzam Al-Ahmad, Iraq's minister of public works
and coordinator of Palestinian-Iraqi relations, told the
group that the visit "aims at continuing talks with Iraqi
officials on a mechanism to implement Iraq's decision to
provide one billion euros to support our people's
steadfastness and provide them with food and medicine for a
year within the oil-for-food program. Al-Ahmad added that the
Palestinian National Authority will present this issue to the
UN Security Council if the UN's Sanctions Committee refuses
to approve it. Meanwhile, on 4 January, Baghdad Radio
reported that 'Abd-Al-Ghani 'Abd-Al-Ghafur, secretary-general
of the National Patriotic and Progressive Front (NPPF), has
said that legal responsibility obliges the UN secretary
general and the UN Security Council not to succumb to U.S.
pressures with regard to the allocation of the one billion
euros, based on the concept that Iraqis and Palestinians are
part of one nation. (David Nissman)
TALABANI, BARZANI MEET ON KDP TERRITORY.
Jalal Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of
Kurdistan (PUK), stopped off on his way to Turkey at Pirmam,
near Salah-Al-Din in Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)-
controlled Iraqi Kurdistan, according to a report by
"KurdSat" on 8 January. In Pirmam, Talabani and his
delegation were received by Mas'ud Barzani, leader of the KDP
as well as by members of the KDP Political Bureau and the KDP
Central Committee - Jawhar Namiq Salim, Hoshyar Zebari,
Masrur Barzani, Karim Sinjari, Brusk Nuri Shawes, and others.
The PUK delegation consisted of Umar Fattah, Muhammad Tawfiq
Rahim, Dr. Barham Salih, Sa'di Ahmad Pira, and Bavel
Talabani. Barzani and Talabani had a closed meeting during
which they reportedly had a general discussion which a KDP
spokesman described as "productive." (David Nissman)
TALABANI INVITED TO TURKEY FOR TALKS.
Jalal Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of
Kurdistan (PUK), was invited to Ankara to meet with Turkish
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and with Foreign Ministry
Undersecretary Faruk Logoglu, the "Turkish Daily News"
reported on 8 January. A Turkish official told the paper that
"we neglected Talabani for a long time. Now we feel the PUK
is doing an excellent job along with Mas'ud Barzani's KDP
(Kurdistan Democratic Party) in the struggle against the
terrorist PKK group in northern Iraq and deserves Turkey'
support." Barzani reportedly also will be invited to Ankara
for consultations. (David Nissman)
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