Diamonds Are Saddam's Best Friends

NewsMax.com ^ | 3/09/03 | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

[kattracks]

If London's Sunday Times has it right, Saddam Hussein may be getting ready to hit the road. He's bought millions of dollars' worth of diamonds - the traditional hard currency of fleeing refugees.

According to the Times, Saddam dispatched a "personal jeweler" to Bangkok, Thailand, to pick up a small mountain of the gems, prompting, the paper reports, speculation that the Iraqi dictator may be getting ready to get out of town while the getting is good.

It was the jeweler’s second visit to Bangkok, the paper reported. Three months ago, Saddam's son, Uday, had sent him to buy a $750,000 diamond ring from an American dealer, according to a Times source.

Saddam, reputed to be worth at least $2 billion, is one of the world's richest men. Although he told Dan Rather last week he would never leave Iraq, the Times suggests that the diamond purchase may signify a change of mind, adding that he might have decided to convert part of his wealth into diamonds because it is easier to hide and move around than paper currency when one is on the lam.

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
War on Terrorism
Saddam Hussein/Iraq

[nickcarraway]

ping

[weegee]

Maybe these are the "peace diamonds" that Sheryl Crow was crowing about at the Grammy Awards.

[weegee]

Saddam, reputed to be worth at least $2 billion, is one of the world's richest men.

Pishaw, in the Middle East $2billion would make him a mere pauper. 5 of the world's 10 richest men live there. This is what ticks me off when Bubba, Nader, and all the rest say that the solution to Middle Eastern terror is to give the poor of these nations US dollars. There is enough money in the region. They should overthrow their dictators and royalty who are keeping them poor and oppressed.

[HiTech RedNeck]

There are cultural considerations too why their royalty's investments don't work very much to the common good. It's a camel rider's society, not an industrial one.

[Boot Hill]

When the attack on Iraq commences, I would REALLY like to hear Bush issue a public warning to all the nations of the world, that any country daring to provide sanctuary to Saddam Hussein, be it China, Russia, North Korea, France or even California, that we will use what ever force is required to track down, capture and remove Saddam Hussein, with NO regard to the host country's sovereignty or any treaties we may have with that country. The SOB is ours, no exceptions, no excuses, this is war, hand him over.

--Boot Hill

[Lady In Blue]

Thanks! I just read this thread.