Regards, Ivan
Posted on 04/23/2003 4:24:07 PM PDT by MadIvan
Nicole Martin shows a confidential handwritten memo found in the rubble of the looted Iraqi foreign ministry to the man who used to arrange the dictator's schedule
Saddam Hussein's former head of protocol said yesterday that the document found by The Daily Telegraph saying that George Galloway received substantial payments from the Iraqi regime was "100 per cent genuine".
Haitham Rashid Wihaib, who fled to Britain with his family eight years ago after death threats, said he had no doubt that the handwritten confidential memorandum addressed to the dictator's office apparently detailing how the Labour MP benefited from Iraq's oil sales was authentic.
Sitting in a cafe in central London, a world away from Saddam's palace where he spent 13 years arranging the dictator's daily schedule, he carefully studied the letter discovered in the looted foreign ministry in Baghdad.
As Mr Galloway continued to denounce the letter as a forgery, Mr Wihaib said he recognised the "clear and distinctive" handwriting as that of Tahir Jalil Habbush Al-Tikriti, head of the Iraqi intelligence service, who is number 14 - the jack of diamonds - on America's "most wanted" list.
"I am 100 per cent certain that this document is genuine," he said, his eyes still fixed on the letter. "As soon as I saw the document I knew it was Habbush's handwriting because it is so distinctive and unusual. This is not ordinary writing. The words are very big, just like sculptures. He writes very well."
As Saddam's head of protocol between 1980 and 1993, Mr Wihaib, 53, was among a coterie of individuals who had regular contact with the dictator.
He said he was responsible for arranging the dictator's daily appointments and meetings, and was required to open and deliver some of his personal mail.
Mr Wihaib said that in 13 years he received about "25 or 26" letters from Habbush, who during this period occupied several roles including the head of both the interior intelligence service and the Republican Guard. He was appointed head of the Iraqi intelligence service in the late 1990s.
"I knew him personally. He was a very violent and brutal man," said Mr Wihaib, who since arriving in Britain has written several books on Iraq. "I recognised his handwriting immediately because he used to send letters to Saddam which I opened and delivered to him.
"As head of protocol, I saw a lot of personal letters to Saddam - from the intelligence force, the head of the party and the army. I would open them and deliver them personally to Saddam in his office."
Asked whether he believed the documents could have been forged and planted as part of smear campaign against Mr Galloway, Mr Wihaib shook his head in disbelief: "I do not believe that anybody in Iraq would play around with Mr Galloway's name or Mr Galloway's money. They are afraid to do this."
Mr Wihaib, who lives in Shepherd's Bush, west London, has first-hand experience of the terror at the heart of the former regime. He fled Iraq in 1993 with his wife and two children, and arrived in Britain in 1995 after travelling through 17 different countries.
Mr Wihaib also said he recognised the room in the Iraqi foreign ministry where the documents were found by David Blair, The Daily Telegraph's correspondent in Baghdad.
"I used to visit the building a lot, sometimes twice a week, to take messages or orders from Saddam to the minister of foreign affairs," he said. "The big orange boxes that were shown on television used to contain important documents which the regime wanted to keep as references.
"They were kept in a room, known as the safe room, which was attached to the right of the private office of the minister of foreign affairs."
Mr Wihaib said it was not unusual for Saddam to court political figures such as Mr Galloway who publicly attacked their government's stance towards Iraq.
"He was the type of person that Saddam wanted. He was not only an MP but more importantly part of the Labour Party. He thought it was a huge achievement for him to have someone like Galloway stand up in the Commons and attack the sanctions and accuse the British government of killing Iraqi children.
"His aim was always to get people like MPs, journalists and heads of state - people who he believed had influence in society."
Regards, Ivan
Regards, Ivan
I guess I'll do it before anybody else has to.
IT'S THE GALLOWS FOR GALLOWAY!!!
Regards, Ivan
Unless he was so pitifully stupid as to not be paid for the nonsense he was spouting. ;)
Regards, Ivan
This fooled me a couple of times, too. Apparently, al-Tikriti means "from Tikrit" so A LOT of people have that "last name." This guy is supposedly a Jack and the guy we got today was a seven in the deck.
I'd take that bet but it would be like betting the sun will rise in the west tomorrow.
Who was the big name journlist who did an interview with Saddam?
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