Aziz, a Christian, is a waiter's son from Mosul who rose with Saddam through the Ba'ath Party and has been at his side for 20 years - a major feat, given the paranoid Butcher of Baghdad's penchant for assassinating out-of-favor advisers.
It is widely believed that Aziz survived because, as a Christian, he had no power base and was never deemed a threat.
From an article about Aziz in the New York Times:
Mr. Aziz, a Chaldean Christian from Mosul in northern Iraq, earned contempt from many Iraqis for his tireless defense of the bullying Tikriti clan around Mr. Hussein, but he was not feared as other leaders were.
From an article about Aziz in the Washington Post:
Aziz, an English-speaking Chaldean Christian born near Mosul in 1936 and educated in Baghdad, toiled for years as Hussein's foreign minister and main representative abroad. He served on the Revolutionary Command Council, the ultimate authority in Iraq, but was not part of the ruler's inner circle, composed of Hussein's family and Baath stalwarts who have stood beside him since the party took over here in 1968. He was No. 43 on the U.S. list of 55 most-wanted Iraqis.
And you can visit http://www.chaldeansonline.net/
(Still nothing worth much on T.B.)
:-(