Will Saddam’s Resignation Prevent a War?

America is displeased with the Arab initiative: No Guarantees to Saddam!
Now the Moslem world understands perfectly well that overthrowing of Saddam Hussein and America’s seizure of Iraq’s oil fields are in fact the most radical repartition of the world. After this repartition, the Arab world together with its oil supplies will be of slight importance. And this will be the fate not only of the Arab world, but others as well. That is why attempts to settle the awful crisis situation still continue.

American Moslem organizations urge Saddam Hussein to resign, which will consequently put an end to preparations for a war against Iraq. Today representatives of the US’s Moslem organizations declared that the UN and the Islamic Conference Organization must organize free elections in Iraq. The demand of the Iraqi dictator’s resignation is explained in a rather religious manner: dictatorship is incompatible with Islam. Indeed, Saddam Hussein isn’t an ayatolla; besides, his voluntary resignation will relieve the Iraqi people of further sufferings. Reuters quoted an official statement of the organization: “We appeal to the US President George W. Bush for cessation of a war campaign’s initiation in order to settle the current crisis.”

Not only different Islamic committees are trying to settle the Iraqi problem in this manner. The governments of Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are also negotiating with each other with a view to offer Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to resign from the post to prevent a war with the USA. America’s Washington Post reported about it with reference to sources well-informed of the negotiations’ details.

The newspaper informs, the offer of voluntary resignation to Saddam Hussein also contains warnings of a probable military coup to be organized in Iraq for overthrowing him. But in fact, it is hard to imagine there are still officers and soldiers in Iraq remaining after Saddam’s numerous party and army cleansings who would be able to organize a coup. Now diplomatic representatives of Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt actively discuss the possibility of amnesty to those high-ranking governmental and army persons who will agree to rise in opposition to Hussein.

It is supposed that this will be proposed to the Arab nations next week already, when foreign ministers of the region are to meet for discussion of the Iraqi situation on the initiative of Turkey.

As Washington Post informs, Saddam Hussein himself “hasn’t yet evinced any interest to this method of the problem’s solution. What is more, the newspaper informs that the USA and Great Britain are not among participants of this project.

At the same time, an undisclosed representative of the Bush Administration confirmed that the White House had been asked whether it would guarantee no trial to Saddam Hussein if he voluntarily resigned. The man said that the USA refused to give any guarantees. Washington Post reports: “The Bush Administration treats the Arab initiative skeptically.”

Turkey’s Internet newspaper Internetajans.com circulated today its own version concerning the hidden motive of the negotiations devoted to Saddam’s resignation. The edition has got information saying that originally Saddam Hussein practically gave his consent for voluntary resignation and even agreed to leave Iraq for one of the countries, Russia, Egypt or Libya. At that, Chairman of the Kurdistan Democratic Party Massoud Barzani and Turkey Prime Minister Abdullah Gul were mediators of the negotiations.

This was the main objective of Massoud Barzani’s recent visit to Turkey, where he had refused to come earlier. In Istanbul, Barzani met with ambassadors of Russia, Libya and Egypt and told them about Saddam’s request for an asylum to him and his family. The newspaper informs that Saddam agreed to leave for one of these countries forever, but on condition that Americans won’t make him stand a trial, the same it is currently done with Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic in the Hague.

The first response on the problem was received from Egypt’s Ambassador to Turkey. He said that the Turkish government agreed to guarantee asylum to Saddam Hussein and his family, the same way it had been done some time ago to Iran’s Shah Reza Pahlavi, who further left for the USA. At the same time, Barzani met with high-ranking officials from the US Foreign Department and discussed the demand to save Saddam Hussein from trial. But Americans categorically rejected the demand and said that the USA would insist that Saddam Hussein must stand a trial. This statement certainly made Saddam Hussein declare that he would leave Iraq in no circumstances and remain in Baghdad till the end. Ahtyam Ahtyrov PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Maria Gousseva

Read the original in Russian: https://www.pravda.ru/world/34754-iraqwar/

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