Re: Saddam in Weißrussland?
Geschrieben von franz_liszt am 27. April 2003 20:45:26:
Als Antwort auf: NACHRICHTEN geschrieben von Freiwild am 27. April 2003 12:37:59:
Hallo Foris,
ist zwar nicht Reuters, aber so detailliert, dass es glaubwürdig oder überprüfbar scheint.
Gruß franz_liszt
********
Hussein Given Safe
Haven in Belarus?The World Tribune – 25 April 2003
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has obtained safe haven in Belarus,
several intelligence agencies believe.Western intelligence sources said several intelligence agencies in
the Middle East and Europe base this assessment on new
information about a March 29 flight from Baghdad to Minsk. They
said the flight of a chartered cargo plane could have transported
Saddam, his sons and much of his family to Belarus."There's no proof that Saddam was on the plane but we have proof
that a plane left on that day from Baghdad airport and arrived in
Minsk," a senior intelligence source said. "If you can think of anybody
else who could obtain permission to fly out of Baghdad in the middle
of a war, then please tell me."U.S. officials and Iraqi opposition sources said Saddam and his sons
appear to have escaped two assassination attempts during the war.
But they did not confirm the registration of a cargo flight from
Baghdad to Minsk on March 29, Middle East Newsline reported.The sources said the cargo aircraft took off from an unspecified
Baghdad-area airport and entered Iranian air space on the flight
toward Minsk. They said Iran did not attempt to interfere with the Iraqi
flight.About two weeks later, a registration of the cargo flight was found by
the U.S. military in wake of the capture of the airport and the rest of
the Baghdad area. Baghdad International Airport was captured on
April 4.U.S. officials said Saddam had been exploring the prospect of fleeing
to Belarus over the last year. They said the Iraqi ruler was in close
contact with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and that Minsk
became a major military supplier to Baghdad.Within hours after the departure of the cargo flight to Minsk on March
29, the Saddam regime was awash with rumors that the president
had escaped. Intelligence sources said the rumors spread rapidly
throughout the military command and among field officers."There was a significant decline in Iraqi combat strength starting from
around March 31," an intelligence source said. "In interviews with
coalition interrogators, Iraqi commanders have attributed the decline
in combat to the feeling that Saddam had fled."In Washington, Sen. Bob Graham, former chairman of the Senate
Select Intelligence Committee, said on Thursday that a senior
Saddam aide had been captured in Syria over the previous 24 hours.
Graham did not identify the aide, but said he held one of the most
sensitive positions in the regime.The aide was believed to be Izzat Eddin Ibrahim Al Douri, vice
chairman of the Revolutionary Council and the man who spent the
longest amount of time with Saddam in power.On Wednesday, British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon said Saddam
was believed to be alive and hiding somewhere in Iraq. "In the end
we don't know, but it is still our best judgment that he is [in Iraq],"
Hoon said."As each day goes by, as we continue to search those places he may
be hiding, we have to keep an open mind, but it is still my best
judgment."On Thursday, U.S. officials reported that Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister
Tareq Aziz, regarded as the Western face of the Saddam regime,
surrendered to U.S. military authorities. They said Aziz, who last
month had vowed to die rather than be detained, held negotiations
with the United States on the terms of his surrender.
www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/breaking_1.htmlWhilst the above article is interesting and informative it omits to
make one critical conclusion. Coalition forces had complete mastery
over Iraqi airspace: that being the case they must have allowed
Hussein's flight out of Iraq. See: Iran Media Leaks Secret Deal
Behind Demise of Baghdad