Posted on 12/19/2005 2:45:25 AM PST by F14 Pilot
Baghdad, 19 Dec. (AKI) - The US authorities in Iraq have ordered the release from prison of 25 senior members of Saddam Hussein's former Baath party. The ex-officials will be transferred to neighbouring Jordan, one of the lawyers defending them told the Chinese news agency Xinhua. Many members and supporters of the former party are involved in the Iraqi insurgency.
Under Saddam Hussein's rule, Iraqis could not reach senior positions in the government or in schools without being card-carrying members of the Baath party. But after the fall of the regime in 2003, the US administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, issued a decree creating a national council for the elimination of the Baath party, led by one of Iraq's deputy prime ministers, Ahmad Chalabi.
The council removed some 30,000 former Baath party members from their posts, but differences of opinion between Chalabi and the US Defence Department began to slow down its activities a year ago, and these have been at a complete stand still for several months. Last week, Chalabi announced that he no longer supports the law to eradicate all remnants of the former Baath party.
The US is due to hand over the running of three of the country's main prisons - Abu Ghraib in Baghdad, and the prisons at Baghdad airport and Puka in southern Iraq - to the Iraqi authorities next month.
This is not a smart decision.
That is the problem with this country , always trying to kiss someones ass to get them to like us.
Not necessarily. Look at the post-WWII history of Germany. Many in the military realized that not all former Nazis were worthless murderers; and many were needed to keep the infrastructure running. I suspect similar motivations here.
Is there US confirmation for this lawyer-originated story appearing in Communist Chinese media?
I'd hold my comments until this is shown to be an actual story and not an attempt by a lawyer to defame the US and get his thugs out of jail.
Just to be prudent, if for no more substantive reason.
This is probably part of a deal to end the Sunni insurgency.
WoW!
I can't believe this
I have no idea. They're being sent to Jordan.
Must be some reason for it we just don't know about.
The Iraqi's are agreeing to letting them go. There's obviously something going on behind the scenes.
Probably...but I hope this isn't some ransom payment.
Ask john mccain.
"ransom payment" for whom?
Well, it might be a good thing. If, in fact, they are no longer security risks they may be in a position to explain to western newspapers some of the inner workings of the Iraqi regime. There is so much that I still wonder about such as the alleged Prague meetings with Atta and the anthrax mystery. All of this will depend on the disposition of Saddam. Perhaps there is some indication his days are limited duration. That may have prompted these releases. Just speculating.
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