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<p>PARIS -- Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, a dictator who fled Haiti in 1986 with millions of dollars, came to France to live in high style. Home was a villa in Mougins in the hills above Cannes. He and his family drove through the French Riviera in a BMW and a Ferrari Testarossa and shopped at expensive boutiques. They owned a chateau outside Paris and two apartments in the city.</p>

Pundits and reporters are being sold on the idea that Ahmed Chalabi, the Iraqi exile leader, is largely the creation of American neoconservatives such as Paul Wolfowitz. They miss the point. Chalabi is so prominent in discussions of Iraq's future because for ten years he has been leading the central organization of Iraqis opposed to Saddam and the Baath regime. The Iraqi National Congress (INC) was founded by Chalabi in 1992 as an all-inclusive democratic opposition movement to remove Saddam and create a united federal government of laws in Iraq. The INC is not a faction or special-interest group seeking...

Saddam Hussein (1937- ), was born in the village of Al-Auja (near the city of Tikrit, 200 km north of Baghdad). Hussein joined the Arab Ba'ath Socialist Party in 1957. Two years later he went into exile following an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Abdul Karim Qassem, the prime minister of Iraq. When he returned from exile he was imprisoned; however, he escaped from jail, and in 1968, he helped lead a successful Baathist coup. His eventual assumption of the Presidency in 1979 followed an ever-increasing role as Vice President. He has plunged Iraq into its darkest times with two disastrous...

Rumsfeld: Too Late for Exile for Saddam By MATT KELLEY .c The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Thursday there was ``not a chance'' that the United States would agree to an arrangement that would halt the war and allow Saddam Hussein to survive as Iraq's leader. ``It doesn't matter who proposes it, there's not going to be one,'' Rumsfeld told a Pentagon briefing. He said that governments that are discussing such a deal ``provide hope and comfort'' to Saddam's regime ``and give them ammunition that they can then try to use to retain the...

Just reported that the Bush admin. would let Saddam go into exile (MAURITANIA). French are the go between. Powell also left the door open. Are they nuts? If Bush II lets Saddam escape, he'll be out of a job in 22 months. He didn't learn a damn thing from his father. Americans expect the job to be finished once you start it. Its the American way-something his dad never understood. What if Saddam, sitting on the beach, calls Hezbolah and tells them to look at (9 paces from shore) the pond behind palace #23? That is where the VX is...

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Middle East - AP Iraq Rejects Demand for Saddam's Exile By HAMZA HENDAWI, Associated Press Writer BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq (news - web sites)'s leadership on Tuesday rejected the U.S. ultimatum that Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) and his sons leave Iraq or face war, and the United Nations (news - web sites) pulled its weapons inspection staff out of the country as battle appeared inevitable. A defiant Saddam appeared Tuesday night on Iraqi television in military uniform, in what appeared to signal his role as defender of the nation. Saddam last appeared in a military uniform after...

London, Mar 9 (ANI): Saddam Hussein's personal jeweller has been in Thailand on a secret mission to buy millions of dollars' worth of diamonds, according to a report in The Sunday Times. The trip has prompted speculation that the Iraqi leader may be planning to flee or to send his family into hiding. Quoting "sources with knowledge of the trip", the report says the jeweller travelled to Bangkok via Jordan and bought the diamonds in the Thai capital in a pre-arranged deal. This was his second trip, Saddam's son Uday having sent him there three months ago to buy a...

Survivor or suicide? Intelligence agencies debate Saddam's fate SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COMMonday, March 17, 2003 LONDON — Western intelligence agencies can agree on one thing: For the first time Saddam Hussein knows that war is imminent. But there is no agreement on how the Iraqi president will respond in the final days of a 12-year showdown with the United States. The argument pits intelligence officials who assess that Saddam will offer to abdicate against others who conclude that the president will fight to his death. The intelligence debate was sparked by the clearest signals by Saddam that he is...

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq has rejected a U.S. ultimatum for President Saddam Hussein to go into exile or face war, saying a decision by the United Nations to withdraw its staff from Iraq was an "unfortunate decision". Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri told reporters that "any child" in Iraq knew that U.S. President George W. Bush's ultimatum to Saddam was a non-starter. "The only option (to secure peace) is the departure of the warmonger number one in the world, the failing President Bush who made his country a joke," Sabri said on Monday.

GENEVA - President Saddam Hussein wants to die in Iraq and will resist pressure from other Arab nations and the United States to go into exile, former Saudi oil minister and co-founder of OPEC Sheikh Ahmad Zaki al-Yamani said Sunday, AFP reported. "The message (from Saddam) that I see in his television declarations is unequivocal. He wants to die in Iraq," Al-Yamani told the Swiss newspaper Dimanche in an interview. "People that know him have told me that for Saddam life without power is not life," he added. Kuwaiti State Minister for Foreign Affairs Mohamed al-Sabah had Wednesday described Saddam's...

Exclusive: The Pope brokers secret exile deal to avert war From Marion McKeone at the UN, New York SADDAM Hussein and his family are to be given 72 hours on Tuesday to accept an offer of exile, while 50 of Iraq's top military brass will be offered an amnesty in return for full co-operation with the United Nations in a secret plan to be tabled at its New York headquarters. The highly sensitive proposal was tabled by Pakistan during a closed-door meeting of the 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council on Friday and was brokered by Saudi Arabia, the...

Transcript: LINDA MOTTRAM: So is it possible that Saddam Hussein has already left Iraq? Given his use of body doubles as a security measure, it is likely, according to German forensic scientist, Doctor Dieter Buhmann, the man who knows as much about the Iraqi president's stand-ins as anyone. At the request of German television ZDF a while back, he applied his skills to a detailed examination of photos and videos of Saddam Hussein and determined which were the real Saddam and which were the doubles. Dr Buhmann believes that he's got the issue pegged, unlike the far right Austrian politician,...

SADDAM Hussein and his family are to be given 72 hours on Tuesday to accept an offer of exile, while 50 of Iraq's top military brass will be offered an amnesty in return for full co-operation with the United Nations in a secret plan to be tabled at its New York headquarters. The highly sensitive proposal was tabled by Pakistan during a closed-door meeting of the 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council on Friday and was brokered by Saudi Arabia, the Vatican and moderate Arab states. Failure by Saddam to agree to the plan would clear the way for...

SADDAM HUSSEIN has sent his personal jeweller to Thailand on a secret mission to buy millions of dollars worth of diamonds, prompting speculation that he is preparing to flee or send his family into hiding, writes Jon Swain. Sources with knowledge of the trip revealed that the jeweller travelled from Baghdad to Bangkok via Jordan. They said he bought the gems in the Thai capital in a prearranged deal. “He purchased millions of dollars worth,” said one. This was the jeweller’s second recent visit to Bangkok. Three months ago the sources said that Saddam’s son Uday had sent him to...

By Steve Wampler My Voice Published Sunday, March 2, 2003 For months, anti-war activists, Hollywood elitists and liberal congressional Democrats have incessantly attacked President Bush's plan to force Saddam Hussein to comply with a U.N. disarmament resolution. Some groups, such as Not In Our Name, have proclaimed that large numbers of Iraqi civilians and children would be killed by any war to oust the longtime dictator. In effect, the anti-war groups purport to represent the Iraqi people. Interviews in the British press with Iraqi exiles make clear, however, that the people of Iraq largely want an end to Saddam's governance...

PyongYang ready to offer asylum to Saddam, according to a businessman of Macao An owner of casino of Macao, certain Stanley Ho Hung-sun, transmitted an offer of asylum of the North Korea to Saddam Hussein, reports Sunday South China Morning Post.Ho Hung-sun specified with the daily newspaper that high persons in charge north-Korean had proposed to the head of Iraqi State and with its family a sanctuary perched on a mountain in this State stalinien."Nous must seize all the chances to arrive at peace, in particular if the good news come from the east ", indicates the newspaper quoting...

LONDON — The United States has apparently withdrawn its offer of immunity for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his aides in exchange for their voluntary exile. Arab diplomatic sources said senior Bush administration officials refused to relay guarantees that Saddam, his sons and aides would be granted immunity from war crimes prosecution if they enter exile. The sources said the proposed deal has been promoted by Saudi Arabia and Turkey and discussed by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal during his meeting with U.S. President George Bush last week. "The White House is feeling more confident these days and...

Middle East Saddam exile plan gathers paceBy Syed Saleem Shahzad KARACHI - Even as the United States appears to be drawing closer by the day to attacking Iraq, behind-the-scenes efforts are continuing to find a peaceful solution to the crisis by forcing Saddam Hussein to step down at the eleventh hour to prevent his humiliating dethroning after defeat in war, with Saudi Arabia and the US playing a pivotal role in the diplomatic initiative. Asia Times Online has learned of an unpublicized visit to Pakistan by a high-powered Saudi delegation believed to have been headed by influential Prince Sultan...

CAIRO — Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has canceled the trip of his top aide to discuss possible exile after learning the U.S. wanted the aide arrested. However the U.S. State Dept. spokesman Thursday encouraged efforts to convince the Iraqi leader to seek safe haven in another country, and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is in contact with Saddam. The envoy, Ali Hassan Majid, was to have arrived in Cairo on Saturday. Majid was expected to relay a message from Saddam to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak concerning what diplomatic sources termed "personal issues." Arab diplomatic sources said the Iraqi president shelved plans...

Iraq: Baghdad would lay down the conditions of an exile of Saddam Baghdad laid down the conditions of a possible departure in exile of the head of the Iraqi State Saddam Hussein, affirms Friday hebdomaire German DER Spiegel in its edition on line, quoting diplomatic sources in Dubaï and Cairo. A list of claims was given to Arab and Western diplomats, according to the magazine. It includes/understands the departure of the American soldiers of the area of the Gulf, the end of the mission of inspection in disarmament of UNO and the lifting of the sanctions against Iraq. For...

Middle East Over the past month and a half there has been a flurry of speculation about a possible non-military solution to the situation in Iraq. Even if the United Nations finds evidence of concealed weapons of mass destruction, there may still be a remaining diplomatic alternative to a costly and destabilizing war, removing Saddam Hussein while also opening the way for the two stated US goals of democratization and disarmament. This alternate solution would be forced exile. But at least as interesting as the idea itself, which admittedly is a long shot, is the fact that the US seems...

Saddam agrees to send top aide to discuss possible exile SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM Tuesday, January 14, 2003 CAIRO — Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has for the first time signaled openness to an Arab plan for his exile in an effort to prevent a U.S.-led war against Iraq. Arab diplomatic sources said Saddam has agreed to send a senior aide to discuss "personal issues." The sources said the aide could arrive in Cairo over the weekend for talks on a plan to organize asylum in a Middle East country. On Monday, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz said Saddam would...

CAIRO — Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has for the first time signaled openness to an Arab plan for his exile in an effort to prevent a U.S.-led war against Iraq. Arab diplomatic sources said Saddam has agreed to send a senior aide to discuss "personal issues." The sources said the aide could arrive in Cairo over the weekend for talks on a plan to organize asylum in a Middle East country. On Monday, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz said Saddam would never leave Iraq Saddam's envoy was identified as Ali Hassan Al Majid, a senior member of the Iraqi...

With the latest attack on Israelis by Palestinian terrorists, it is time to re-evaluate Israel's current strategy with regard to the intifada. And it is time for America to re-evaluate its plan for peace in the Middle East. Israel's strategy under Ariel Sharon has been one of defensive retaliation. Mass movement of Israeli troops into Palestinian controlled areas has occurred only after Palestinian suicide attacks against Israelis. It has not been completely unsuccessful. With each incursion, Israeli troops have been able to target and either arrest or kill Palestinian terrorists and scatter others from their comfortable nests. Still, it hasn't...

BAGHDAD, Sept 27 (AFP) - Saddam Hussein's eldest son, Uday, on Friday denied reports that he had visited Moscow to prepare for a potential exile of the president's family. "It's pitiful propoganda and they (the journalists) should find better," Uday said during a meeting with Iraqi youngsters, part of which was broadcast on his Youth Television channel. "What would Uday go to do in Moscow? What does that mean?" he asked. "Whoever has a father like Saddam can have no greater honour than to be by his side." Uday added that he had even refused to leave Iraq for...

MOSCOW, Sept 20 (AFP) - The Iraqi ambassador to Moscow firmly denied Friday that Saddam Hussein was prepared to go into exile to avert a US-led strike against his regime in Baghdad. US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld suggested late Wednesday that a decision by Saddam to leave the country would help avoid US military action against Iraq. But responding to "Western media reports" rather than Rumsfeld directly, Iraq's ambassador to Russia, Abbas Khalaf, flatly reject the suggestion that Saddam was prepared to abdicate. "This is another crude and stupid media invention that appeared in the course of the propaganda...

Damascus, Syria -- Iraq's state-run media has quoted Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan as saying during a visit to Baghdad that American Muslims are praying for an Iraqi victory in a war with the United States...(snip)OMED: If this is true -- and no matter what he says publicly in the U.S. we believe it probably is -- then Louis Farrakhan should be stripped of his citizenship and deported...(snip)For complete article, click here.

Why Self-Hating Jews Want To Destroy Israel The return of the Jewish people to the land of their forefathers after 2,000 years is an epic event completely unprecedented in the annals of human history. Never before has a people been expelled from their homeland by a brutal aggressor, scattered among the nations all over the world and then returned to their land twenty centuries later. Even Hollywood could never dream up a story like this: a nation living in total exile for 2,000 years and then returning to their ancient homeland to speak the same language, practice the same religion...

Does Israel have the right to force besieged Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat into exile?