Tariq Aziz Disses Saddam Hussein - Stops Calling His Youngest Son Saddam

WCCO ^ | Dec 17, 2003 | AP

[yonif]

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) Former Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz has started calling his youngest son - named Saddam after Iraq's ousted leader - by the name Zuhair instead, according to letters obtained by the London-based Arabic daily Asharq Al-Awsat.

"My regards to everybody, how is your mother? And your youngest brother Zuhair?" Aziz said in a July letter to his two daughters, Zeinab and Maysaa. He also referred to the son as Zuhair in an October letter, the paper said in its Wednesday editions, which reproduced several of Aziz's letters.

The widely read Arabic daily said it got the letters from Aziz's older son, Zayad, 37. Zayad told the paper his brother is a student at the University of Jordan. While the paper's headline was that Aziz "changed" his son's name, Zayad still referred to his brother as Saddam.

Tariq Aziz, who once served as the public face of Saddam Hussein's regime, was one of the former officials called in to identify the ousted Iraqi president after his arrest on Saturday, U.S. officials said.

Aziz started sending letters to his family - scattered between Amman and Baghdad- after he surrendered to coalition forces on April 24, Zayad told Asharq Al-Awsat.

In his letters, Aziz asked his family to sent him heavy clothing, bread, dates, milk, slippers, Marlboro cigarettes, underwear, newspapers and magazines.

Seven letters were delivered to Aziz's family by the International Red Cross, but no letters have arrived since the Red Cross left Baghdad in October following a deadly suicide attack on its headquarters, Zayad told the newspaper.

"My father is ... an ailing man. He is an extraordinary politician. We are not allowed to communicate with or visit him," the paper quoted Zayad as saying.

He added that Aziz had suffered from a stroke, diabetes and hypertension before turning himself in to coalition authorities.

Asked if an attorney had been appointed to defend his father in case of a trial, Zayad said an Iraqi lawyer, Shawkat Shabeb, had volunteered and a French lawyer also may become involved in the case.

"Those who came to rule Iraq, came for revenge from the former regime. ... His (Aziz's) enemies will not be fair if they were the ones to try him," Zayad told the newspaper.

[CWOJackson]

"...a French lawyer also may become involved in the case."

Now why does that not surprise me?

[50sDad]

This bozo should be #2 up against the wall when the war crimes trials start.

[boxerblues]

Seven letters were delivered to Aziz's family by the International Red Cross, but no letters have arrived since the Red Cross left Baghdad in October following a deadly suicide attack on its headquarters, Zayad told the newspaper

bawwwwwwww *sniff sniff not

[CWOJackson]

I kind of favor the stoning thing. 100 women made widows by saddam, a public square, a pile of stones.

[Guillermo]

The French are trying to make sure that their years of complicity does not surface...

[djpg]

"My father is ... an ailing man. He is an extraordinary politician. We are not allowed to communicate with or visit him," the paper quoted Zayad as saying."

Poor Zayed. I wonder how he would feel if his father had is arms chopped off, was thrown from the top of a building, and, if that didn't finish him off, was gassed? It's OK for Tarik and the boys to destroy other people's lives but so sad when he is "ailing."

[mtbopfuyn]

Guess he got the memo about the 72 virgins being hogwash.

[Poohbah]

IIRC, Aziz is a Chaldean Catholic.

[Capt. Tom]

Former Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz has started calling his youngest son - named Saddam after Iraq's ousted leader - by the name Zuhair instead, according to letters obtained by the London-based Arabic daily Asharq Al-Awsat.

How soon they forget. -tom

[SamAdams76]

I was under the impression that Aziz is held in custody. Is that still the case? I can't imagine this guy getting back his freedom anytime soon.

[oceanview]

yes, in fact that should have executed him already.

[RAY]

The rats abandon ship!

[raptor29]

Yeah, Aziz, the heck with all that. Just tell us the stuff we need to know and maybe we'll spare your sorry butt the fate that awaits your former boss. Otherwise, put a lid on it.

[cynicom]

Shoot the man afore he croaks a natural death.

[Hank Rearden]

Former Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz has started calling his youngest son - named Saddam after Iraq's ousted leader - by the name Zuhair instead

Great choice. Much more melodic.

Zoo-hair.

I wish I was an Arab, so I could have a pretty name, too.

[McGavin999]

****WARNING-EXPLICIT DIALOG FOLLOWS*******

I read on an Iraqi blogsite that one of Saddam's favorite methods of killing people was to partially pull out a man's intestines while he was still alive and feed them to starving dogs. Another favorite method was to make them sit on broken bottles until the bottle penetrated. I can't feel sorry for this guy because he can't visit his father.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

I'm with ya there! But make that 10,000 widows and it'd be a good start.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

The French are trying to make sure that their years of complicity does not surface...

(Quote from above article:) Asked if an attorney had been appointed to defend his father in case of a trial, Zayad said an Iraqi lawyer, Shawkat Shabeb, had volunteered and a French lawyer also may become involved in the case. (Unquote)

I'm sure you're onto something there.

[mtbopfuyn]

Oops, I knew that. It'd be really funny if he started calling his son, Dubya.