Posted on 11/02/2002 1:24:19 PM PST by knighthawk
PARIS, Nov. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- The French Foreign Ministry denied on Saturday reports saying that President Jacques Chirac had sent a secret envoy on a mission to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
"he French authorities categorically deny the reports of the daily Ashraq al-Awsat. No French envoy charged with such a mission to Saddam Hussein has gone to Iraq," the ministry said in a statement.
Asharq al-Awsat, a Saudi-owned, London-based daily, reported Saturday that an envoy of Chirac has been "regularly visiting Iraqfor some time" to urge Saddam to soften his domestic and foreign policies and consequently avert United States military action against his regime.
The paper said the French envoy was a high-level official called "Pierre Delval" who went to Baghdad under a false identity as the manager of a French state-run printing house.
The paper also said the "envoy" mainly talked with Iraqi Vice Prime Minister Tarek Aziz, and had met "at least six times" with Oussai, one of Saddam' sons who is seen as a possible successor to Saddam.
The general amnesty recently granted by Saddam to all prisoners was a fruit of the French envoy's mission, said the paper.
If people want on or off this list, please let me know.
And that was certainly a brilliant thing to do!
When we get through with Saddam, family, friends, supporters, hangers-on and others there won't be anyone to talk with. Let our heavily armed aircraft begin their roll soon!
They "categorically deny" it, huh? This generally means, "Sacré bleu! Someone saw us!"
a.cricket
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