Ex-Iraqi army chief Khazraji is in Saudi Arabia: opposition source

Agence France-Presse | March 17, 2003

[HAL9000]

DUBAI (AFP) - Exiled former Iraqi army chief Nizar al-Khazraji, who was reported missing in Denmark, is in Saudi Arabia, an Iraqi opposition source said.

The London-based source, which spoke on condition of anonymity, said the report on Khazraji's whereabouts came from "someone very close" to him in Denmark, noting that the former army chief has "always had good ties with Riyadh."

Khazraji, under house arrest in Denmark, went missing Monday with police suspecting that he might have fled the country or been kidnapped by Iraqi agents, according to reports from Copenhagen.

Khazraji, believed to be the highest-ranking officer to have defected from Iraq and touted as a possible successor to President Saddam Hussein, did not come back from a walk Monday morning in the southwest town of Soroe, his family told police.

Khazraji had no travel documents, but could easily have left Denmark, which is part of the Schengen agreement for the free circulation of people, said special prosecutor for international criminal affairs, Birgitte Vestberg.

Khazraji, who headed the Iraqi armed forces during the invasion of Kuwait in 1990, fled to Jordan in 1995 and three years later applied for political asylum in Denmark, where he has since lived.

Despite being charged with war crimes for chemical weapon attacks on Iraqi Kurds in the 1980s, he has been touted as a possible interim leader for Iraq if Saddam is overthrown.

At the time of his indictment last November, Khazraji was about to leave Denmark for Saudi Arabia which had granted him a visa. The 64-year-old said he wanted to make his way into northern Iraq to help topple Saddam.

[ellery]

bttt

[AnnO]

Very interesting article....wonder what this means....could be a positive or a negative! Just have no idea what this might mean....interested in other Freeper views.

[scooby321]

Very Postive

[AlextheWise1]

I cannot see us allowing anyone with anything to do with the use of chemical weapons to be part of the new government.

[John Valentine]

Maybe...

The greater good and all that....

Look, this guy just might be broadly acceptable within the Iraqi military, and if he now disavows his past use of these weapons, his knowledge of the programme could be very helpful.

But as an interim President, probably not.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

Worth repeating in big bold letters:

"At the time of his indictment last November, Khazraji was about to leave Denmark for Saudi Arabia which had granted him a visa. The 64-year-old said he wanted to make his way into northern Iraq to help topple Saddam."

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

Link for this one? (pretty please :-).

[Kryptonite]

French press? Yawn.

[Exit148]

"The 64-year-old said he wanted to make his way into northern Iraq to help topple Saddam."

The immediate picture I had of this man, is leading the victors into Baghdad. He goes to North Iraq, fights along with the Allied forces, and marches right down to the capital as an Iraqi savior.

Just a thought. I know nothing about the man, but he sounds like an opportunist. IMMHO.

[Higgymonster]

As I recall gang, this is the guy that denied he did the gassing and defected sometime after that. I've read a couple stories that this is one of the folks that we want back to help topple Saddam. As I remember it, even the Kurds who got gassed didn't think he did it and gave him cover for months until he got out of the country.

Some prosecutor where he was living though was going to prosecute him despite our trying to get him out of the country. I'm not surprised that he disappeared at the last minute.