Iraq's Aziz says confident of victory

Reuters ^ | 4-1-03

[Oldeconomybuyer]

BEIRUT, April 1 (Reuters) - Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz said on Tuesday he was confident of victory over U.S.-led troops, saying Iraq would triumph not through desert battles but by frustrating Washington's war aims.

"We are confident of victory. Victory how? Victory is defeating aggression by preventing it from achieving its goals. This is victory," he said in an interview with the Arab satellite channel LBC.

"We didn't say that we would enter a conflict with America in some desert and that the Iraqi army will be victorious over the American army," he said. "We shall be victorious inside Iraqi land, inside our country, over the invaders."

Iraqi Fedayeen paramilitaries and forces loyal to President Saddam Hussein have turned to guerrilla warfare in southern Iraqi cities to try to stall the advance of the U.S.-led forces towards Baghdad and weaken their long supply lines. The taped broadcast followed a call by Saddam for Iraqis to fight the U.S.-led invaders "everywhere". The president told them jihad was their duty.

The outskirts of Baghdad were again heavily bombed on Tuesday, particularly in the south. Huge plumes of white smoke rose on the horizon. Iraq said the latest attacks had killed 24 civilians in Baghdad, 19 overnight and five on Tuesday.

[Keith]

April fools.

[Naspino]

Beat me to it.

[Spruce]

[Bobby777]

beat me as well ... the thing ya gotta love about Tariq Aziz (and the only thing one possibly could) is that he says this stuff

1) As if it were true ...

2) As if he believes it ...

3) With a straight face ...

In other news, Tariq Aziz belives Milli Vanilli sings all their own songs ...

[martin_fierro]

Aziz? Az IF!

[Rammer]

In other news today, Iraqi official Tariq Aziz was arrested by the DEA for smoking, as one DEA agent put it, "a whole concoction of stuff that really messed up his head."

[Hodar]

BEIRUT, April 1 (Reuters) - Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz said on Tuesday he was confident of victory over U.S.-led troops,

In a related story, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq-Aziz claims to have financed his retirement, and the retirement for his entire family clan; by making a shrewd investment in an online magazine called Salon.com (saln.ob). "With such a historical march of progress, I'm certain my funds will make great yields in a very short time" claims Aziz.

[Naspino]

I doubt this was shown on IraqiTV though. The guys there keep saying that America is in retreat -- suffering losses. Now Aziz is saying -- of course we cannot beat them...

He has to know they won't stop us. So -- the regime will be gone. Even after we leave it'll be a real .... for them to assume control again -- if any of them can escape the death squads that will be looking for them.

[jimkress]

If you come one step closer I'll punish you by stabbing myself again!

[Feckless]

Well, we know the hashish supply lines are still open.........

[SunStar]

...saying Iraq would triumph not through desert battles but by frustrating Washington's war aims.

A note to Aziz: this ain't Somalia, and our President ain't Bill Clinton.

[cynicom]

I hope Aziz surfaces after this war is over so we can hang the man, in public.

[sarasota]

What did we expect him to say? He'd rather stay alive.

[Bobby777]

Saddam, Uday, Qusay, Tariq ...

An Iraqi Four-of-a-Kind ...

all must go ...

Mebbe they could star in a new show "Three Husseins and an Aziz" ...

[Retrofire]

He should see the writing on the wall by now. I can't believe Saddam is still in control...But I will admit to some fascination with how tenaciously the regime has managed to hold together.

There HAVE to be cracks there. It would be nice to be a fly on the wall...

[1smallVoice]

With Saddam still a no show, I think the end will come very quickly. Saddam will never be found. Don't they have to bury Muslums soon after they die? Perhaps that is Jews. I still do not think he will turn up.

[Dog Gone]

It isn't Tarik talking here. It's his double, Larry Tate.

[Ebenezer]

I'm under the impression that Iraqi-regime mouthpiece Tareq Aziz is going to be tried as a war criminal if he is caught alive. Same for Saddam's own Goebbels, Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, who earlier today spoke on Iraqi TV on behalf of his ever-absent Fuhrer.

This is eerie. The situation in Baghdad looks more and more like Berlin in April 1945.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Here's my take.

The problem for Aziz, the Minister of Information, the VP and all the others left in the Iraqi leadership is that our stated goal is the elimination of Saddam's regime - which includes them. They also know our stated military tactic is "decapitation", which may have already been successful with Saddam and/or his sons.

Since the end of the 48 hour deadline they haven't had any cards to play other than suicide squads and manipulating the Arab media. Either tactics would have been effective in a pre-911 "politically correct" world - and it worked. I give you the UN "oil for food" program and Clinton's withdrawl of UN inspectors as exhibit A & B. The Iraqi's used the media to inflame Arabs and limp-wrists throughout the world.

Just as the RATS learned in the 2002 election, times have changed. The American people and our President are as serious as a heart attack and will not yield to the tactics that would have worked just a few months ago.

The Iraqi and the RAT playbooks are useless given today's reality.

JMHO.