Troops handed 'Saddam letter'(Saddam is negotiating a safe passage)

Evening Standard ^ | 06/23/03 | Shafik Meghji and James Langton

[TigerLikesRooster]

Troops handed 'Saddam letter'

By Shafik Meghji and James Langton, Evening Standard

23 June 2003

American soldiers have allegedly been handed a letter from Saddam Hussein offering his terms of surrender.

The development comes amid further claims that he is still alive and active in Iraq.

Saddam passed the handwritten document to Abid Hamid Mahmud al-Tikriti shortly before the former aide was captured by US forces last week, it has been claimed.

In the letter Saddam called for "fair treatment" by the allied forces for himself and that his family be allowed safe passage from Iraq to another Arab country.

In return he promised order an end to the rebel attacks on the occupying American soldiers, which have claimed 40 lives since the official end of hostilities.

Saddam also offered to help build links between the Iraqi people and the Americans.

King Abdullah of Jordan has said he believes Saddam was still on the run inside Iraq and was "moving around the north-western area".

In an interview with American television, he said reports that Saddam had been seen were "like Elvis". He added: "There's a lot of sightings of him all over the place."

Last week it was reported that an American air-strike may have killed Saddam and several of his closest followers in northern Iraq. But Pentagon officials have played down reports that they are testing human remains to see if they match the missing dictator and his two sons, Uday and Qusay.

Although intelligence teams have arrived to search the wreckage of vehicles for DNA samples, sources in Washington say they are unaware of bodies being found.

[TigerLikesRooster]

We will see how this story pans out.

[b4its2late]

Fair treatment? Turn him over to the citizens that found the mass graves of their loved ones. Sounds fair to me......

[elfman2]

We wouldn't hear about this, especially the details, it if it were true.

[TomGuy]

Yes.

I'd like to see the son who used the plastics shredder on his enemies be alive and see the citizens allow him the pleasure of going through the shredder--feet first.

[theDentist]

The U.S. Terms of Surrender: "Cigarette? Blindfold?"

[Ditter]

Fair treatment? Doesn't Saddam Insane realize that ANY horrible thing could be done to him & it would be FAIR, considering what he has done to so many of his people?

[Arkie2]

Safe passage to Allah. That sounds fair.

[The_Victor]

In the letter Saddam called for "fair treatment" by the allied forces for himself and that his family be allowed safe passage from Iraq to another Arab country.

Saddam was offered these terms prior to the start of the war. That deal has expired.

[steve8714]

Even if this is genuine, let us not forget that he still has lots of money with which to finance terror campaigns, and would likely sponsor mischief all the more inside Iraq.
Plus, what agreement has he ever lived up to?

[sarasota]

Yes, that deal has expired. We'd best take a firm stand on this one.

[kayak]

Saddam also offered to help build links between the Iraqi people and the Americans.

Yeah, right! He also claimed that he is Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy.

Since there is soooooo much mutual respect and admiration between Saddam and both the Iraqi people and the Americans and since he is such an advocate of the rights of the individual, I am sure that he would be a great help in the transition period to a democratic Iraq.

[Coop]

In return he promised order an end to the rebel attacks on the occupying American soldiers, which have claimed 40 lives since the official end of hostilities.

No way we have lost 40 to these attacks. Just yesterday the poor soldier was victim #9 for the month of June. Are we supposed to believe 31 died during May?

If you factor in accidental deaths, then the total number is over 50 as I recall...

[Stefan Stackhouse]

We will see how this story pans out

A story that ends with human remains that are so few that they fit in a pan would be a good ending. . .

[doug from upland]

Put him in a small unpadded room. Pump in the shrieking speech of Hillary 24 hours a day. In very short order he will smash his head into the wall until he is unconscious and ultimately dies. Oh well, just an idea.

[YOMO]

The U.S. Terms of Surrender: "Cigarette? Blindfold?"
############################################################
NO, NO, NO. Don't you know that Cigarette smoking is BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH?

[Coop]

This sentence was pulled from a Reuters report and seems much more realistic (though still tragic):

It was the latest in a spate of attacks on U.S. forces in which 19 soldiers have been killed since President Bush declared major combat in Iraq over on May 1.

[CJ Wolf]

He is counting the other iraqis that he has killed last month...

[Clara Lou]

I'll believe it when it happens. And then I'll be wondering if we haven't been given one of his look-alikes.

[Dirk McQuickly]

Saddam passed the handwritten document to Abid Hamid Mahmud al-Tikriti shortly before the former aide was captured by US forces last week, it has been claimed.

Timing is everything. Hussein hands over the letter. Tikriti suddenly has a bargaining chip and arranges his (Tikriti's) "capture". The next sound you hear is three hellfire missiles shredding Saddam's convoy in Syria.

There will be no "surrender".

[homeschool mama]

lol