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1998 early : (IRAQI LEADER HUSSEIN INVITES BIN LADEN 'DEPUTY' ZAWAHIRI TO DINE WITH IRAQI VICE PRESIDENT RAMADAN) US Intelligence says Saddam cultivated the relationship with al-Qaeda at the start of 1998 by inviting the man regarded as bin Laden’s deputy — Ayman Zawahiri — to dine with Taha Yasin Ramadan, the Iraqi Vice-President. - "Hijacker 'given anthrax flask by Iraqi agent'," by DANIEL MCGRORY, The London Times, SATURDAY OCTOBER 27 2001, Additional reporting by Roger Boyes in Berlin; Richard Owen in Rome and Andrew Finkel in Istanbul

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APRIL 1998 : (FATHER JEAN-MARIE BENJAMIN CROSSES IRAQ, MAKING A "DOCUMENTARY" CALLED "IRAQ : THE BIRTH OF TIME") crossing Iraq with a camera crew (covering over 3000 kilometres), he [Father Jean-Marie Benjamin] produced a documentary entitled "Iraq: the birth of time" (RAI UNO).---- Source : http://www.benjaminforiraq.org/homeGB.htm

(* My note: I wonder who paid his expenses- more oil vouchers from Hussein?)