Replies

The Washington Times now has an article on it.

The London-based al-Hayat quoted former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, a prominent member in the National Assembly, as saying that al-Qaida's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahri, visited Iraq under a fake identity in 1999 on the sidelines of the ninth Popular Islamic Conference held under the chairmanship of former Iraqi Vice President Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri.

Allawi told the Saudi-financed daily that Egyptian-born Zawahri and Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi entered the country around the same time and started work to establish terror cells. He added the Islamic conference was just a "cover for holding secret parallel meetings involving Islamists who have terrorist cells around the world," insisting that Zarqawi was tasked with establishing cells.

Allawi claimed the Iraqi intelligence services under the former regime of Saddam Hussein had links with these moves through a man named Farouk Hijazi, whom he said was later appointed ambassador in Turkey, but was arrested after the collapse of Saddam's regime "while he was trying sneak back into Iraq." The Iraqi legislator warned that Zarqawi's organization has "huge financial capabilities, which should not be ignored because this group is a threat to the entire region, not only in Iraq."

Allawi also said he had information verifying the Jordanian-born suspect, believed to be responsible for the kidnapping and execution of hostages, as well as suicide attacks, had terror cells in Syria, but without the knowledge of the authorities there.

http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20050523-074126-3575r.htm