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(CNN) -- Prime Minister Tariq Aziz may be a familiar figure to Western television audiences. His task is to explain and defend Iraq's policies to the world.

One former Arab foreign minister described the cigar-smoking Aziz as "the most articulate Arab man I have ever met." Aziz is considered a rare breed among Iraqi officials: He is a minority Christian instead of a Sunni Muslim, and has no links to President Saddam Hussein's Tikriti clan.

Some observers speculate that Aziz, who speaks eloquent English, has survived under the capricious Hussein because of these differences. He is not considered a direct threat.

"A Christian is not going to be No. 1 in Iraq," explained one former senior Iraqi official, now in exile. Even so, Aziz has held various government posts through the years, including those of foreign and information ministers.

He became a full member of Hussein's Revolutionary Command Council in 1977, and survived an assassination attempt backed by Iran in 1980. He has negotiated international arms deals.

Aziz was born in 1936 to a family of modest means in northern Iraq. His father was a minor government official. Aziz changed his name from Michael Yuhanna to fit in with the Muslim majority; his chosen name means "glorious past."

He studied English literature at the Baghdad College of Fine Arts, and met Hussein in the 1950s, when he became involved with the revolutionary Baath Party that overthrew the British-installed monarchy. He is married, and has children.