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Saddam exile plan gathers
pace
By Syed Saleem Shahzad
KARACHI - Even as the United States appears to
be drawing closer by the day to attacking Iraq,
behind-the-scenes efforts are continuing to find a
peaceful solution to the crisis by forcing Saddam
Hussein to step down at the eleventh hour to prevent his
humiliating dethroning after defeat in war, with Saudi
Arabia and the US playing a pivotal role in the
diplomatic initiative.
Asia Times Online has
learned of an unpublicized visit to Pakistan by a
high-powered Saudi delegation believed to have been
headed by influential Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, the
defense minister. The Saudis flew into the city of
Rawalpindi last Friday aboard a special non-stop flight
from Washington and then flew on to Paris the following
day.
The Pakistan government has not said a
single word about the delegation, but a highly-placed
official in the Islamabad administration told Asia Times
Online that the mission was a part of ongoing diplomatic
efforts aimed at developing a plan for the exile of
Saddam, as well as to discuss possible options for the
future of Iraq.
"The high-profile delegation
that arrived on January 24 in a chartered Saudi Airbus
A-340-200, with registration number HZ-124, held
important meetings with President General Pervez
Musharraf and other top brass of the military on recent
developments in Iraq," the official said. He added that
the Saudi delegation, which was escorted by a 20-strong
elite commando guard, included two senior officials of
the US government.
On Thursday, Saudi Foreign
Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal was due in Washington
from Paris for talks at the White House, most likely
including President George W Bush and Secretary of State
Colin Powell. Prince Saud will be the highest ranking
Saudi official to visit Washington in several months.
On Wednesday, Powell, speaking to reporters,
said, "If he [Saddam] were to leave the country and take
some of his family members with him and others in the
leading elite who have been responsible for so much
trouble during the course of his regime, we would, I'm
sure, try to help find a place for them to go."
The source said that the Saudi delegation's
visit to Pakistan was so important that its members were
whisked away from Chaklala Airport in Rawalpindi under
the watchful eyes of crack Pakistani commando groups
amid tight security.
Other sources said that
apart from one person who was a British national, the
entire crew of the aircraft was from the United States.
The visit of the delegation was "so secret" that not a
single person from the Saudi embassy was present to
welcome the visitors, the source said. "And it was not
the last visit," the source said, adding, "The second
phase of the mission is expected very soon."
Pakistan's support of an "exile" plan for Saddam
is important as it is an influential member of the
50-plus strong Organization of the Islamic Conference
(OIC), which could, if it speaks with a united voice,
increase the pressure on Saddam to step down before the
bombs start falling. Since January, Pakistan has also
been a temporary member of the UN Security Council.
Commenting on the diplomatic initiative, a
senior US official in Pakistan told Asia Times Online
that there is still optimism that it will succeed in
bringing Saddam to his knees. "The Saddam Hussein of 12
years ago and the Saddam Hussein of today are two
different persons. There are reports of internal
pressure on Saddam not to go for war and some reports
suggest that the current pressures have shattered his
nerves. It is highly expected that he could step down
and agree to go into exile."
(©2003 Asia Times
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