Breaking CNN on-air: Saddam accepted exile in United Arab Emirates

[DeepModem Mom]

Could/would have prevented Iraq war? State Department knew, but didn't think it would come to pass. CNN saying UAE official confirms.

No link yet.


ON EDIT: Here's a story, and link (don't know if CNN has new info; will watch website) --

Saddam accepted pre-invasion exile
Jim Krane
Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saddam Hussein accepted an 11th-hour offer to flee into exile weeks ahead of the U.S.-led 2003 invasion, but Arab League officials scuttled the proposal, officials in this Gulf state claimed.

The exile initiative was spearheaded by the late president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, at an emergency Arab summit held in Egypt in February 2003, Sheik Zayed’s son said in an interview aired by Al-Arabiya TV during a documentary. The U.S.-led coalition invaded on March 19 that year.

A top government official confirmed the offer Saturday, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Saddam allegedly accepted the offer to try to halt the invasion and bring elections to Iraq within six months, according to the official and Sheik Zayed’s son.

“We had the final acceptance of the various parties ... the main players in the world and the concerned person, Saddam Hussein,” the son, Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said during the program aired Thursday to mark the first anniversary of his father’s death....

http://www.tracypress.com/2005-11-01-world-two.php

[Miss Chybil]

1. Watching now...

I don't understand what happened - besides the fact Bush was going to throw a war, whether anybody showed up, or not.

[DoYouEverWonder]

2. This went around a couple of days ago

CNN is just catching on?

[DeepModem Mom]

4. It was indeed reported here -- do you recall the source?

[DoYouEverWonder]

13. Here's the first one that comes up on a DU search

from Oct 28.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1885510&mesg_id=1885807

[DeepModem Mom]

20. Thanks! I'll watch to see if CNN has anything further online.

[Ian David]

3. Oh, so he was hiding the WMDs in The United Arab Emirates?

Damn, that sneaky bastard!

[Lerkfish]

5. how is this breaking? they reported it at the time...

I remember it specifically as being offered by Iraq on the eve of invasion and chimpboy and rumsfeld saying "too bad".

[blm]

25. Kerry said so during the campaign and media sided with Bush campaign

and treated Kerry as if he was just saying anything to win....you know...the same way they treated Gore.

[Hissyspit]

30. It was ignored. I remember hearing about it. Even as the press was

reporting that attempts were being made to avoid the war.

[barbaraann]

6. Are they shifting blame to COLIN POWELL????

n/t

[napi21]

7. Yes, but it'ps a strange report. Yes Saddam accepted the

offer of exile to the UAE, but then they're saying the United Arab Group never authorized it and didn't think Saddam would really ever go.

It's difficult to understand just what it means.

[lovuian]

8. Yep the news is now blasting this so Bush is gonna have to

explain WHY we went to WAR???

[Straight Shooter]

9. U.S. only wants regime change if it's deadly and profitable to warmongers.

Any other kind of compromise to a Repub administration is unacceptable.

[Carolab]

17. Yup. See "War Is A Racket". n/t

[lumberjack_jeff]

10. That was the deal that was offered to avert war

Bush offered, Saddam accepted a deal with UAR but other arab countries pressured UAR to retract the offer.

[daleo]

16. More likely, Bush told the Arab countries to retract the offer.

Bush was never serious about the offer, so when Saddam accepted the offer, Bush needed a vehicle to retract it. This was it.

Let's hear from these Arab leaders who supposedly pushed for the war, in person. I doubt any will step forward.

[Little Star]

11. Nice media we have huh?

Why are we just learning of this this week? Useless damn media. Why do they think they should be rewarded with a federal shield law? They deserve nothing.

[daleo]

12. This isn't new, but it is interesting that CNN is repeating it.

I don't know, but it could be that higher powers in the status quo are dumping Bush.

- they are starting to admit that the evidence for war was a fraud.
- this adds to that, by letting the public know that Bush was bent on war no matter what Saddam did.

I think there may be a power struggle going on at the top levels of the American establishment.

[lavenderdiva]

19. I think you've hit the proverbial 'nail on the head' with your post...

I think Shrub's regime is unravelling, bit by bit. Those inside the government are 'dumping him', and those in the media are finally starting to directly address many issues they should have been reporting on from the beginning. They are starting to ask 'hard' questions (but need to ask harder ones and continue to do so IMHO), and don't like the strong-arm tactics used by Shrub. Just my opinion...

[Oreo]

14. Are they going to start breaking all the stuff we've known for years?

This may be how the "news" does this one. Don't say they missed stuff... just gradually leak the stuff we've already known about.

That's 2 in one day. The CIA secret prisons and this.

[chelsea0011]

15. No WMD report coming up next on CNN

[Ksec]

18. No war- no billions to the military industry

thats why they went anyway, Saddam was just a convenient excuse/

[geckosfeet]

21. Theocons wanted war no matter what. It is part of the PNAC platform to

gain footholds in middle east and stay there untill the oil is gone.

[jobycom]

22. So almost three years later they get around to calling it "BREAKING?"

Fascinating. When will they discover that the Beatles broke up?

[Lone_Star_Dem]

28. Yep, it takes them three years to cover the story

And since they just now decide to it's "BREAKING" news.

Unbelievable, isn't it?

[walldude]

32. The Beatles broke up?

:rofl:

[realFedUp]

23. Average Americans don't know this and it's big.

Means the loss of thousands of lives, ours and theirs,
and billions of dollars didn't have to be spent if
the Bushies and Congress had worked out things differently.

[oregonindy]

24. LOL....what if they gave a war and the other side didnt show up?

you prevent them from leaving so you have your straw man to destroy

[nadinbrzezinski]

26. this was A STORY back then at... get raedy, settle,

the Guardian...

[necso]

27. There've been several references

to this in the media recently, I seem to recall.

And I remember reading of Saddam accepting (or offering) a deal that some might have considered adequate (instead of invading), shortly before we invaded.

But the neocons were obsessed with invading Iraq, and they were looking for any remotely plausible excuse (including a completely fabricated one, if necessary) for invading -- not for a deal that would have stopped the invasion -- or for any other reason or reality not to invade.

So, as I recall, the neocons dismissed this "deal" because it was insincere -- just like they dismissed Iraq's protestations about (lacking) WMDs as insincere.

And since that (latter) Iraqi claim turned out to be sincere, one has to wonder about the former.

Insincere people often suspect others of insincerity -- or see them as patsies. (More generally, shitbirds often suspect others of being shitbirds -- or see them as patsies... And even more generally, people often expect others to be like them -- and this not infrequently has unfortunate results when it proves untrue.)

[BrightKnight]

29. The administration must have known. -- n/t

[progressivebydesign]

31. I swear I remember this story from a few years ago.

There were definite charges that Bush knew Saddam was willing to leave... and would hear nothing of it.