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Ex-Iraqi ambassador calls Saddam a 'tyrant'Aldouri: Bush, neo-conservatives needed an enemy
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CNN) -- Mohammed Aldouri, Iraq's former ambassador to the United Nations, said U.S. President George Bush, allied with neo-conservatives, sought an enemy as early as 2000, and he called Saddam Hussein a "tyrant." In an interview published Tuesday in the Gulf News, a English-language daily newspaper based in Dubai, Aldouri, 61, said that, despite the appearance of loyalty, he never agreed with how the Iraqi leader treated the people of Iraq. "Tyranny contradicts my nature and beliefs," he said. "Saddam was simply a tyrant. ... I have always differed with the regime. I represented my country because there was no way of saying no and because I thought that I could serve my country." Aldouri called on Arab leaders to learn from what happened in Iraq and grant freedom to their people. "And this, in turn, will bring prosperity and unity at a later stage," he said. "Arabs have no future without unity. I feel for Arab unity everywhere I go. Ordinary people on the streets of Damascus have greeted me with love -- they were hugging and kissing me." Aldouri announced that he was leaving his post at the United Nations April 11, the same day the White House declared the Iraqi regime "gone" and the first coalition troops entered Baghdad. Under U.N. rules, the government of Saddam Hussein holds its seat until a new Iraqi government presents its credentials and is then approved by the U.N. General Assembly. Aldouri said he did his best to avoid the war. "I can say I won the diplomatic battle in denying the U.S. the legitimacy it was looking for to launch its war against my country," he said, referring to the "help" received by "peace lovers in the world, including millions who marched on the streets in major cities of the globe." War could have been avoided if the Iraqi team assigned to deal with the U.N. weapons inspectors was "given clear instructions and full authority to defuse any tension that might have arisen," he said. Tensions between the Iraqis and the weapons inspectors were inflamed after the 1991 Gulf War, Aldouri said. The Iraqis on occasion tried to play "smart games" and often had to wait for the decision of the "political leadership," which gave the impression that Iraq hid "vital information," he said. By the time Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei's inspection teams came to Iraq in November 2002, "war was imminent, and nothing could have been done to avert it," he said. Blix is the head of the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission and ElBaradei is head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The final round of inspections was designed to legitimize the war, Aldouri said. Asked whether he blames former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein for the war, Aldouri said, "Not exactly." "In my opinion, the team, which was charged to deal with inspectors, was acting to minimize the damages," he said. "If Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction, and it actually has none, then there was no justification for not opening all our books to international inspectors in the early stages." Bush's alliance with the conservative Christian wing of the Republican Party -- "fostered by neo-conservative circles" -- made it necessary for the U.S. to create an enemy, Aldouri said. He said the Bush administration was looking for one as early as 2000. "They believe in conflict as a way to ensure the economic prosperity of the U.S.," he said. "They also believe in using their military strength to threaten ambitious nations in the West." Aldouri offered some perspective as to why Saddam defied demands from the more powerful United States and Britain before the war, but more or less disappeared once the war started. "Saddam was a man looking for a role in history," he said. "He was like any other dictator. He was very aware of image. He was trying his utmost to ensure that history would describe him as one of the great leaders of the world. He is a man who can't resist a challenge. He would take any risk to show that he fears nothing." The man who, to the West, was one of the most public faces of Saddam's regime, said he met Saddam twice -- each time during a conference in Baghdad for Iraqi envoys. His instructions, he said, came from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He said most who worked in Saddam's regime did so out of fear or for the favors Saddam granted. "Just for the record, I have not accumulated any wealth by working for the regime and nor was I given any benefits other than my salary," he said. "I was serving my nation, and I will continue to do so." Saddam has been removed from power and is "finished -- whether alive or dead" -- but the ability for the United States to help Iraq solve its problems depends on its ability to endear itself to the Iraqis, he said. So far the United States is not off to a good start, Aldouri said. "I think what has happened since April 9 [the day Baghdad fell] up until today doesn't suggest that the Americans are acting wisely to build a good image vis-a-vis the Iraqis," he said. "Their plans in Iraq are still vague." Asked if the United States will benefit in the long run from war with Iraq, Aldouri said no. "Let me answer your question by asking you what benefits have they got from the Germans, the Koreans and the Japanese? The same token applies to the Iraqis," he said. "They can control the political elite for some time. But this does not mean that they will be able to control the masses." The world is changing, Aldouri said. Permanent allies or political enemies no longer exist and people and nations are now bound by interests, he said. "Slowly and gradually, the U.S. will see itself incapable of forcing its views on the world," he said. "Such a day will definitely come because the world cannot continue like this."
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