Saddam's Secrets by Sada Georges Hormuz

Author:Sada, Georges Hormuz [Sada, Georges Hormuz]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2005-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 6

THE CONSEQUENCES OF WAR

The years between the Iran-Iraq War and the first Gulf War were two of the sweetest I can ever remember. The fighting had ended in the north and the invasion of Kuwait had not yet begun. We were so glad to be done with fighting, but then in 1990 things started escalating all over again. Saddam was saying that Kuwait was stealing our oil, drilling slanted wells into our underground reservoirs. No one in Iraq cared about that; surely there was enough for everyone. But then Saddam started saying, “Of course, Kuwait actually belongs to us. It’s not a separate country but the nineteenth province of Iraq.”

That may have been true a hundred years earlier, before the British partitioned the land. Centuries before that, all the Arab lands in the Middle East belonged to the Assyrians, but you can’t throw out history and diplomacy just because you covet your neighbor’s territory. History changes things, and there’s no going back. But Saddam was only looking for an excuse to start another war, and Kuwait, which was one of the richest countries in the world, had become the object of his affections.

Part of Saddam’s argument was that Kuwait had been dumping oil on the world market in such large quantities that it was forcing down the price of Iraqi oil. At that time Iraq was shipping 3.5 million barrels a day, but the price had dropped so much that Saddam estimated he had lost at least $10 billion. He said it was the Kuwaiti’s fault and they would have to pay Iraq the difference.

The debate escalated to the point that each of the countries involved determined that they would have to send representatives to meet in Saudi Arabia for a conference to air their differences and come to a fair settlement. Saddam decided to send his deputy, Izzat al-Douri. Prince Abdullah would be the representative of the Saudi monarch, King Fahd, and Sheikh Saad would represent his own country, Kuwait. The story of the encounter in Riyadh is striking, to say the least, and the account which follows is what happened as it was related later to me.

The meeting was set for July 31 and August 1 of 1990. But before Izzat al-Douri left for Riyadh, Saddam spoke to him privately and told him, “Look, Izzat, whatever you do, I don’t want you to accept their offer. No matter what happens, make sure that you find a way to refuse any settlement Sheik Saad offers you.”

So Izzat al-Douri went to Riyadh with that message firmly planted in his mind, and as soon as the conversation began the first words out of his mouth were, “Sheik Saad, I demand that you pay my government $10 billion in cash.” It was a strange way to begin a discussion, but that’s how it began. There was much discussion and debate, and Al-Douri was asked to explain his demand. But eventually Sheik Saad told him, “Okay, Mr. Al-Douri. I agree to your demand, but we will not pay you $10 billion.

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