The Hindu : Tariq Aziz surrenders, being questioned

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 26, 2003

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Tariq Aziz surrenders, being questioned

BAGHDAD April 25. Iraqis today hailed the surrender on Thursday of the high-profile former Deputy Prime Minister, Tariq Aziz, to U.S. forces, saying it proved the Saddam Hussein era was over. With the best-known face of Mr. Hussein's ousted Government in their control, U.S. officials guiding the reconstruction of the war-ravaged country predicted that some Government ministries could resume work by the end of next week.

Mr. Aziz, no. 43 on a U.S. list of 55 most-wanted aides of Mr. Hussein, gave himself up in Baghdad yesterday. `He did surrender. He is currently being questioned by coalition forces," a U.S. military spokesman said in Qatar.

Mr. Aziz, 67, last appeared in public on March 19 after rumours that he had been shot or had defected. The silver-haired, cigar-smoking Mr. Aziz played a starring diplomatic role as Iraq's Foreign Minister in the run-up to the 1991 Gulf War.

Later he was the defiant international voice of Iraq before the invasion that overthrew Mr. Hussein.

Earlier, the U.S. administrator in Iraq said the formation of a new Iraqi Government would start next week. Speaking after talks with some of the country's prospective new leaders, Jay Garner told a news conference: "I think you'll begin to see the governmental process start next week, by the end of next week. It will have Iraqi faces on it. It will be governed by the Iraqis."

Iraqis who attended the meeting with Gen. Garner in Baghdad expressed impatience at the failure of U.S. forces to restore essential services and law and order.

As part of the process of replacing Mr. Hussein's Government, a number of Iraqi political groupings are to meet U.S. officials in Baghdad on Monday, following an initial meeting near the southern city of An Nasiriyah last week.

Mr. Hussein and his two sons, Uday and Qusay, are missing and no weapons of mass destruction — the reason the U.S. and Britain launched the war on March 20 — have been found.

Reuters

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