The Guardian is a true equal opportunity newspaper. It has generously extended its ability to be proven wrong on many issues to Salam, who welcomes the opportunity.
I am getting a real kick out of posting this. THE GUARDIAN IS WRONG, check your sources baby. In the article titled Iraqi defence minister under house arrest it says:
He [Lieutenant-General Sultan Hashim Ahmad al-Jabburi Tai, minister of defence] is not only a member of President Saddam’s inner circle, but also a close relative by marriage. His daughter is married to Qusay Hussein, the dictator’s 36-year-old younger son – considered by many as his heir apparent.
Wrong, Falsch, Khata’a. Qusay’s wife is the daughter of Maher abdul-Rasheed who is a very important military man. He led the armies which ‘liberated’ the Fao area in the south of Iraq in April 1988. He was put under house arrest a year after that for some reason or other and is now living in the Iraqi western desert raising camels and staying out of politics. Qusay does not have a second wife only Saddam has. So there is no use saying that those loony muslims have more than one wife, maybe she is the second missus Q.Hussein.
Last night one independent source in Baghdad contacted by the Guardian confirmed that Gen Sultan was in custody. “He continues to attend cabinet meetings and appear on Iraqi TV, so that everything seems normal,” said the source, a high-ranking official with connections to Iraq’s ruling Ba’ath party. “But in reality his house and family are surrounded by Saddam’s personal guards. They are there so he can’t flee.”
I, not a ‘high ranking official’, can tell you that his family is not under house arrest, his son is still driving that fancy car around Arasat Street intimidating everybody like all good sons of ministers do.
To be fair, the main point of the article was reporting on the signs of dissent in Baghdad in the past few days. And that must be a good thing.
