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Daughter: Saddam âhad a big heartâ
AMMAN, Jordan (CNN) -- With tears in their eyes, Saddam Husseinâs two oldest daughters said Friday that they still love their father but wouldnât talk about his role in the deaths of their husbands in 1996.Such a wonderful father but he sucked as father in law. "He was a very good father, loving, had a big heart, loved his daughters, sons, grandchildren," Raghad said. "He was the one we always go to." He gassed Kurdish kids, let children in Basra starve to death, sent teen boys into battle against Iran as cannon fodder but apart from that... Recently, the sisters and their nine children fled to Amman, where they were welcomed as guests of King Abdullah II. In 1995, the sisters and their husbands -- who were brothers -- were welcomed by Abdullahâs father, King Hussein. Ahhh the time honored warm tradition of Arab hospitality... Six months after they defected, they were lured back to Iraq by when Saddam promised forgiveness. Once they arrived, the men were killed in a shootout in a house near Baghdad. The shootout was believed to have been organized by Rana and Raghadâs brothers, Uday and Qusay, at their fatherâs request. We might be interested in the daughterâs role in that "luring" as well? The sisters declined to describe any angry feelings they might have against their father for leaving them widows. Oh come, daddies have bad moments from time to time, no biggie. "I hope we can start a new life with our kids and each other," Raghad said. "Now I can feel Iâm home." I bet you can if daddy told you how to access his billions in Swiss bank accounts. And there is always more room in the house for family members. Earlier Friday, Raghad said her fatherâs regime collapsed because people close to him betrayed him, and she expressed negative feelings for Saddam. "Unfortunately, people who my father trusted absolutely have failed him, have betrayed him," she told the Arabic-language network Al Arabiya. Without naming names, she said her father also felt he had been sold out. Has happened to less bloody dictators. "Even if I donât like him, in human terms, we should not betray a person. It is not in the Arab honor," she said. You better brush up your knowledge of 14 centuries of Arab history. Itâs a long long tale of betrayals. Posted by: True German Ally 2003-08-02 |
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