Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz extended condolences Tuesday to the American people, the first such conciliatory move by Baghdad since the jetliner suicide bombings, the official news agency INA said, cited by AFP.
Aziz sent his "sincere condolences for the American victims who fell in the events of last Tuesday," in a telegram to the US anti-sanctions group Voices in the Wilderness.
"I express to you and your comrades in Voices in the Wilderness, as friends and honest American citizens who stood by the Iraqi people, sincere condolences," Aziz said in the telegram to one of the group's leaders, Kathy Kelly.
Meanwhile, the INA published a “second open message to the American and Western peoples and government,” by President Saddam Hussein.
In the letter, the leader accused the US of disregarding law and common sense by jumping to baseless conclusions over who carried out the attacks, and expanding the circle of accusation to include other countries and individuals.
He said that Washington had given some of the officials and the “Zionist-dominated” media a free hand in pointing a finger of suspicion at countries like Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Algeria, Lebanon and Palestine, in addition to the main suspect: Osama bin Laden and his Afghan hosts.
Hussein added that the nature of the attacks and the resulting pain suffered by the American people and their leaders did not justify hasty and excessive reactions. He reiterated his call on the US to contain its wrath and react wisely, warning that Zionism, which he said had controlled the world since 1897, wanted the two major religions – Islam and Christianity – to start an endless war to help tighten its grip on the world – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
