Report: Changes to be made in Iraqi leadership
Iraq, Politics, 8/21/1999

The Kuwaiti daily al-Rai al-Am said on Thursday, quoting Arab diplomatic sources in London, that the Iraqi government has leaked to Arab capitals within the few past weeks news and information signalling the possibility that its president Saddam Hussein will give up the presidency to his second son Qusai, who supervises the Iraqi security, intelligence and the republican guards, as well as to make vast changes in the nature of the current authority.

The said sources explained that three Arab capital, Cairo, Damascus and Tunis, have recently received signals from Baghdad through secret diplomatic channels indicating that Hussein is no more clinging to power and that he is very tired and in need of rest and that he had expressed his intention to give up and retire in several official and party meetings.

The sources added that high ranking officials in the Iraqi Baath party, the army and the government urged him to continue ruling the country under a leadership that shoulders responsibility in administrating the country until it can be prepared, to be able to withstand challenges which have been increased in recent years.

The signals stressed that Saddam's role in ruling the country has been minimized in the recent months in order to give Qusai the chance to shoulder his responsibilities to be a successor for his father in the coming phase. The Arab diplomatic sources revealed that the secret Iraqi messages " sought to know the Arab and international reactions if Qusai assume power in Iraq and the measures that the Arab states can take to deal with the new phase as well as ways of dealing with the new president when authority is transferred to him, whether there are assurances in backing him in the attempt to abrogate the sanctions decisions and to normalize relations with him."

And, according to these sources, Damascus was the only side which understood the Iraqi messages and realized its meanings.

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