Saddam Hussein becoming secretary general of the Baath national leadership

The Iraqi dailies issued on Wednesday said the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has, besides his many posts, a new post of the secretary general of the national leadership of the Baath Arab Socialist party ( of Iraq).

A post which has been vacant since 1989 with the death of one of the Baath Party founding member Michael Aflaq ( he is Syrian). The Iraqi dailies said that President Saddam Hussein headed the meeting of the national leadership which was held by the end of last month in his capacity as a secretary general of the Baath Party. The national leadership of the Baath Party theoretically supervises the Party's activities in various Arab states. It includes the regional leaderships of the Baath Party branches in these Arab states.

Besides his being the secretary of the Baath Party, Saddam Hussein also has the posts of President of the Republic of Iraq, the prime minister, the higher command of the armed forces and the presidency of the revolution's leadership council.

However, the Baath party was split in 1960 into two competing leadership the first is in Syria and the second in Iraq after this party ascended to authority in the two countries. Since 1970 President Hafez al-Assad presides over the Baath party regional leadership, Syrian branch, and the party s national leadership in Damascus.

The Baath party was founded in the 1940 s by Syrian intellectuals, including Michael Aflaq and Salah al-Bittar.