Saddam's cousin seeks political asylum in an Arab state

Alaa Abdul Qader Suleiman al-Majeed, who is the cousin of the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and a former escort for his, on Monday said in Amman he seeks to get a political asylum in an Arab state because of differences with the Iraqi regime.

In a statement, Abdul Majeed ( 46 year old) said " I am searching for an Arab country which gives me political asylum." This is following differences between him and the Iraqi regime he did not want to clarify.

Abdl Majeed who introduced himself the son of daughter of Ali Hassan al-Majeed, and the cousin of the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein stressed that he had left Iraq since two and a half months in a " work mission" to Morocco on that he had to return back to Iraq. He continued that differences erupted between him and the Iraqi government since ten days that prevent him from returning to Iraq.

Meantime, Jordanian officials stressed that they had not received any applications for political asylum from Iraqis or others, while well-informed sources in Amman said that Amman refused his request.

Well-informed Iraqi sources said that differences between the Iraqi authorities and al-Majeed are of " financial nature." It added that al-Majeed is expected to get a political asylum from Yemen."