Awaiting for Iraq's liberation al-Douri leaves New York

The Iraqi ambassador at the UN Muhammad al-Douri said yesterday that he is still Iraq's legitimate representative at the UN as far as a successor for him has not been appointed. He said he will leave for a country in the Middle East, most expectedly to be an Arab state.

In a statement at the UN headquarters in New York, al-Douri said "I am still the legitimate representative of Iraq. Now there (in Iraq), there is occupation. A change in the regime will be made and another person will be appointed. This is normal." Al-Douri stressed he intends to leave to a Middle Eastern country he refused to define. He added I will go to the Middle East today ( Yesterday) but this might change.

On Wednesday, the US defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld said that al-Douri left for Damascus and Arab sources said al-Douri intended to travel to Paris and then to Damascus in his way back to Iraq.

However, the sources which asked to be anonymous indicated that al-Douri stances are not final and a change might be made.

Two years ago al-Douri had the post of Iraq's ambassador at the European headquarters at the UN in Geneva.