New Delhi, April 9
A senior Kuwaiti diplomat here disclosed today that the USA was in communication with senior leaders of Iraq’s ruling Baath Party as well as the top brass of the Iraqi armed forces and indicated that “some sort of compromise formula” might have been worked out between them and the coalition forces.
The diplomat, Mr Khalid al-Rajni, told The Tribune that the secret communication channels between the coalition forces and the Iraqi top brass, including the Special Republican Guard commanders, were “active till yesterday.”
This may explain why the Americans troops were able to move about freely in Baghdad today amid signs that President Saddam Hussein’s control over his armed forces seemed to be crumbling.
Significantly, elements of the much-hyped Special Republican Guard have not been seen in action yet and the explanation Mr Khalid offers for this is interesting. “These troops were never meant for fighting wars. They were meant as show-piece tigers to scare the common Iraqis. Besides, these troops are Saddam’s own people who belong to Saddam’s tribe. Naturally, he would not like his close people to be decimated when he himself is fleeing,” he said.
Mr Khalid said he also had reports that Mr Hussein had already fled Iraq but declined to give the name of the country where he could have gone. He, however, added that it was “extremely unlikely” that Mr Hussein had fled Iraq without the knowledge of the USA.
The diplomat said today’s developments merely marked the end of a phase.
