posted on July 11, 2003 09:05:55 PM new
ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Iraq 's former Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, nicknamed "Comical Ali" during the U.S.-led war on Iraq, made a sudden appearance in Abu Dhabi on Friday, saying he might not return to his homeland.
"When I leave I always have in my mind that I might not come down this road again, but I hope and pray to God that I can return to Baghdad one day," he said on Abu Dhabi Television.
Sahaf, 63, became an unlikely media star during the war, winning his stripes as a hero to many in the Arab world while Western audiences gasped and then chuckled at his bravado.
He earned his unflattering nickname for proclaiming the defeat of U.S.-led forces even as American troops advanced into Baghdad, and for his habit of handling loaded weapons during news conferences.
"Hopefully, all of them (Arab countries) are our nation, but you always hope to return to your homeland with your memories," said Sahaf, who was shown arriving at the airport in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Sahaf said he had mixed feelings about leaving Baghdad.
"I have the same feeling as any ordinary citizen...It didn't mean much to me to be a minister. But this time I have really mixed feelings, of sadness and hope," said Sahaf, who was met at the airport by a UAE delegation.
"CLING TO FAITH"
"I leave Baghdad...with feelings of hope, sadness and many other sentiments in the heart and in the mind. But one should be optimistic and cling to faith," said Sahaf, who was accompanied by his wife and children.
Sahaf, who was not on the U.S. "most wanted" list, was freed last month after he surrendered to U.S. forces in Baghdad.
He hinted that he planned to live and work in the UAE.
"I am trying to forge my way in a very objective way and to see what I can do in the future," he said.
"My family...also have mixed feelings of joy and hope over leaving for a stable and secure place, the UAE. But at the same time they have the memories of the past. What makes it easier is that we are coming to a brotherly country," Sahaf said on the plane taking him to the Gulf Arab state. In the Arab world, Sahaf gained fame for his colorful use of the Arabic language, using archaic insults to describe the U.S. and British invaders which had Arab commentators debating their meaning and poring over dictionaries.
He branded the British and U.S. leaders "an international gang of criminal bastards," "blood-sucking bastards," ignorant imperialists, losers and fools.
In his first interview last month after Baghdad's downfall, also with Abu Dhabi Television, he defended his press briefings during the conflict.
"The information was correct but the interpretations were not," he said, adding: "I did my duty up to the last minute."
The former information minister spawned a mini industry in the West with Sahaf T-shirts, mugs, dolls and videos, and a host of Web Sites poking fun at his rhetorical style.
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I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
- Thomas Edison
posted on July 11, 2003 09:27:31 PM new "He branded the British and U.S. leaders "an international gang of criminal bastards," "blood-sucking bastards," ignorant imperialists, losers and fools.
This guy has more "smarts" than we give him credit for!
posted on July 12, 2003 09:18:24 AM new
This guy would fit very well with the witless and terminally inane commentators on FOX news, or one of the insufferable, extreme right "talk radio" hosts and their
purposely frenetic rantings, convoluted rhetoric and bought and paid for, tortuously scripted points of view.
On the other hand, in defeat he was gracious, a word unknown in the murky lexicon of these braying asses
Whilst George Tenet was falling on his sword, a Bush regime spokesman uttered the following: "the statement was false but it contained elements of truth"
