From:  Rense.com

[6-25-4] Primakov Says Saddam Cut Deal With US Before War


MOSCOW - Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein cut a deal with the United
States before the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, former Russian prime minister
Yevgeny Primakov said in an interview published on Thursday.

"There was an understanding with the Americans, as paradoxical as it may
seem," Primakov told the Russian daily Gazeta in a lengthy interview.

"Why weren't the bridges of the Tigris blown up when the American tanks
approached Baghdad? Why weren't Iraqi aviation and tanks used, and where are
they now?" asked Primakov, a former head of the Russian secret service and a
specialist in Arab affairs who was formerly on good terms with Saddam.

"Why was there an immediate ceasefire? Why was there practically no
resistance a year ago?" he added.

Primakov, who now heads Russia's chamber of trade and industry, also cast
doubt on the authenticity of footage of Saddam's reported capture that
circled the world on December 14.

"They showed two soldiers with guns with palm trees in the background near
the hole (where Saddam was reportedly hiding). At that time of year, date
palms are never in bloom," he said.

"Finally, any man can tell you that such a long beard (as Saddam had when he
was reportedly caught) could not grow in seven months," he said.

"All evidence suggests that Saddam surrendered earlier and the story of the
hole was invented later," he said.

Primakov, who was also Russian foreign minister, made two secret trips to
Iraq at the request of President Vladimir Putin, shortly before the invasion
by US and British troops.

http://www.news24.com/News24/World/Iraq/0,,2-10-1460_1547794,00.html

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