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Wafiq al-Samarrai
WHEN HE LEFT, Sammarai brought with him important inside knowledge
about the army as well as valuable information about Saddam’s plans to
hide Scud missiles.
Sammarai now lives in exile in England, where he is a key
player in the Iraqi opposition movement. Earlier this year, he was one
of at least three exiled former generals who held talks with U.S.
State Department and CIA officials about a post-Saddam Iraqi military.
Next month, he will make his first visit to Washington for further
meetings with the Bush administration.
Sammarai spoke to NEWSWEEK’s Samir Zedan about Iraq’s weapons
of mass destruction and his fears that an American attack could prompt
Saddam to turn his country into an ungovernable wasteland. Excerpts:
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NEWSWEEK: Were you close to Saddam Hussein?
Wafiq al-Samarrai:
I know him, he was close to me. I met him often depending on
conditions at the time.
How is the Iraqi Army likely to react
if the United States attacks Iraq?
The Iraqi Army definitely does not support Saddam Hussein.
But I cannot say it supports the other side. The position of the army
depends on the conditions prevailing during the war. There is a chance
it would turn against the regime, but I cannot say when that might
happen. If the Iraqi senior officers believed that they would play a
major part in a future government, this would speed up the process
against the regime. But if they believed that they would be prisoners
of war, arrested, held accountable or rejected—this would make it very
difficult to revolt against the regime. [The United States] needs to
identify by name those who are wanted. It should not be left vague.
There should be a list of names such as Saddam, Ali Hassan al-Majid
[Saddam’s cousin, notorious for ordering the gassing of Kurds in
1988], [Deputy Premier] Tariq Aziz and so on.…
What could the army be doing now?
The ideal situation is that the Iraqi army moves to seize
power before the start of the war. That is the best choice. But I do
not believe such a thing might happen. If the U.S. wants to go on with
the war plan, there will be a war. I hardly believe that Saddam would
give in to the U.S. and give up [his] weapons of mass destruction.
Is the Iraqi Army capable of toppling
Saddam?
The main power of Saddam relies on two factors: the weapons
of mass destruction and the tactics of surprise. He would use human
shields to divert air raids. He did it [during U.S. airstrikes] in
1998, when he brought thousands of people and put them in the
presidential palaces and important targets. He would opt to do
unpredictable and uncalculated things. Blowing up the oil fields in
Basra and Karkuk would be one of the surprises. You can draw your own
conclusions about what other options Saddam has.
Was it a mistake for President George
W. Bush to turn this into a personal issue against Saddam?
[Bush’s statements] against Saddam Hussein gave him an
important chance to prepare his regime and his army for the war. He
prepared the army, the equipment, the materiel. The weapons and the
plans are ready.
How do ordinary Iraqis feel about the
prospect of American troops in Iraq?
If they got rid of Saddam with minimum damage, they would
definitely look at it positively. But if the casualties are high it
would be negative. Do you expect the people to love you when a lot of
civilians are killed?
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Would it be easy to get rid of Saddam
Hussein with minimum loss of life?
Only if they targeted him personally. I cannot go into such
details because it is illegal.
What about the Saddam look-alikes said
to be used as decoys?
I do not believe in the existence of people looking like
Saddam. During my stay in Iraq I did not see one person who looked
like him. I think [the impersonator talk] is big propaganda. Maybe
there is one [look-alike,] but there is much propaganda about this
issue.
What is the current condition of the
Iraqi army?
If the Iraqi army believed in Saddam Hussein and his regime
its resistance would be very fierce and the U.S. task would be very
difficult. [But] the army will believe the battle is already lost if
the U.S. Army says its target is to topple Saddam.
Does Iraq still have the capacity to
launch missiles armed with weapons of mass destruction?
In 1990, the Iraqi Army was in a much better position than
today. But they still have missiles and weapons of mass destruction.
Of course, these missiles can reach Israel. I believe [Saddam] will
attack Israel. The only question is whether Arrow and Patriot missiles
would be able to shoot down [Iraqi] missiles before they reach their
destination. During the [1991] gulf war, [the Arrow and Patriot
defenses] failed. If they fail now, I believe the missiles would reach
Tel Aviv.
Saddam will use the weapons of mass destruction. If his life
is threatened he will use everything within his reach. I believe the
biological weapons are more dangerous than chemical weapons because
they cause more death. The spread of diseases is faster and the
measures to contain it are difficult. If he could launch the missiles,
he undoubtedly would do it. I believe the Americans will try to
prevent him from doing so by occupying the area west of the Euphrates
River.
Are there increased contacts between
the exiled opposition and anti-Saddam officers inside Iraq?
I can neither confirm or deny that officers under my
command are in contact with me. They can contact others in the
opposition as well. We do not go into details because the opposition
in exile is not one unit.
Why can’t the internal Iraqi
opposition get rid of Saddam?
Only the Iraqi Army can get rid of him. But his security
measures are very strong.
If the Americans sent a message to
assure the Iraqi officers that they would not target them, would they
topple Saddam without the United States having to go to war?
This is very difficult for me to answer because Iraq is my
country. I am not a foreign expert who talks about this matter easily.
If I say the Iraqi Army would not move against Saddam unless Iraq is
attacked from the outside, then a large number of the Iraqi people
would be upset with me. And if I say the army will move without the
U.S. attacks, the people will say I do not want this regime to be
removed.
Will the return of United Nations arms
inspectors be able to prevent a war?
It will be very difficult for the inspectors to find
anything. I believe it is impossible that Saddam will give them
anything.
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