TARIQ AZIZ - IRAQ

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06498256
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: March 16, 2022
• Document Release Date: March 31, 2016
• Case Number: F-2015-01885
• Publication Date: January 8, 1998

Approved for Release: 2016/02/10 C06498256
IRAQ
Tariq AZIZ
(Phonetic: ahZEEZ)
Deputy Prime Minister (since 1979); Member, Revolutionary Command Council (since 1977)
Addressed as: Mr. Minister
Tariq Aziz is one of President Saddam Husayn's most important counselors, particularly on international
and political issues. He remains de facto Foreign Minister, a position he formally held during 1983-91.
as a member of
Iraq's minuscule Christian community, he could not take power in Muslim-dominated Iraq, even if he so
aspired. Posing no threat to Saddam, he retains a position of trust in the President's cabinet.
Demonstrating Diplomatic �an
Aziz's mastery of English and cosmopolitan demeanor should not be construed as pro-Western
sentiment. Aziz dominates Iraq's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the country's diplomacy
In the fall of 1996 it was Aziz who traveled through Democratic Party of
Kurdistan (KDP)-held territory on his way to Turkey and to Russia to display the full extent of his
government's alliance with the KDP.
A Closet Moderate?
Before Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, Aziz was viewed as generally advocating a moderate
foreign policy. He was the official most closely associated with Iraq's attempt to improve its standing with
the international community during 1988-90. Aziz was a chief advocate of Egypt's reintegration into the
Arab fold in the late 1980s. He supported a negotiated settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict. We believe
that, although he probably still tries occasionally to present moderate views to the President, Aziz never
pushes them too far and will support whatever decision Saddam makes, while dealing faithfully with the
consequences of Saddam's actions.
Becoming More Hard-Line
Aziz's rhetoric has followed a decidedly harder line during the past two years. He repeatedly has argued
that Iraq has fulfilled all of its UN-authroized requirements and that the lifting of sanctions is overdue.
Press accounts in 1996 quote Aziz as stating that UNSCOM and the US government are one and the same--
a claim Aziz repeated during the November 1997 UNSCOM crisis. Aziz also has accused UNSCOM of
being a tool for US intelligence and publicly denied its right to inspect so-called "presidential sites."
According to press reports,
other advisors to Saddam, including his son Uday, favored a confrontational approach to UN sanctions.
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Uday attempted to undermine Aziz's position by publicly lambasting the Deputy Prime Minister in Uday's
newspaper, Babil, blaming Aziz for failing to lift the post-war sanctions.
Background
Aziz is generally considered one of Iraq's most ardent Baath Party ideologues, and his party credentials
are impeccable. He participated in the 1968 coup that brought the Baathists to power. Aziz served as
Minister of Information and then as a member of the Revolutionary Command Council and the party's
Regional Command in the 1970s. During this time, he closely aligned himself with Saddam, and he
became Deputy Prime Minister when Saddam assumed power in 1979.
Aziz speaks excellent English
his wife, Violette, have two sons, Ziad and Saddam.
He and
LP 98-100058
08 January 98
Approved for Release: 2016/02/10 C06498256