ROME, 2 September 2003 — The wife of Iraq’s arrested ex-Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz appealed to Pope John Paul II yesterday to help win his release from US custody, saying he was not responsible for the crimes of the Saddam Hussein regime.
Aziz was taken prisoner by American forces on April 24. Since then very little has been heard from him despite the fact the Americans “made many promises,” including a guarantee he could remain in contact with his family, said Violet Aziz.
In an interview with the Italian public radio service, RAI, she said Aziz “never was responsible for the crimes of the regime” of toppled Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
“In a 35-year career, he was never about to have a real influence on the bellicose policies of Iraq and even less on what Saddam was doing in our country,” she added.
