Historic photo of Saddam meeting Chalabi graces Baghdad daily

By: Ismail Zabeeh

BAGHDAD, Iraq: Publishing of a historic giant photo of the worst oppressor Saddam behind bars by an Iraqi newspaper on Dec 18 caused record sale of the daily, reports said.

The picture on front page of the Al-Mutamar (Congress) newspaper shows Iraqi Governing Council member Ahmad Chalabi visiting ousted Iraqi dictator in his cell, hours after his capture by US troops 14 December near his hometown of Tikrit, in northern Iraq.

Al-Mutamar belongs to Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress (INC). The photo was taken Sunday when a delegation from Iraq's interim Governing Council, including Chalabi, were brought by the Americans to identify Saddam. Ahmad Chalabi is one of four members of Iraqi Governing Council who met Saddam in his jail along with US civil administrator for Iraq Paul Bremer and commander of US forces in Iraq.

The US military and its civil administration have not said where they are holding Saddam.

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