Dubai - "We met in one of his hideouts and began an honest and direct conversation."
Published: Fri 22 Feb 2019, 8:28 PM
Last updated: Fri 22 Feb 2019, 10:34 PM
In the 41st chapter of his latest book, Qissati, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, talks about his visit to Saddam Hussein in Iraq and his attempts to save Iraq from the war that changed it forever.
I still remember when the devastating war between Iraq and Iran ended, leaving more than a million people dead. War never ends as swiftly as it erupts; its damage lasts for years, even decades.
Once Iraqi president Saddam Hussein expressed his reservations about me to Sheikh Zayed saying 'He is inclined towards the West and does not treat Arabs well'. Sheikh Zayed asked me to meet Saddam to resolve any matters that could affect our interests.
I met Saddam on the sidelines of a regional meeting. He told me he had a report saying that we had been supporting Iran.
I answered: "I do not need a report. I am here with you. If you mean shipments of arms, I challenge anyone to show that is true. But if you mean shipments of food, then yes. I would never stop any humanitarian aid from reaching people."
In 2003, the Americans returned to the Middle East. They wanted to build a region based on their own concepts, especially after September 11, 2001.
I knew that war with Iraq was a goal for George W. Bush. We tried to convince him not to invade. But l realised he was resolute in his decision.
I decided to visit Saddam in person. We met in one of his hideouts and began an honest and direct conversation.
I reminded him of the lingering repercussions of war, knowing very well that I was advising a man who had spent a good deal of his life in conflict. It was obvious that he could not win against the US and if he did not do something to prevent the impending attack, Iraq would lose everything.
"If you are forced to leave the presidency in order to protect Iraq, then do it. Dubai is your second home and you are always welcome there."
He looked at me and said: "Sheikh Mohammed, I am talking about protecting Iraq, not myself." I could only respect that basic attitude - though I disagreed with his concept of 'protection'.
Days before Iraq invasion, Sheikh Zayed proposed to Saddam that he seek asylum in Abu Dhabi. Iraq lost many lives and decades of development in the war. The Americans and British lost more than a trillion dollars and many lives. From Iraq, there emerged groups that went on to terrorise the entire world. Just as history has taught us time and again, there are no winners in war.
In what he is calling his "incomplete biography", His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has broken his latest book, Qissati (My Story), into 50 chapters, narrating 50 stories in his 50 years of serving the nation. Khaleej Times got a signed copy of the book from the Dubai Ruler and everyday, we will be featuring excerpts from each of the 50 chapters.