"The Game is Over"=War is Over--Iraqi UN Envoy

[subgenius]

Iraq's U.N. Envoy: 'The Game Is Over'
Wed Apr 9, 6:02 PM ET


UNITED NATIONS - Iraq (news - web sites)'s U.N. ambassador said Wednesday "the game is over" — and that means the war is over. Mohammed Al-Douri expressed hope that the Iraqi people will now be able to live in peace. His comments were the first admission by an Iraqi official that U.S.-led forces had overwhelmed Iraqi forces after a three-week campaign.
....
Al-Douri was asked what he meant when he said "the game is over."

"The war," he responded.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030409/ap_on_re_mi_ea/war_iraqi_ambassador_5

[armageddonman]

Remember when the same was said about Afghanistan?
I hope that this one will turn out better.

[MRC_Hans]

The figthing is not over, there will be mop-up operations, probably for weeks. However, for all practical purposes the war is over, and we won. Congratulations all!

Now comes the really hard part: Winning the peace.
I hope we shall prevail in that task too.

Hans

[Questioninggeller]

Originally posted by armageddonman
Remember when the same was said about Afghanistan?
I hope that this one will turn out better.

True, very true.

[subgenius]

What do you do or say when you're an envoy far from home and when you call no one answers. Scary. Where does that leave him? Out on a helluva limb.:eek:

[Diezel]

Originally posted by subgenius
What do you do or say when you're an envoy far from home and when you call no one answers. Scary. Where does that leave him? Out on a helluva limb.:eek:

Yes it does. I heard from a few different analysts that this guy is actually a very nice, smart and reasonable guy, stuck in a bad position from the start (having to represent the regime in the first place.) I wonder if he will be part of the new government, or if he will stay in the States.

[rikzilla]

Originally posted by subgenius
What do you do or say when you're an envoy far from home and when you call no one answers. Scary. Where does that leave him? Out on a helluva limb.:eek:

SG...I should think Mr. Tariq Aziz and company (if still above room temperature) are out on a bit flimsier of a limb. Scary to be sure, but Mr. Al Doury still dines at the finest New York restraunts and lives in a fine house unthreatened by irate looters.

He might want to prevail upon his friends in France to secure comparable arrangements in Paris...it looks like his tour at the UN has outlived the government he represents there. :D

-zilla

[subgenius]

Man without a country.
________________
The Iraqi ambassador to the UN is thought to be travelling to the Netherlands following the collapse of the regime of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad.
Mohammed al-Douri was expected to arrive at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport on an Air France flight from New York, and then fly on to Amsterdam, AFP news agency said.

His ultimate destination is not clear, though the agency said he would not be allowed to set foot on French soil.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2935773.stm
_____________

So what's the deal with the French now?

[subgenius]

Iraqi Diplomats Abandon Ship Across World

April 10, 2003 07:40 AM EDT


BERLIN - As Saddam Hussein's government collapsed, Iraqi diplomats were jumping ship, burning documents or - at the very least - left stranded in their embassies without orders and unsure of who their new boss will be.

Across the world, Iraqi diplomats were in limbo Thursday, though none made quite the abrupt about-face of their U.N. ambassador, who suddenly claimed "no relationship" with Saddam after weeks of swaggering rhetoric.

"The game is over," U.N. ambassador Mohammed Al-Douri told reporters outside his New York City residence before reportedly fleeing the country.

Al-Douri, the man who recently mocked the coalition for expecting to be welcomed in Iraq with "hugs" and "flowers," had a new mission.

"My work now is peace," Al-Douri said Wednesday. "I hope the peace will prevail. I hope the Iraqi people will have a happy life."

The "no relationship with Saddam" theme was echoed by other diplomats.

"I haven't had contact with Baghdad for two or three weeks," Muaead Hussain, the Iraqi charge d'affaires in Berlin, said through the locked iron gate of his embassy Thursday. "I have no idea what's going on there."

Hussain insisted he still represented Saddam's government. But asked whether he might switch allegiance, he said: "Why not? I am serving my country."
http://start.earthlink.net/newsarticle?cat=7&aid=D7QAMCN00_story