Wissam al-Zahawie was a former official in Saddam Hussein

Baathist Ba'athism, also stylized as Baathism, (; ar, البعثية ' , from ' , meaning "renaissance" or "resurrection"Hans Wehr''Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic'' (4th ed.), page 80) is an Arab nationalist ideology which promotes the creation ...

Iraq government who held many offices including that of Iraq's non-resident

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

to the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

and Iraq's Ambassador to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

. Al-Zahawie was said to have been involved with Saddam Hussein's alleged efforts to acquire

yellowcake Yellowcake (also called urania) is a type of uranium concentrate powder obtained from leach solutions, in an intermediate step in the processing of uranium ores. It is a step in the processing of uranium after it has been mined but before fue ...

uranium Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...

from

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesAfrica Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. This alleged attempt by Hussein to purchase uranium is highly controversial, with skeptics commonly stating that the claim has been discredited and/or is generally considered to have been the product of an elaborate hoax, and with supporters of Coalition efforts in Iraq stating that the claim is in fact true. Al-Zahawie himself denies the claim, stating that he was in Niger to get the president of that country to visit Baghdad, and not to arrange for purchases of yellowcake in violation of the U.N.

embargo Economic sanctions are commercial and financial penalties applied by one or more countries against a targeted self-governing state, group, or individual. Economic sanctions are not necessarily imposed because of economic circumstances—they m ...

. An investigation by the

Iraq Survey Group The Iraq Survey Group (ISG) was a fact-finding mission sent by the multinational force in Iraq to find the weapons of mass destruction alleged to be possessed by Iraq that had been the main ostensible reason for the invasion in 2003. Its final re ...

uncovered no evidence to support claims that Iraq was pursuing uranium from foreign governments. Al-Zahawie is known to be a fan of Western

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

, especially that of

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

and

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

.Al-Zahawie, Wissam
A former Iraqi official replies
''Slate'' magazine. June 14, 2006.

References

External links

''Time'' magazine
Wowie Zahawie
by Christopher Hitchens *

Wissam al-Zahawie responds to Christopher Hitchens *
Into the Fray
Hitchens' response to al-Zahawie
Case Closed
by Christopher Hitchens *

Wissam al-Zahawie responds to Christopher Hitchens 20th-century births Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Ambassadors of Iraq to the Holy See Permanent Representatives of Iraq to the United Nations {{Iraq-bio-stub