TARIQ AZIZ - IRAQ

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06498259
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: March 16, 2022
• Document Release Date: March 31, 2016
• Case Number: F-2015-01885
• Publication Date: September 25, 2002

Approved for Release: 2016/02/10 C06498259
IRAQ
Tariq AZIZ
(Phonetic: ahZEEZ)
Deputy Prime Minister (since 1979); Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs (since April 2001); Member,
Revolutionary Command Council (since 1977)
Addressed as: Mr. Minister
Tariq Aziz is one of President Saddam Husayn's most important and capable deputies, particularly on
international and political issues. Aziz is one of the few Iraqi officials with access to Saddam who has a
relatively cosmopolitan outlook. Following an April 2001 cabinet reshuffle, Saddam appointed the reliable
Aziz Acting Foreign Minister--a position he formally held from 1983 to 1991--until a suitable candidate
could be selected.
as a Christian, he lacks widespread support and poses no threat to Saddam, which earns him a
position of trust in the President's cabinet. Aziz gravitates to the role of statesman and diplomat
Demonstrating Diplomatic Elan
Aziz dominates Iraq's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the country's diplomacy.
Aziz's mastery of English and cosmopolitan demeanor should not be
construed as pro-Western sentiment.
An Erstwhile Moderate
Before Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, Aziz was viewed as generally advocating a moderate
foreign policy. He was the official most closely associated with Iraq's attempt to improve its standing with
the international community during 1988-90. Aziz consistently worked to mend relations with the United
States before ties were officially reestablished in 1984. He was also a chief advocate of Egypt's
reintegration into the Arab fold in the late 1980s. During that time, he supported a negotiated settlement of
the Arab-Israeli conflict and urged the PLO to adopt moderate positions From
1992 to 1994, Aziz advocated cooperating with the UN Special Commission to lift sanctions against Iraq.
Faithful Adherent to Hardline Policies
Although Aziz may occasionally present more moderate views to the President, he does not push them.
He supports whatever decision Saddam makes and deals faithfully with the consequences of Saddam's
actions. For most of the last decade, Aziz has hewed closely to Saddam's hardline policies. He
spearheaded Iraq's rejection of successive UN resolutions, has repeatedly articulated Baghdad's belligerent
stance toward sanctions and against allowing inspectors back into Iraq, has denied the regime's
brutalization of Iraqi Kurds and Shias, and rejected the sovereignty of Kuwait. In numerous press
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interviews, Aziz has claimed that Iraq has fulfilled all of its UN-authorized requirements and that the lifting
of the embargo has been long overdue, denying Baghdad's culpability for the Iraqi economic difficulties
and placing all the blame on the United States.
Background
Aziz is generally considered one of Iraq's most ardent Ba'th Party ideologues, and his party credentials
are impeccable. Saddam appointed Aziz Deputy Prime Minister when Saddam came to power in 1979.
Aziz was born in 1936.
He speaks excellent English
his wife, Violette, have two sons, Ziad and Saddam, and a daughter, Zaneb.
LP 02-105865
25 September 2002
Aziz and
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