Iraq's former deputy prime minister, Tariq Aziz, told US interrogators that Saddam Hussein was alive in early April, but US officials were uncertain about the veracity of his statement, a US administration official said on Monday. ‘‘He (Aziz) said he was alive into early April, that was the last he knew,’’ the official said. US air strikes targetted Saddam and sons, Uday and Qusay, in the Baghdad area on April 7 and March 20 Iraqi time, which was the opening shot in the US war against Iraq. ‘Regime change’ in Iran, Syria: Israel envoy Washington: The Israeli Ambassador in Washington called for “regime change” in Iran and Syria on Monday through diplomatic isolation, economic sanctions and what he called “psychological pressure”. Ambassador Daniel Ayalon said the US invasion of Iraq and overthrow of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein helped create great opportunities for Israel but it was “not enough”. “We still have great threats coming from Syria, Iran,” he told a conference of the Anti-Defamation League. (Reuters) Aziz, who surrendered last week, did not say that Saddam had survived the second US air strike on April 7, but that the toppled leader was alive after the first one, the US official said. “Is he telling the truth? Don’t know,” the official said. USA Today reported on Monday that Aziz had said he had seen Saddam alive after the two air strikes that targetted him, citing a senior official. But a US official said Aziz had not suggested Saddam was alive after the second strike. In Iraq, a top US military commander said on Monday his forces were following up leads to try and find Saddam and his sons. Asked what would happen to Aziz, Major General Buford Blount, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, said: “I’m not sure what the disposition will be with him and others we are holding. The disposition will be determined in the future. For now they’re going to be held for a while.” (Reuters)
