Stewart Stogel
Friday, April 11, 2003

Diplomatic sources tell NewsMax that Iraq's U.N. ambassador, Mohammed Aldouri, is expected to vacate his U.N. post and leave New York for Paris late Friday.

On Thursday, Aldouri requested a private meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

While Annan's office would not comment on the substance of the meeting, Iraqi sources tell NewsMax that it was a "farewell" call to the U.N. chief.

In a recent interview with NewsMax, Aldouri confided that since Operation Iraqi Freedom began in March, communications with the government in Baghdad had been "spotty" at best.

For the last two weeks, Aldouri admitted that there had been almost no communication with any government official in Baghdad:

"I am watching the news on television, on CNN, the same as you," he explained.

The ambassador added that he has not been able to speak with his wife and son, who have remained in Baghdad, since late in March.

Aldouri had been in the Iraqi capital in January. It was his first visit home in over a year.

Kuwait's U.N. ambassador and dean of the U.N. diplomatic corps, Mohammad A. Abulhasan, told NewsMax that Aldouri really had no choice but to leave:

"There was nothing left for him to do. The U.N. has recognized the U.S. and U.K. as the occupying force in Iraq. So they will deal with Washington and London, not the Iraqi mission."

Abulhasan explained that if Aldouri remained in the U.S. much longer, it might have been difficult for him to maintain his diplomatic status.

A federal district court in New York is considering contempt charges against the Iraqi ambassador for refusing to appear at a court hearing investigating alleged Iraqi ties to convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.

The State Department asked the federal judge to suspend any action so Aldouri's legal status could be "clarified."

U.S. diplomatic sources tell NewsMax that if Aldouri leaves the country before April 16 they will do nothing to stop him.

The public rights group Judicial Watch has asked the federal judge hearing the case to block any attempt by Aldouri to leave the country before April 16.

It is unclear whether the judge will decide to take action to block the Iraqi ambassador should he leave Friday as planned.

Unofficially, Aldouri, a university professor specializing in international law, expects to head for Paris, then on to Damascus.

From there, he hopes to return to Baghdad to be reunited with his family.

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