Uncle Saddam wants you,
or at least $1,000
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Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Monday, November 12, 2001
NICOSIA Ñ Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has offered his citizens
the option to escape military service for $1,000.
The offer, discussed during a Cabinet meeting over the weekend, would
allow Iraqis abroad to pay $1,000 to avoid a military call-up according to the Iraqi News Agency. The money
would also allow Iraqis to avoid military basic training.
The new directive was ordered by Saddam on late Friday in a meeting
meant to encourage Iraqis abroad to return home even if they had evaded
military service. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis are believed to have left
for Europe and the United States over the last few years.
Saddam has held meetings with defense chiefs over the last two months to
prepare for a U.S. military attack, Arab diplomats said. Last week, Iraq issued its broadest hint
that it possesses nuclear weapons.
Iraqi military service includes compulsory training as well as
deployment. The military is believed to have expanded over the last year and
has been provided with upgraded equipment supplied from China and the former
Soviet Union.
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