Saddam's former deputy not hiding in Yemen, says official


dpa German Press Agency
Published: Friday January 19, 2007

Sana'a- A Yemeni government official on Friday denied
reports that Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, the former deputy of Saddam
Hussein had been given sanctuary in Yemen.
The official said in a statement the Yemeni government have been
"transparently" dealing with the issue of political refugees residing
in its territory, Saba news agency quoted him as saying.

The official, whose name was not published, was reacting to
remarks by the Iraqi President Jalal al-Talabani, who said Thursday
that al-Douri was believed to have been hiding in Yemen.

Dubbing the reports on al-Douri's stay in Yemen "baseless", the
Yemeni official said they had been based on information from websites
run by Iraqi journalists living in Yemen.

Douri, the former second-in-command of Saddam's Revolutionary
Command Council, has been on the run since the US-led invasion of
Iraq in 2003. US and Iraqi officials have said he leads Baath
insurgents carrying out guerrilla attacks in Iraq.

© 2006 - dpa German Press Agency