UK back operation considered for Saddam (in 1975)

[Barrett808]

British diplomats secretly floated the idea that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein could be brought to the UK for a back operation, official papers show.

He was seen as a figure to be courted when discussions took place in 1975.

A senior UK official found Saddam's need for an operation "most encouraging" for the UK, files released by the National Archives at Kew show.

The UK's Baghdad ambassador was informed, but the files do not indicate whether further action was taken.

In early 1975, the attention of the Foreign Office had been caught by comments made by the Finnish ambassador in Baghdad, that there was a 90% chance that the operation he needed would leave him lame for life.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4564384.stm