Egypt Offers Saddam Asylum As Iraq’s Future Questioned

Egypt is ready to grant asylum to Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein if it will help resolve his nation’s problems, President Hosni Mubarak was quoted Friday as saying.

Mubarak told the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper he was eager to head off upheaval in Iraq, a nation of 20 million people.

He said Egypt’s door was open “if Saddam Hussein’s asylum to Egypt will solve the problem, instead of a bloodbath. Iraq’s history is full of bloodbaths, and this threat is present there now.”

Egyptian officials said they knew of no recent requests for asylum from Saddam or any of his associates. But questions about the stability of his regime have been raised by the defection of two of his sons-in-law, including a former defense minister, Lt. Gen. Hussein Kamel al-Majid.

Shortly after arriving in Jordan on Aug. 8, al-Majid expressed his intent to work to overthrow Saddam.

The interview with Mubarak is to be published by Al-Hayat today.

An advance copy of his remarks was made available Friday.

Mubarak, reiterating his opposition to outside forces toppling Saddam, extended his offer to the Iraqi leader at a time of escalating pressure on the Baghdad regime.