Baghdad Citizens Gathering
Encyclopedia
On 31 December 2006, a previously unknown Baathist group which, following the execution of Saddam Hussein
, the former ruler of Iraq
and leader of Iraq's Baath Party
, very publicly issued a statement in Amman
in Jordan
at the Jordanian branch of the Iraqi Baath Party (apparently sent from the Baath Party organisation in Iraq) endorsing Izzat Ibrahim ad-Douri - Saddam's Deputy as the new "President of Iraq" and new leader of the Baath Party.
The statement referred to Iraqis killed in the 1980-88 war with Iran
, 1991 Gulf War over Kuwait and the 13 years of sanctions after and went on to say "We vow to liberate our country from the heinous criminals, neo-Zionists and the Persians in order to restore Iraq's unity,".
How many members this group has or what their origins are remains unconfirmed, but to carry out such an openly public statement of this kind in front of the Jordanian Baath Headquarters is indicative that they are a major force in Baathism.
However it has since been confirmed by the website of the banned Iraqi Baath Party that Izzat Ibrahim ad-Douri is the new official leader of the Iraqi Baath Party.
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
, the former ruler of Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and leader of Iraq's Baath Party
Baath Party
The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party was a political party mixing Arab nationalist and Arab socialist interests, opposed to Western imperialism, and calling for the renaissance or resurrection and unification of the Arab world into a single state. Ba'ath is also spelled Ba'th or Baath and means...
, very publicly issued a statement in Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
in Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
at the Jordanian branch of the Iraqi Baath Party (apparently sent from the Baath Party organisation in Iraq) endorsing Izzat Ibrahim ad-Douri - Saddam's Deputy as the new "President of Iraq" and new leader of the Baath Party.
The statement referred to Iraqis killed in the 1980-88 war with Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, 1991 Gulf War over Kuwait and the 13 years of sanctions after and went on to say "We vow to liberate our country from the heinous criminals, neo-Zionists and the Persians in order to restore Iraq's unity,".
How many members this group has or what their origins are remains unconfirmed, but to carry out such an openly public statement of this kind in front of the Jordanian Baath Headquarters is indicative that they are a major force in Baathism.
However it has since been confirmed by the website of the banned Iraqi Baath Party that Izzat Ibrahim ad-Douri is the new official leader of the Iraqi Baath Party.