New York: In a major shift from an over two decade-old ban on assassinating world
leaders, US President George W Bush could order Saddam Hussein's assassination, if
Washington had intelligence on the Iraqi President's whereabouts and if American
forces had "a clear shot" at the dictator, according to a media report.
Queried how US could capture and remove Saddam from power without killing Iraqi
citizens in the process, Republican Senator Peter Fitzgerald told Chicago's 'Daily
Herald', "I have personally talked to the President about this and if we had
intelligence on where he was now, and we had a clear shot to assassinate him, we
would probably do that.
"President Bush would probably sign an executive order repealing the executive order
put in place by President Ford that forbids the assassination of foreign leaders,"
he said.
Former President Gerald Ford issued an 1976 executive order, forbidding US personnel
from assassinating foreign leaders.
President Reagan extended that executive order in 1981 to include hired assassins.
Bush could overturn the decision with a stroke of his pen, White House aides said.
However, a White House spokesman said on February 24, he "can't confirm whether or
not" Bush and Fitzgerald discussed the potential assassination of Hussein. The
Ford "executive order remains in place", he said.
Asked whether Bush had told him he would authorise changing US policy to kill
Hussein, Fitzgerald said, "Yes, yes. Now, he told me that aboard Air Force One."
A Fitzgerald spokesman was quoted as saying that he thinks the conversation took
place on January 7, when the Senator flew back to Washington with Bush following the
President's Chicago speech touting his tax-cut plan.
PTI
