Chapter 265 Visiting Iraq
An Il plane with the Soviet logo landed at Baghdad Airport. At this moment, the welcome military music sounded at the airport. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein stood under the scorching sun at the airport in uniform, waiting for distinguished guests from the Soviet Union, the plenipotentiary special envoy for Kuwait appointed by Gorbachev, and the youngest member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the CPSU—Sergey Ivano Comrade Vich Ulyanov.
Iraq had annexed Kuwait's territory, but the views of the United States and the Soviet Union were crucial in order to legally incorporate Kuwait into Iraq's territory. However, from the perspective of international relations, Americans are obviously more supportive of Saudi Arabia. Therefore, obtaining the understanding of the Soviet Union has become the most important task for Iraq.
Seryozha's turning point slowly opened the cabin door. He looked at Saddam who was looking forward to him under the spiral staircase, and took off his hat to greet him slightly.
"Secretary, you should say hello to the welcome crowd!" The etiquette expert sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs standing in the cabin reminded in a low voice.
Seryozha then raised his hat and waved to the welcoming crowd below, and then slowly walked down the spiral staircase under the prompt of etiquette experts.
This is the first time that Seryozha participated in such a major international event. As the core leadership of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, his visits naturally cannot be compared with those in the past. Special planes, security personnel, and reporters are all indispensable.
Seryozha shook hands with Saddam skillfully and greeted each other, and then shook hands with Iraqi officials under Saddam's introduction. Although Seryozha was not the head of state of the Soviet Union, Saddam entertained him no less than the general secretary of the Soviet Union, which can be said to have given Seryozha enough face.
Seryozha was well aware of Saddam's tricks. He welcomed the Soviet envoy so warmly at the airport because he hoped to win the Soviet Union to side with Iraq and support their annexation of Kuwait. Saddam's thought Sergey did not intend to expose it. Sergey's original plan was to make the Americans feel that the Soviet Union had an ambiguous attitude on the Iraqi issue. It made the Americans confused about what the attitude of the Soviets was, so Seryozha was also cooperating with Saddam to play a show for the United States.
A tacit welcome ceremony lasted for nearly an hour in the scorching sun. This was followed by a welcome banquet at the Palace of the Republic. Sergey knew in his heart that this kind of occasion is not the time to discuss key issues, but there will always be opportunities. Sergey came to Iraq this time for no other reason than to find a way to persuade the Iraqi side to withdraw its troops from Kuwait. Although it is difficult There are many, but Seryozha is still very sure. He must let Saddam realize that neither the United States nor the Soviet Union will allow him to annex Kuwait.
Long before his visit, Seryozha had already arranged the election plans for Yeltsin and Sobchak. Judging from the current support rate, there is almost no suspense about being elected. So Seryozha is now concentrating on things in Kuwait. This time his formation is very complicated. He will first visit Iraq, and then fly to Saudi Arabia to meet with the Saudi government and the Kuwaiti government-in-exile. After dealing with matters in the Middle East,
Seryozha would fly to New York to attend the UN General Assembly, and at the same time represent Gorbachev to a meeting with the President of the United States.
There are too many interested parties involved in the Kuwait incident. But before the United States sends troops, everything can still be restored. Seryozha knew through the way of an international risk consulting company that the United States had a lot of concerns about sending troops to Kuwait. Because they were afraid that a war with Iraq would cause a large number of casualties. At this moment, the Americans overestimated Iraq's military capabilities. They never thought that Saddam Hussein was a paper tiger, and Saddam Hussein also judged his own situation too much. Optimistic, he doesn't know that danger is quietly coming to him. But one thing is for sure, that is, Iraq has no intention of confronting the United States head-on.
The welcome dinner was grand and warm. Not only people from the Soviet Union attended the banquet, but even the American side was invited to attend today's welcome party. In his welcome speech before the banquet, Saddam spoke highly of the relationship between the Soviet Union and Iraq. In his recovery, Sergesha emphasized the responsibility of the Soviet team to maintain world peace.
During the whole banquet, Seryozha did not have any contact with the United States. Even when reporters asked him for his views on the Kuwaiti issue, Seryozha still used his set of remarks to maintain world peace to prevaricate reporters.
"Secretary, Mr. President invited you to review the Republican Guard tomorrow?" An Iraqi receptionist walked up to Sergei and whispered.
"Thank you President Saddam for your kindness. I am the secretary in charge of economy and agriculture, and I am more interested in Iraq's agricultural production!" Sergey replied in a low voice.
After the banquet, Sergey returned to the Soviet embassy to rest, and the Iraqi side soon sent a new invitation, inviting Sergey to visit a farm on the outskirts of Baghdad! Seryozha immediately nodded his assent.
The next morning, Seryozha and Saddam headed to a farm in the outskirts of Iraq in the same car. There were only two people in the car, Sergey Sha and Saddam, Sergey finally had the opportunity to have a frank communication with Saddam.
"Secretary Ulyanov, regarding the issue of Kuwait, I hope you and Secretary Gorbachev can fully consider our Iraqi interests..."
Seryozha patiently listened to Saddam's long speech, and after a long silence, he said slowly: "Mr. President, the Soviet Union, like your country, has fallen into a serious debt crisis. We really feel the same for Iraq's situation. But one thing you need to understand is that the debt problem should not be an excuse for you to launch a war. Although the Soviet Union and Kuwait are allies, we must first ensure the interests of the Soviet Union! The Soviet Union will never admit the annexation of Kuwait Well, the reason why we don't openly sing against Iraq is because we are worried that the United States will think that we are on their side, and thus unscrupulously launch a war against your country."
"Secretary Ulyanov, is this what you mean, or what is meant by Secretary Gorbachev?" Saddam asked in panic.
"This is a collective vote of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee. In order to show our sincerity, we allow Iraq to use oil to repay our weapon debt! This is the only thing we, the Soviet Union, can do for you as an ally. Please understand our difficulties! Mr. President, if we all disagree with your Kuwait invasion, don’t you know the attitude of the Americans? You have little time to think about it. I hope that after the UN General Assembly, you can see the representatives of Iraq and Kuwait sitting At the negotiating table in Moscow! We promise that we will not express any biased positions on Kuwait until then!” ()