Paris sought to 'recover' Tariq Aziz

PARIS, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- Paris weighed sheltering top officials in the Baathist government of Iraq just months before the U.S.-led invasion of 2003, former intelligence officials said.

Gen. Philippe Rondot in extracts from his personal diaries printed in the French newspaper Liberation said French President Jacques Chirac in 2002 approved of efforts to "recover" Tariq Aziz, the Iraqi deputy prime minister, and several other top officials.

"Informed of my projects on S. Hussein. Understand that we should recover Iraqis seeking to 'shelter' in the embassy, sensitive researchers, the case of Tariq Aziz," the published memos read.

Aziz surrendered to U.S. forces in April 2003 and is now serving a lengthy prison term for his role in the assassination of several Iraqi merchants exploiting the sanctions regime.

The French and Iraqi governments had a history of business activities prior to the 2003 invasion. Rondot in January 2003 had received tacit approval from the French government for his "proposals," London's Telegraph newspaper reports.

The Liberation extracts go on to say the CIA sent their counterparts in France a list of al-Qaida members targeted for assassination for Paris to review. Chirac, according to the memos, rejected the idea.

The Liberation memos were leaked to the French press in connection with the so-called Clearstream affair, where Dominique de Villepin, the former French premier, is accused of manipulating intelligence information in an effort to discredit Nicolas Sarkozy.