Aziz joins the fast club

Hunger strikes are certainly popular these days. First Saddam, then Cindy Sheehan, now Tariq Aziz:

Former Iraqi deputy prime minister Tareq Aziz has begun a hunger strike to protest the refusal by prison authorities holding him in Iraq to allow him to see a lawyer, his lawyer said today.

Did you catch the irony in the above statement? Anyway, maybe his strike will be more successful than some of the others. Saddam only skipped lunch, and by the looks of Sheehan she'll not last a day or two.

But the Coalition doctors are probably the ones kicking back with stogies right now, since they've been told Tariq was a mere month away from death's door for months now (sorry to regular reader of this blog, you must be sick of that link by now).

Aziz's supporters are apparently worried he'll soon be transferred to Iraqi custody, which could actually be dangerous to his heath. That's why they're trying hard to use the ECHR to get him out of Iraq.

It's time for Tariq to wake up smell the Chai--he's never leaving Iraq unless he's willing to drop a dime on the old boss or unless the old boss finally wins the mother of all battles. These Euros are not going to rescue him, no way, no how. And when his desperation play finally collapses our interrogators should be standing at the ready.

MORE 7/7/06

There's a lot going on here beneath the surface, and the tentacles run deep. Aziz is essentially being held without charge at the moment, but has been implicated in many areas, such as dealings with the UK's George Galloway in the Oil for Food department.

He's got friends in Europe:

Mr Aziz enjoys a good reputation and warm relationship with many European figures, including the Vatican. Jean-Marie Benjamin, a Roman Catholic priest and a friend of Mr Aziz's family, has prepared a group of Italian lawyers to work on Mr Aziz's release for health reasons. I met them in Rome and co-ordinated with them how to work this out.

One of them was Giovanni, the lawyer referenced in the ECHR petition:

The latest information about this is a letter sent from an Italian lawyer called Giovanni to the US authorities in Iraq asking for Mr Aziz's release for health reasons. The US ambassador to Iraq, Zalmai Kahlilzad, told the Italians that new charges are being studied against Mr Aziz and he would rather wait before giving an answer to the appeal.

ALL'S QUIET 7/7/06

The anniversary of 7/7 thankfully passed quietly, but there were many stories commemorating the event and discussing the culprits. Based on the official investigation the Brits are just as in love with the lone wolf explanation as were the 9/11 Commissioners.

Problem is, the connections just won't go away. Zawahiri took credit for the attacks and some of the attackers traveled to Pakistan. A thumb drive with information on the plot was found on a jihadist captured in Iraq who allegedly had connections to Zarqawi.

Recall that Zarqawi was also loosely tied to the Saddamists. The Canadian terrorists had ties to the running buddy of Hani Hanjour, a 9/11 hijacker. Now we find out the Lebanese terrorist accused of plotting a terror attack on New York went to Zarqawi to ask for financing.

Lone wolf seems to be a highly misleading description, but one that probably makes things easier to manage diplomatically.