Peter Arnett Saddam Hussein Interview (1991)

ACCOUNT OF SADDAM INTERVIEW CNN correspondent Peter Arnett yesterday interviewed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Describing the circumstances surrounding the interview, Arnett said he was driven to a surburban area where he met Saddam in a bungalow that looked like every other “house in the neighborhood.“ Three Iraqi television cameras were there. Arnett said Saddam spent two hours with him, 90 minutes of it in an interview. Arnett described Saddam as “very relaxed . . . dressed in an impeccable blue suit and a pretty tie. . . . He was cordial with me. The interview he gave was chilling.“ What follows is a transcript of Arnett’s account of the interview on CNN obtained from Reuter and staff reports: I spent an hour and a half with Saddam Hussein this evening, with the president of Iraq. It was an unexpected meeting. I was called at the hotel about 4 o’clock to prepare to meet a senior official. We drove through the dark streets of Baghdad. I waited about an