Egyptian Presidential Candidate Fawzi Ghazzal: Saddam Should Be Restored to Power in Iraq

The following are excerpts from an interview with Egyptian presidential candidate Dr. Fawzi Ghazzal, which aired on Egyptian TV on August 29, 2005

Host: A newspaper reported that you support and even demand the return to power of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. How do you explain this?

Ghazzal: My explanation is that I demand legitimacy. I demand that legitimate (rule) be established, because it was the American occupation that ousted Saddam Hussein. All the current leaders came to power under the American occupation. I believe that legitimacy must first be restored to Iraq. We must return to the situation prior to the war in Iraq, and Saddam Hussein will be in charge, because he is the legitimate president. And afterwards, the Iraqi people must have its say. When the Iraqi people has its say, we will honor its (decision). If they want Saddam Hussein, let it be Saddam Hussein. If they want someone other than Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi people must make this change and not the American occupation because what happened in Iraq can happen in any other Arab country. They can do to another president what they did to Saddam Hussein.