Muhammad Hamza al-Zubaidi

Muhammad Hamza az-Zubaidi ( Arabic محمد حمزة الزبيدي, DMG Muḥammad Ḥamza az-Zubaydī ) (* 1938 ; † December 2, 2005 ) was Prime Minister of Iraq under the Ba'ath Party regime .

Shiite

Muhammad Hamza az-Zubaidi was a Shiite. According to other sources, he came from the Sunni branch of the Zubaidi clan, but apparently converted to the Shia in 1981 at the same time as President Saddam Hussein . This step was apparently not taken out of conviction, but rather served to appease the Iraqi Shiites during the First Gulf War against Shiite Iran . The Zubaidi clan also remained predominantly Sunni, but parts of it had been Shiite for centuries.

prime minister

Since 1982 a member of the regional command of the Iraqi Ba'ath Party and a minister without portfolio, az-Zubaidi first became Minister of Transport and Communications in 1987 and then Deputy Prime Minister in 1991.

After the Iraqi defeat in the Second Gulf War , an uprising of the Iraqi Shiites broke out. President Saddam Hussein was forced to appoint a Shiite head of government to take the wind out of the sails of the uprising. To this end, the constitution was changed and in March 1991 the office of Prime Minister, abolished in 1968, was re-established . However, after the post-war uprisings were put down , the new head of government Saadun Hammadi was replaced on September 13, 1991 by the less prominent Mohammed az-Zubaidi. Zubaidi also advanced to the Revolutionary Command Council (RKR), the innermost circle of power.

Although Zubaidi was seen as a low profile follower of Hussein, especially in comparison with Hammadi, at least with the appointment of Ahmad Hussein Chudair as foreign minister (in place of long-time Hussein confidante Tariq Aziz ) , he demonstrated a certain independent decision-making authority, with which he held the premier post for almost two years could hold. Since part of his clan lives in Syria, Zubaidi tried, ultimately in vain, to improve relations with the Syrian Ba'ath Party.

Surprisingly, on September 5, 1993, Zubaidi was also replaced by Chudair. The reshuffle of the government is said to have been preceded by an attempted coup at the end of July 1993. Zubaidi was accused of failing to prevent the coup attempt. Finally, on May 29, 1994, Saddam Hussein changed the constitution again and took over the function of head of government again. The office of prime minister was abolished, but Mohammed Hamza az-Zubaidi had remained deputy prime minister and RKR member since 1993.

Military commander

In December 1998, Saddam Hussein even entrusted him with command of the central of the four Iraqi military districts , including Baghdad and its Shiite suburbs. Mohammed Hamza's half-brother, General Ahmad al-Zubaidi, became the capital's deputy military governor. In 1999 Mohammed Hamza az-Zubaidi survived an attack by Shiite rebels, but in 2000 he was relieved of the command of the central military district and in 2001 he was removed from both the command council and the regional command.

Parts of the Zubaidi clan lived in Syria before the Third Gulf War ; his Syrian niece studied in Berlin from 1993 to 1994.

Captivity

In April 2003, Zubaidi fell into the hands of the US allies. Shortly after the trial against him began, he died on December 2, 2005 under unexplained circumstances in captivity. US military doctors said the 67-year-old died of natural causes.

Web links

• Muhammad Hamza al-Zubaydi on globalsecurity.org
• Former Iraqi premier Muhammad Hamza al-Zubaydi has died , Pravda, December 5, 2005

Individual proof

1. ^ ^{A b} Robin Leonard Bidwell : Dictionary of Modern Arab History , page 455. London / New York 1998
2. ↑ Munzinger-Archiv / Internationales Handarchiv - Zeitarchiv 43/93 (September 1993), page 6. Ravensburg 1993