Mr George Galloway

30 November 2006

Q520  Sir Philip Mawer: I fully understand the point you have made, but I am asking whether you travelled in the car with him to Baghdad?

Mr Galloway: I have never been in a car with him.

Q521  Sir Philip Mawer: Were you in Baghdad in October 2001?

Mr Galloway: October 2000?

Q522  Sir Philip Mawer: October 2001.

Mr Galloway: I have no idea; I would need to check that.

Q523  Sir Philip Mawer: Could you check that for me, please.

Mr Galloway: Sure.

Q524  Sir Philip Mawer: It is the allegation of Mr Tony Zureikat that during that visit you met the then Minister of Agriculture. Did you meet him?

Mr Galloway: I have no idea. Certainly I did not meet him with Tony Zureikat.

Q525  Sir Philip Mawer: Have you ever met the Iraqi Minister of Agriculture?

Mr Galloway: What is his name? Where did I meet him?

Q526  Sir Philip Mawer: The name is in Tony Zureikat's evidence. Have you ever met the Iraqi Minister of Agriculture?

Mr Galloway: I may have done but I certainly have not met him in the presence of Mr Tony Zureikat.

Q527  Sir Philip Mawer: That is not the allegation, the allegation is that you met him in the company of Fawaz Zureikat.

Mr Galloway: To the best of my knowledge, I have never met the Minister of Agriculture, but it is to the best of my knowledge. I may have met him in passing at some reception or something. I have certainly not done any business with him which is the allegation in here.

Q528  Sir Philip Mawer: The reason I am asking this in relation to this matter is because the allegation made by—

Mr Galloway: Have you found his name?

Mr McKay: No, I cannot find his name from here.

Sir Philip Mawer: Alda, can you also look for the reference in the Tony Zureikat evidence to these meetings in October 2001?

Q529  Ms Barry: I think you were in Iraq in October 2001.

Mr Galloway: Was I?

Ms Barry: Yes.

Q530  Sir Philip Mawer: We have established that so there is no need for you to write to me on that point. The allegation made by Mr Zureikat during the interview I had with him was that you met the Minister of Agriculture accompanied by Fawaz Zureikat.

Mr Galloway: And his evidence for that is what?

Q531  Sir Philip Mawer: I am just about to share the evidence with you. I am looking at question 26.[47] He says first that you met Tariq Aziz on the first day you arrived in Baghdad during that visit, and we have now established that you were in Baghdad in October 2001. He says at the beginning of his answer at question 26 that there were two meetings which you had with Fawaz and Iraqi ministers and which he is 100 per cent aware of. He says one meeting was with the Minister of Agriculture: "Fawaz and George met the Minister of Agriculture. After that meeting Fawaz sent a letter to the Minister of Agriculture to remind the Minister of the meeting with George Galloway". That is in his answer at question 26 of the evidence which you have.

Mr Galloway: The evidence for that assertion is what?

Q532  Sir Philip Mawer: The evidence for that assertion is this. I am now going to share with you two documents. The first is a copy of a letter[48] to the Minister of Agriculture, signed by a man called Ahmed Al Shanti, of which there is a translation here. It refers to a tender for a contract with the Ministry, the tender number of which is given. The letter opens after greetings: "With reference to the meeting which was held between His Excellency the Minister and Mr Fawaz Zureikat and Mr George Galloway MP ... and then it continues after some other things ... we submit to you our reduced quotation". That is the first piece of evidence.

Mr McKay: What is the quotation for?

Q533  Sir Philip Mawer: There you are, you can read the document. The second piece of evidence is a manuscript letter[49] which appears to be signed by Fawaz Zureikat himself. This one refers to: "Meeting with Your Excellency with the presence of Deputy George Galloway", and refers to an insecticide tender offered in the name of the Al-Yamamah company, which is also the name of the company that is on the first letter.

Mr McKay: That is Al-Alameya.

Q534  Sir Philip Mawer: Forgive me, this is Al-Yamamah. It relates to a different tender. That is the second document.

Mr McKay: Was Al-Yamamah not the Saudi?

Mr Galloway: Yes, the Saudi arms dealer. First of all, I have never heard of Ahmed Al Shanti and, to the best of my knowledge, I have never met him. I note that Tony Zureikat was very keen that you should find him and interview him. I do not know if you have, but if you have I am sure he will confirm that.

Q535  Sir Philip Mawer: I have attempted to contact Mr Al Shanti but without success.

Mr Galloway: I have never heard of him and, to the best of my knowledge, I have never met him. I have never heard of either of these companies, Al-Alameya or Al-Yamamah, and I was never involved in any insecticide business.

Q536  Sir Philip Mawer: Were you involved in any meetings with the Minister of Agriculture during that visit with Mr Fawaz Zureikat?

Mr Galloway: About business, no. I have never met the Minister of Agriculture with Fawaz Zureikat or Mr Al Shanti or in connection with any business. I said to you, to the best of my recollection I have never even met the Minister of Agriculture, however, it is possible, as I have said to you, that I have met him at some reception or in passing. I do not know his name and we do not even yet know his name in relation to these documents. I have never discussed any business with him. If these letters are authentic, then it may very well be that these people are reminding the Minister that Zureikat was in my company in Iraq, that is a possibility. It is a possibility that occurs to me more than once in this whole story, but I know nothing of this. I have never met Al Shanti and I know nothing of these companies or any insecticide business.

Q537  Sir Philip Mawer: I put the question to you before when we previously met and I will put it to you again. Is it possible that people were quoting your name—

Mr Galloway: It is more than possible.

Q538  Sir Philip Mawer:— in order to obtain assistance which would enable the funding of the Mariam Appeal and the anti-sanctions campaign?

Mr Galloway: No. I reject that completely, but the first part of your statement is undoubtedly true, that people were quoting my name or their proximity to me. Sir Philip, I got a call last night from somebody who is a student in a school in South West London whose teacher claims to be my cousin but is not related to me in any way, I have never met him. The only connection is that he has the same surname as me. If it suits them, and in the case of the call last night it did suit them, people will use other people's names. In Iraq, it is very clear now to me, and since we last met it is clearer than ever, that there were people all over the place using their proximity to me, or even an invented proximity to me, in order to assist themselves in their business.

Q539  Sir Philip Mawer: It appears that one of them was Fawaz Zureikat, if that manuscript letter is to be regarded as authentic.

Mr Galloway: If it is authentic, yes.

48   Volume II, WE 43. Back

49   Volume II, WE 44. Back