Mr George Galloway

30 November 2006

Q560  Sir Philip Mawer: Did you share the transcript with Fawaz?

Mr Galloway: I did not speak with him but I spoke with some members of his family.

Q561  Sir Philip Mawer: Did you share the transcript of the evidence with any of them?

Mr Galloway: No.

Q562  Sir Philip Mawer: Has it always been in your custody?

Mr Galloway: Yes.

Q563  Sir Philip Mawer: There is a point which arises out of your evidence that I want to explore in a little more detail. It relates to your meeting with the former President Saddam Hussein on 8 August 2002. The fact that you had a meeting with him is well known.

Mr Galloway: Publicly, yes.

Q564  Sir Philip Mawer: Can I ask who else was present at the meeting in your recollection?

Mr Galloway: A large number of people. There were 30 to 40 people in the hall.

Q565  Sir Philip Mawer: That was the only occasion on which you met Saddam Hussein—in a large gathering of 40 people?

Mr Galloway: A large gathering at the end of which I asked to speak to the President. There was then a smaller gathering, myself, Saddam Hussein and Tariq Aziz. The press secretary to the President was not present. From recollection, I think even the translator was dismissed and the translation was done by Tariq Aziz.

Q566  Sir Philip Mawer: You are saying the press secretary was not present, it was just the two other people?

Mr Galloway: To the best of my recollection, yes. I am pretty sure of that because Naji Sabri got up to leave and Saddam Hussein told him to sit down. I have written about this in my book.

Q567  Sir Philip Mawer: Can you remember what you discussed at the meeting?

Mr Galloway: I put it to him that the war could only be averted if the Iraqi regime invited Dr Hans Blix to come back to the country and to give him co-operation and access to all areas and that this was the only way we could avert a catastrophe.

Q568  Sir Philip Mawer: In his evidence, Tony Zureikat refers to conversations you had with Fawaz Zureikat before and after, he alleges, the meeting and, in particular, he says that following the meeting you came back and in his presence said to Fawaz: "Fawaz, we won one and we lost one". He understood you to mean you had obtained assistance from the then Iraqi regime in relation to one of your projects which was the television contract, but you had not got assistance in other respects. That is a fair and accurate statement of Mr Tony Zureikat's evidence on this matter, is it not?

Mr Galloway: It is a complete lie. I was not in his presence before or after, definitely not. I left Iraq that night and I left immediately after the meeting. It was from the meeting to the hotel and from the hotel to the car heading for Jordan. I will tell you why because I had in my possession a considerable scoop and I had to write about it for The Mail on Sunday. As soon as I arrived I was in constant contact with The Mail on Sunday's office in London and the subsequent article is there.

Q569  Sir Philip Mawer: Did you raise in conversation with Zureikat your plans for Arab television?

Mr Galloway: I had no plans. I did not discuss that with Saddam Hussein.

Q570  Sir Philip Mawer: I did not ask you that. Am I correct in thinking you were interested in Arab television?

Mr Galloway: I am always interested in Arab television. Zureikat was a leading figure in Arab Television.

Q571  Sir Philip Mawer: In the sense that he was the principal financial backer?

Mr Galloway: He was the owner. I am stating to you that I did not discuss this with Saddam Hussein.

Q572  Sir Philip Mawer: As Mr McKay is here, can I ask you if you had any connection with Arab Television for its short life?

Mr McKay: Yes.

Q573  Sir Philip Mawer: What was your role?

Mr McKay: I was the editorial director and chief executive.

Q574  Sir Philip Mawer: When was that?

Mr McKay: I would have to refresh my memory on what the dates were, but it was immediately prior to the war.

Q575  Sir Philip Mawer: It appears from the evidence of Mr Halford that Arab Television, in its short lifespan, ran from 2002 to 2003, in the run up to the war.

Mr McKay: Yes.

Mr Galloway: It was an idea discussed much longer than that. The idea had come from Al-Jazeera of having an Arab station broadcasting in English. The countering of propaganda of western governments has been a dream of mine for a very long time.

Q576  Sir Philip Mawer: You were involved in the genesis of the idea or discussions about it?

Mr Galloway: I have been talking to the Arabs for 20 years about it.

Q577  Sir Philip Mawer: Were you involved in the organisation of it in any way?

Mr Galloway: No.

Q578  Sir Philip Mawer: If I can put it that you were a supporter of the idea, is that a fair way to describe it?

Mr Galloway: Absolutely.

Q579  Sir Philip Mawer: Can you remember who paid for your August 2002 trip to Baghdad?

Mr Galloway: The Mail on Sunday, I guess.