Mr Tony Zureikat

20 December 2005

Q760  Sir Philip Mawer: So they were arrested in order to put pressure on them to give information?

Mr Zureikat: Absolutely. We all went to the war blindly, nobody knew exactly what was going on. Right up to the zero hour intelligence-wise there was no great information about Saddam's activities or whatever and they tried to get it from people like Fawaz, what kind of equipment they delivered, just to put the pieces together.

Q761  Sir Philip Mawer: Can I ask briefly, why do you think the Iraqi regime was so keen to put money contracts in the way of Fawaz and George Galloway? What was it that prompted them to do this?

Mr Zureikat: The Iraqi regime depended on messengers more than technology. They did not have the technology. America was on top of them watching everything. The best way of communication was through messengers such as Galloway and Fawaz. There were too many of them—Tunisian, Moroccan, French, probably Americans—but none of them were messengers and partners of the regime that went in the open and accused like George did. George benefited during the regime, he benefited during the war and he wanted to benefit after.

Q762  Sir Philip Mawer: So you are saying that the former Iraqi regime saw people like George Galloway and Fawaz as emissaries, if you like, for them. They were people who could give the regime's point of view.

Mr Zureikat: It was not just that. I was there. George Galloway did it for the Iraqis and the Iraqi regime, he was God, a saviour. You were talking about Britain pushing to kick the regime out, talking about America as Britain and Britain as America. At the same time you had a Member of Parliament, a decision-maker of the political arena of Britain. It was a huge voice, it was not like an ordinary voice. George was very aware of the Middle Eastern, Islamic mentality. He is an expert. When he goes on TV he knows exactly which areas to touch, what kind of words should come out of his mouth. He knows what he is doing. He studied the mentality of the street in the Middle East, basic people, street people, and that way he gets the publicity. Intelligent people, educated people in the Middle East would not even look at his face, they know he is a crook. The majority of the people are poor, middle class and lower. Most of the Middle East is two classes, either lower or higher class, we do not have a middle class. He knew what the extremists were looking for. You know and I know where he won this election. If he had gone to any group on earth he would not have won the last election. That was one of George's goals for survival. This is a continuation of what he started in Iraq. People look at him as a hero. From what you have here and from what I saw, I know different, he is not a hero, he is just a con artist, a person. He looks for the easy way. He is drowning looking for a piece of hay to hang on to get to the safe beach.

Q763  Sir Philip Mawer: Can I just ask briefly a couple of other questions. Do you know Burhan al-Chalabi at all?

Mr Zureikat: No. I know Dr Chalabi. I met with him twice. This Burhan Chalabi is a resident of Britain. The only thing I know about him, I saw his name on the report.

Q764  Sir Philip Mawer: You have never had any dealings with him?

Mr Zureikat: No.

Q765  Sir Philip Mawer: You said you know Dr Chalabi. He is the prominent former Iraqi opposition politician?

Mr Zureikat: He is Deputy Prime Minister now.

Q766  Sir Philip Mawer: You have only met him twice, did I hear you say?

Mr Zureikat: Yes. I went because Fawaz and his people in the Government, especially agriculture, helped me with a contract of mine and I would have benefited 1.7 million from it. They dragged it until the LC expired, they would not accept my papers, and I lost it. The minister of water tried to save it for me. I paid from my pocket banking expense and stuff, a little bit over US$350,000. We manufactured all the equipment. We owed the banks nearly €8 million and all Fawaz's people at the Ministry of Agriculture.

Q767  Ms Barry: When did this deal fail?

Mr Zureikat: I started talking to the Senate in May and they interviewed and everything in about August and 13 August was the expiration of the LC. This was a very high price.

Q768  Sir Philip Mawer: On the subject of motivation, those outside may well say, "Why is Tony Zureikat telling you all this, what is his beef against Fawaz? Is he trying to get his own back on Fawaz or George Galloway?" Could you give me your own response to that?

Mr Zureikat: My own response is it is because I know the other face of the relationship. I am not an angel, I am human, but I cannot sleep knowing stuff like that. If I wanted to ask for money I would get it from them and not from you. Okay? I would get it from them. They are willing to pay. I have told you my views about money. Money is very important for us to survive but for me, and I say it again, I want money so nobody knocks on my door and says, "Pay what you owe." I have everything paid in my life. My baby girl is safe. I am okay, I am a very rich person. We wear good clothes. We are surviving well, better than others. I am 46 years old, I look 50 or 55. I have been married four times in my life, ruined by women. I am 46 and I want to survive another 14 years. I cannot walk up these stairs. I am not looking for millions, I had it in the past and I spent it in the past. It is the principle. George goes on TV and looks like an angel, but he is not an angel, he is a human who has made big mistakes. There are people who have made little mistakes. A mistake is a mistake but George's mistakes are not just little mistakes. They used that little girl and knew he was not an activist and the purpose behind that was money. I know so many people in the world who came to Iraq and benefited in the way George did, but George went further and further and further until at the last election everybody knew he went to the devil to win that. This man spoke badly about Middle East leaders. I asked him a question, I said, "George, why do you think the Middle East is not going to be right with today's leadership?" and he said, "Because when any Deputy Foreign Minister from any Western country comes to the Middle East they put out the red carpet for him and the head of the state bends over backwards for them." That is his view. This is the message he is spreading with people he knows over there. This is not true. Like myself in Jordan, we always needed protection. We have no natural resource in Jordan, our benefit is to be as we are today, to get help from you and from everybody in Jordan. We are not there to harm anybody around us, we want to survive. We survive life like that. We only need protection from Saddam. Without the West, Saddam would be sitting in Mecca today. The same thing is true of Lebanon and Syria. They are allies. George was convincing everybody that was not true, it was because of the leadership of the Middle East. This guy's views are bad, he is selfish. He was not doing it because of the principle or message. If he was true I would be one of his followers. I told you that on the phone. He is not true. It is money. Why is his wife leaving him? Because they are fighting over the money, they are fighting over positions, otherwise if I was the wife of an activist like this I would die with him, I would do anything for him.

Q769  Sir Philip Mawer: In short, you are saying you did not agree with his views, you do not agree with his views, and—

Mr Zureikat: I know he is lying.

Q770  Sir Philip Mawer: And you think he is lying.

Mr Zureikat: I know he is lying. I do not think he is lying, I know because I witnessed it. As an activist he would go to the Ministry of Social Work, he would go rallying in the streets, he would not sit with the Minister of Agriculture to secure contracts to supply equipment that has nothing to do with the sanctions, or go to the Deputy Prime Minister for military and industry and try to work with Fawaz to get business to get missiles. That is not peace. If I wanted to fight the US and Britain, I would fight them with facts to show the world that Saddam is right and they are wrong, without weapons, without radars, without, without, without.

Q771  Sir Philip Mawer: Understood.

Mr Zureikat: This is the principle, not because I have differences with them or whatever. I had the choice to go along with them and make money, and I did not. Those contracts I secured did not go through because I would not let Fawaz get involved with them. It is not the money or because I want to get them back. At every meeting, George and I argued sometimes but we were never enemies. I have had no respect for him since then. He did no harm to me for me to get him back. He is a good man but he is doing bad things, things that I do not agree with and I would never cover up. I am a good man. Like I said, I am not an angel, I am human, and I have greed in me like everybody but up to a certain point, not to sell ethics to get to the other side. I do not want to do that.

Q772  Sir Philip Mawer: I have a final question and it is this in essence: I wonder if you could identify ways in which we can corroborate the different aspects of your story. Clearly some of the collaboration you say is available in the form of documentation which is with the Senate Sub-Committee and you are giving us authority to ask them for it insofar as it is your documentation.

Mr Zureikat: Yes.

Q773  Sir Philip Mawer: There were various points in our interview this morning when you offered to identify dates or times for us. To help you do that and to ensure that you are content that we have an accurate record of what you have said, I will make sure you see the draft of what we produce. Are there other ways in which it would be possible to corroborate what you have said, people we should aim to talk to, documentation we should aim to look for?

Mr Zureikat: There are two very important letters which I mentioned. One was written by Fawaz to the Minister of Agriculture and one typed and signed by Mr Shanti, who is a British citizen, reminding the minister on different subjects, one for fertilizer and one for irrigation. Both were secured because of George Galloway. Both visits to the Minister of Agriculture he wanted separately and he secured the business. That is clear from the letters, one of them in Fawaz's writing as a draft and the other one typed and signed by Shanti.

Q774  Sir Philip Mawer: In your belief, this is not them just using George's name, this is based on a meeting that took place?

Mr Zureikat: Absolutely.

Q775  Sir Philip Mawer: Which to your knowledge took place.

Mr Zureikat: Let us say I hear this story and we look at it to see whether it is true or not. First of all, the tender was closed, it was done previously. The offer was done previously, the tender was closed and almost assigned to somebody else. George went in, he said, "Stop everything", and the minister stopped everything and told people to bring their offer. This is mentioned in the letter. On the second day the offer went with the letter and a week later the offer became a contract and a week later it became an LC executed and paid. That is all in the document that is with the Senate, from A-Z. George cannot deny he was there, he was there in Iraq sitting with the minister, the minister now working with the United Nations and the minister was called Abdul Hammadi, whatever his name was. It is easy to bring him to testify.

Q776  Sir Philip Mawer: I have asked you about corroboration and you have identified those two important letters. Is there anything else?

Mr Zureikat: There is a CD in which Shanti was addressing Aziz al-Douri to show the ties and relationship with this British person, the partner of Fawaz. He stopped all ethics and regulations to be in Iraq and help the Iraqi Government towards the kickbacks or whatever. If you get this guy to talk as a citizen of your country, I think that will be major evidence.

Q777  Sir Philip Mawer: Thank you very much.