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Following are excerpts from an interview with Ghazwan Al-Kubeisi, Deputy Secretary of the Iraqi Ba'th Party, which aired on Al-Baghdadiya TV on December 9, 2007:
Interviewer: People had expected that there would be fighting in the streets in Iraq. Even the Americans had expected this. We, the Iraqi public, who remained in Iraq before, during, and after the war, would hear of plans to fight the Americans in the streets, and to establish a whole state underground in order to fight. But this never happened.
Ghazwan Al-Kubeisi: The Ba'th Party fought according to its capabilities, and the same goes for the people and the resistance factions. It was a large [American] invasion, and you are well aware of the enemy's capabilities, and you also know that there were traitors who disclosed intelligence. So obviously, things did not happen 100 percent as you wanted.
Interviewer: Were any of your plans implemented?
Ghazwan Al-Kubeisi: Of course. Many Americans and many traitors were attacked.
[...]
Interviewer: Do you plan to return to power?
Ghazwan Al-Kubeisi: Yes, we do, but not as the leader-party in a single-party system. We plan to return as part of a whole, as a part of the people.
Interviewer: What, you had a rough time being the only party around?
Ghazwan Al-Kubeisi: Not at all.
Interviewer: So why won't you return as a single party? If you didn't have a tough time, why not?
Ghazwan Al-Kubeisi: We have realized that it is the people, and not a party, that should rule Iraq – not our party or any other party.
Interviewer: But when you ruled Iraq, the party ruled the people...
Ghazwan Al-Kubeisi: Don't ask me about the past.
Interviewer: You are part of the past, as well as the present.
Ghazwan Al-Kubeisi: I respect the past, and...
Interviewer: Are you renouncing your history?
Ghazwan Al-Kubeisi: The [Ba'th] Party welcomed the establishment of a coalition – and indeed, such a coalition was established. The Communist Party joined it, but it violated the condition forbidding it from having a military wing.
[...]
The conditions we set [for the Americans] are clear. First of all, they must withdraw, in accordance with a plan, an agreement. We don't have to make excessive demands. Our demands should match our capabilities. If we had the capabilities for this, we would have driven them out. Allah willing, we will have such capabilities in the future. We are serious about this, and our actions will definitely weaken them. The Americans must withdraw, according to a plan agreed upon by the party, the resistance and the Americans. Let them leave whichever way they want, so long as they don't stay here for years. They should leave without losing face. That's the first term. Secondly, they must release all the Iraqi prisoners from their jails and from the jails of the collaborating government. Thirdly, they must hand over the collaborators to be tried by the Iraqis.
Interviewer: What collaborators?
Ghazwan Al-Kubeisi: The collaborating government, starting with the Interim Governing Council...
Interviewer: Fine, let's stop here. You mean to say...
Ghazwan Al-Kubeisi: Let me finish. They must apologize to the Iraqi people for all the harm they caused them, and they must rebuild Iraq – everything that was damaged in Iraq... These are our terms. In addition, they must apologize to the Iraqi people, to the Arab nation, to all the Muslims, and to all humanity for the crime of letting the Safavids execute Saddam Hussein.
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