Thursday, February 16, 2012


Transmission

No Buyers For Saddam's Yacht

The 'Ocean Breeze'
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It went up for sale in November, but no takers yet. From Reuters:

The Iraqi government has decided to bring home a yacht once owned by ousted dictator Saddam Hussein after failing to find a buyer for it in Europe because of the world economic crisis, a spokesman said on Wednesday.

The Ocean Breeze, which was built in 1981, will be sailed back to Iraq's southern port of Basra, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement.

Iraq had tried to fetch up to $30 million in France for the 270-foot pleasure boat, which features gold taps in its bathrooms, a mini-operating theatre, a helicopter landing pad and a secret escape passageway, according to media reports.

-- Luke Allnutt

Tags: saddam , yacht , Iraq

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by: DENNIS JUNIOR
January 22, 2009 01:22
No surprise, in a slowing economy most people are not able to purchase a yacht, like the late president of Iraq...had...

by: MaGioZal from: São Paulo - SP - Brazil
January 22, 2009 18:03
It’s interesentig to remember that theoretically, Saddam belonged to the political trend of “Arab Socialism”…

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Written by RFE/RL editors and correspondents, Transmission serves up news, comment, and the odd silly dictator story. While our primary concern is with foreign policy, Transmission is also a place for the ideas -- some serious, some irreverent -- that bubble up from our bureaus. The name recognizes RFE/RL's role as a surrogate broadcaster to places without free media. You can write us at transmission+rferl.org