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Bahrain offers to grant asylum to Saddam Hussein

The Gulf state of Bahrain offered Iraqi President Saddam Hussein a haven Wednesday, the first such offer to be publicly extended to the embattled Iraqi leader as Arabs scramble to avert war.

Bahrain's Information Minister Nabil al-Hamer said that the offer had been relayed to Saddam through "diplomatic channels." Saddam has vowed to fight rather than flee.

"It's the last hour chance and we hope that Iraq will accept this offer to avoid war," said al-Hamer. "As a regional country, Bahrain shares the responsibility to maintain peace in the area and we believe nobody wants war and this is one way to avoid it."

The official Bahrain News Agency reported the announcement came at an emergency Cabinet meeting chaired by the king, Sheik Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

Bahrain "is ready to host Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in a dignified manner that should not be seen as undermining Iraq's position and capabilities," the news agency reported the king said. "His highness said this initiative from Bahrain stemmed from its national responsibility toward preserving the security and the stability of the region and its hope that the region remains peaceful."

A day after US President George W. Bush gave Saddam an ultimatum to leave Iraq with his sons or face war over his alleged weapons of mass destruction, Saddam appeared on television in military uniform -- for the first time since the 1991 Gulf War -- and told his commanders to prepare for battle.

Bahrain had backed an earlier call from the United Arab Emirates asking Saddam to step down to spare his people war. The Emirates was the first Arab state to go public with the call, which has been discussed at high levels according to diplomats. So far the call has been endorsed only by fellow Gulf states that have long been wary of Saddam.

Bahrain is closely allied to the US. It hosts onshore offices for the Navy's Fifth Fleet, which has aircraft carriers, destroyers and other ships stationed in the Gulf and Arabian Sea in preparation for war on Iraq.

Al-Hamer said that he didn't think the offer to host Saddam would affect relations between Bahrain and the US.
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