Officers Who Served Under Saddam To Rejoin Iraqi Army

BAGHDAD -- Iraq is inviting officers who served under Saddam Hussein to apply for reinstatement in the country's new army in exchange for a pension, Iraq's ambassador to Jordan, Saad al-Hayani, told RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq.

Iraqi military units have already begun receiving former army officers, many of whom have been living in Jordan.

Raad al-Hamdani, a lieutenant general who served under Hussein, met with U.S. and British representatives in Baghdad to discuss reinstating former officers living in Jordan, Syria, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries.

He told Radio Free Iraq that the meeting was friendly and constructive. An association of expatriate former army officers has also been established to liaison with the Iraqi government.