Personal--

• --Born in Mosul, Iraq, 1936
• --Christian

Professional--

• --Educated in English Studies at Baghdad University
• --Chief Editor, Al Jamaheer Newspaper, 1963
• --Worked for the Baath press in Syria, 1966
• --Chief-Editor, Al-Thawra Publishers, 1969
• --Member, Revolutionary Command Council General Affairs Bureau, 1972
• --Minister of Information, 1974-77
• --Deputy Prime Minister, 1979-83
• --Minister for Foreign Affairs, 1983-present

*As Jim Baker's counterpart in Iraq, Tariq Aziz is the main contact for high-level talks between the United States and Iraq. As the only Christian member of Hussein's cabinet, it was hoped he would be more moderate and available for serious negotiations. Unfortunately, recent attempts to negotiate a settlement to the crisis amounted to little more than a formal meeting where both parties spoke, listened, and then left.

During the opening stages of the war, Aziz was not seen in public at all. But when efforts were made by the Iraqis and the Soviets to seek a diplomatic solution, Tariq Aziz again became the messenger of Saddam Hussein. He sought a negotiated settlement with the Soviets, but was unable to find a solution before the commencement of the ground war. Following the end of the war, Aziz found himself stripped of his powers by the ruling coalition, possibly the result of an inner-cabinet purge of more moderate forces. It was only many years later that he reappeared in a higher position, surviving the purges and shake-ups of the post war era.  

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