In anticipation of a United States strike against Iraq, President Saddam Hussein has started removing gold bars and valuable works of art from the capital of Baghdad to the remote northwestern town of Abu Kamal near the border with Syria, a German newspaper reported on Sunday.
Several trucks laden with gold bars and artworks from museums in Baghdad and the northern city of Mosul traveled under heavy guard to Abu Kamal, where they were met by Syrian and Jordanian businessmen, the Sunday paper Welt am Sonntag cited Iraqi opposition and Western intelligence sources as saying.
European diplomats in the Syrian capital confirmed "the traffic of heavy trucks between Syria and Iraq has increased sharply in the past few weeks - in both directions," the newspaper added. (Albawaba.com)
