An invitation to the birthday celebrations of the Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein, in Baghdad is probably something to be feared rather than greeted. Just such an invitation arrived at Leinster House a couple of weeks ago for Senator David Norris. Norris was in Iraq late last year with an Oireachtas delegation led by David Andrews, which campaigned for the lifting of sanctions, so he obviously got on the guest list on that occasion. Strangely, his colleagues - including Andrews and John Gormley - were not invited. They're not upset though.
Norris thinks his invitation to attend, from April 26th to May 2nd, stems from his exchanges with foreign minister Tariq Aziz.
"I am totally in favour of the military embargo and absolutely against the regime, and I threw everything at him including torture and murder and human rights," Norris says. "He said they were all CIA lies. But I have great sympathy for the people and am against sanctions." Norris's attack on the regime was so vociferous that his companions were afraid they wouldn't get out alive. Norris never met Saddam and he didn't go to his party. He was in the US at the time, fund-raising on the James Joyce circuit.