Tariq Aziz, known as the face of
Saddam Hussein's regime on the world stage for many years, has died in
an Iraqi prison, officials say.
Aziz, 79, served as foreign minister and deputy prime minister and was a close adviser to the former leader.
He
was sentenced to death by the Iraqi Supreme Court in 2010 for the
persecution of religious parties under Saddam's rule but was never
executed.
He surrendered to US troops in 2003 shortly after the fall of Baghdad.
A local health official told reporters that he died of a heart attack.
He
had long been in poor health, suffering from heart and respiratory
problems, high blood pressure and diabetes, and his family repeatedly
called for his release from custody.
Aziz, who was known for his black-rimmed glasses and love of cigars,
first came to prominence while serving as foreign minister during the
first Gulf War in 1991.
As a Christian in a mainly Sunni Muslim government, he was not considered a member of Saddam Hussein's innermost circle.
A
fluent English speaker, he played a vocal role before the US invasion
of Iraq in 2003, meeting Pope John Paul II in the Vatican to call for
peace.
But when Baghdad fell, his lack of influence was reflected
in his lowly ranking as the eight of spades in the US military's famous
"deck of cards" used to identify the most-wanted players in Saddam's
regime.
Analysis: Paul Adams, BBC diplomatic correspondent
Tariq Aziz was one of the most visible of Saddam Hussein's lieutenants and, it seems, one of the most loyal.
He
frequently represented Iraq on the international stage, speaking fluent
English and giving a monstrous regime an urbane, often charming face.
And like Saddam, he was often seen puffing on fat Cuban cigars.
When
Iraq found itself in dock, as it did after its invasion of Kuwait in
1990, it invariably fell to Tariq Aziz to explain Saddam's actions to an
exasperated world. He did it doggedly, often infuriatingly, for
decades.
As an ethnic Chaldean from northern Iraq, he was also the
only Christian member of Saddam's entourage, which made him useful as
an envoy for an secular regime. It also made him an outsider in Baghdad.
Western diplomats never doubted his loyalty to Saddam, but wondered how much he really knew about his master's secrets. Obituary: Tariq Aziz In
2009, Aziz was sentenced to 15 years for the execution of 42 Iraqi
traders who had been accused of manipulating food prices while Iraq was
subject to international trade sanctions.
Five months later, he was sentenced to another seven years in prison for his role in the forced displacement of Kurds.
Despite being sentenced to death in 2010, there never seemed any huge
pressure to carry out the sentence, according to BBC Arab affairs editor
Sebastian Usher.
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