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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Saddam's luxury yacht up for sale | Saddam's luxury yacht up for sale |
| (4 days later) | |
| The Iraqi government is to sell a luxury yacht which was previously owned by the late leader, Saddam Hussein. | The Iraqi government is to sell a luxury yacht which was previously owned by the late leader, Saddam Hussein. |
| The 82m (270ft) Ocean Breeze is equipped with swimming pools, an operating theatre, a helipad and an escape tunnel leading to a submarine. | The 82m (270ft) Ocean Breeze is equipped with swimming pools, an operating theatre, a helipad and an escape tunnel leading to a submarine. |
| Iraq has decided to sell the yacht after winning a legal battle with a Jordanian company over its ownership. | Iraq has decided to sell the yacht after winning a legal battle with a Jordanian company over its ownership. |
| The yacht is expected to sell for millions of dollars, but brokers have said the decor may not suit all tastes. | The yacht is expected to sell for millions of dollars, but brokers have said the decor may not suit all tastes. |
| It has been decorated in what has been described as "Arabesque" style, with mahogany carvings, gold tap fittings and brightly-coloured deep-pile carpets. | It has been decorated in what has been described as "Arabesque" style, with mahogany carvings, gold tap fittings and brightly-coloured deep-pile carpets. |
| The ship, originally called Qadissiyet Saddam after a historic Iraqi military victory, was built in a Danish shipyard in 1981 by workers sworn to secrecy. | |
| But, despite its luxurious facilities, Saddam Hussein is never thought to have stayed on board himself, fearing political instability if he left Iraq. | But, despite its luxurious facilities, Saddam Hussein is never thought to have stayed on board himself, fearing political instability if he left Iraq. |
| So for most of its life, Ocean Breeze was moored in Saudi Arabia - until last year, when it arrived in the French port of Nice and remained there while its ownership was determined. | So for most of its life, Ocean Breeze was moored in Saudi Arabia - until last year, when it arrived in the French port of Nice and remained there while its ownership was determined. |
| A Cayman Islands firm, part-owned by King Abdullah of Jordan, had claimed that Saddam had given the yacht to them, but a French court ruled last summer that it should be returned to the Iraqi government. | A Cayman Islands firm, part-owned by King Abdullah of Jordan, had claimed that Saddam had given the yacht to them, but a French court ruled last summer that it should be returned to the Iraqi government. |
| Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the ministries of finance and foreign affairs would be responsible for the sale. | Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the ministries of finance and foreign affairs would be responsible for the sale. |
| Brokers have suggested that in the current financial climate, it could be difficult to sell a vessel which is luxurious but not up to the standards of more modern yachts - it does not, for example, have a gym and boasts only one helipad. | Brokers have suggested that in the current financial climate, it could be difficult to sell a vessel which is luxurious but not up to the standards of more modern yachts - it does not, for example, have a gym and boasts only one helipad. |
| However, offers are expected in the region of $35m (£18m), and one broker suggested the yacht's history could be "a good selling point". | However, offers are expected in the region of $35m (£18m), and one broker suggested the yacht's history could be "a good selling point". |