November 6, 2003 - The various pieces of the Iraqi peace initiative jigsaw puzzle are starting to form a clear picture. As early as December 2002 and perhaps earlier Syrian officials approached the CIA with an Iraqi peace overture that included stationing US troop on Iraqi territory and a promise of prompt free elections policed by the United Nations. The overtures were said to have originated with Lt. Gen. Tahir Jalil Habbush, Saddam Hussein's chief of intelligence and the Jack of Diamonds in the Central Command deck of cards. The CIA attempted to follow up by arranging a series of meetings in Morocco but the Iraqis did not show up.

About the same time Imad El-Hage, a Lebanon born American citizen whose insurance business is headquartered in Beirut contacted an old friend and schoolmate Michael Maloof, a Defense Department intelligence officer and reported similar overtures made through him. Maloof arranged for El-Hage to meet with Pentagon advisor Richard Perle and then, on January 28, 2003 with Paul Wolfowitz' Senior Aide Jaymie Durnan. Both Durnan and Perle acknowledge that the meetings occurred. El-Hage was stopped at the airport as he was returning to Lebanon after meeting with Durnan. A .45 caliber pistol and four stun-guns were found in his checked luggage and a search of his person revealed on of Durnan's business cards. Initially charged will failing to get an export license for the handgun, El-Hage, who was traveling on a Liberian diplomatic passport, was permitted to board the plane.

On February 19 th El-Hage reported to Maloof that he had met with Habbush, Hussein deputy Tariq Aziz and Saddam's aides Amer Saadi and Naji Sabri. The Iraqis were proposing what amounted to surrender to the United States and were seeking a confidential meeting with a high ranking administration official. On February 20 th Durnan sent e-mail seeking information on El-Hage from various intelligence agencies and the following day pressed his sources with the urgency of his request. Durnan says he was not reacting to Maloof's report to him, but was worried that El-Hage knew his phone number.

A month later the US launched its invasion of Iraq . In April the Defense Department suspended Maloof with pay and pulled his security clearance. El Hage survived an assassination attempt in Beirut . Nobody in the administration wanted to put the Jack of Diamonds in play.