video transcript

In an address aired by Alarabiya TV, Baath party leader Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri calls for the overthrow of Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. As Sunnis have taken to the Streets in Iraq, the most senior member of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's entourage advises Sunnis to stand their ground until the government is toppled. Douri, still at large heads Saddam's Baath party, which was banned after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 that overthrew the Sunni dictator and empowered majority Shi'ite Muslims. Since Maliki came to office in 2006, Iraq has edged closer to neighboring Iran, which wields strong influence over several Iraqi Shi'ite parties. The authenticity of the video could not be verified. After the 2003 invasion, Douri was ranked sixth on the U.S. military's list of 55 most wanted Iraqis. A $10 million reward was offered for his capture. U.S. officials accused him of organizing the insurgency that peaked in 2005-07.