His political opponents have cited his greeting to Saddam as proof that Galloway is not just for the Iraqi people, but also on the side of Saddam himself; Galloway has always been keen to point out that he did not support the Iraqi dictator. What is often quoted is the rather verbose section where Galloway says: "Sir, I salute your courage, your strength, your indefatigability. And I want you to know that we are with you hatta al-nasr, hatta al-nasr, hatta al-Quds until victory, until victory, until Jerusalem." When this is juxtaposed with the photo of the two men shaking hands, or if you see the video clip of them facing each other, about three feet apart, it appears to be a very personal, if formal, address. Galloway claims that this quote has been taken out of context and is part of a longer salute to the Iraqi people, not just the dictator.

Galloway's speech was translated for Saddam, so how do we know exactly what Saddam heard from the translator, Saad-Oun al-Zubaidi? According toAnasal-Tikriti,afriendofGalloway'sand spokesman for the Muslim Association of Britain: "I understand Arabic and it was taken completely out of context. When he said you' he meant the Iraqi people, he was saluting their indefatigability, their resolve against sanctions. Even the interpreter got it right and, in Arabic, says salutes the stand of the Iraqi people'."

So it seems likely that Saddam thought Galloway was addressing the entire Iraqi people (including Saddam himself, of course) when he said "your courage, your strength and your indefatigability".

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12761061.George_and_his_dragons/