BAGHDAD, April 9: A chronology of the major dates in Saddam’s presidency:

1979

July 16: Saddam Hussein, vice-president of the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC), becomes president of Iraq, secretary-general of the Baath party and president of the RCC.

1980

March 18: A law is adopted which provides for the creation of a National Assembly elected by universal suffrage for a mandate of four years.

Sept 22: The Iran-Iraq war breaks out.

1981

June 7: “Operation Babylon” is launched by the Israeli airforce which destroys a nuclear reactor at Osirak.

1988

Aug 20: A ceasefire ends the war with Iran. Some 300,000 Iraqis perished in the conflict.

1990

Aug 2: Iraqi troops invade Kuwait.

Aug 6: The United Nations imposes an embargo.

1991

Jan 17: US-led Operation “Desert Storm” is launched against Iraq.

Feb 27: Kuwait is liberated and Baghdad accepts ceasefire conditions on February 28.

1992

Aug 27: A no-fly zone is created in southern Iraq, to the south of the 32nd parallel, to protect the Shias.

1993

Nov 26: Baghdad accepts unconditionally UN resolution 715 which provides for the supervision of Iraqi disarmament.

1997

Nov 17: American arms inspectors in the UN inspection team, UNSCOM, are expelled triggering an international crisis.

The crisis is resolved in the coming days through the intervention of Russia, which wins Baghdad’s agreement for the return of the inspectors.

1998

Dec 16-19: Operation Desert Fox. Some 500 missiles are launched on Iraq over four days following new tensions between the United States and Iraq, and the departure of the UN inspectors.

2001

May 22: The United States and Britain propose to the Security Council a new sanctions regime for Iraq which would lift restrictions on civilian trade.

2002

Oct 15: Saddam is re-elected as president for another seven years.

Nov 27: UN weapons experts resume their inspections in Iraq.

2003

March 20: The United States launches invasion after Saddam ignores a US deadline to leave the country.—AFP