No buyers, Saddam yacht on way home

The Iraqi government has decided to bring home a yacht once owned by ousted dictator Saddam Hussein after failing to find a buyer for it in Europe because of the world economic crisis, a spokesman said yesterday.

The Ocean Breeze, which was built in 1981, will be sailed back to Iraq's southern port of Basra, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement.

Iraq had tried to fetch up to $30 million in France for the 270-foot pleasure boat, which features gold taps in its bathrooms, a mini-operating theatre, a helicopter landing pad and a secret escape passageway, according to media reports.