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Well-Known Member
The Iraqi President,
Saddam Hussein, has
used a Christmas
message to warn the
United States that Iraq is
ready to fight a holy war.
In the message, read out
by an announcer on Iraqi
state television, the Iraqi
leader said the UN
weapons inspections, if
conducted properly,
would "expose American
lies".
Accusing the
United
States of
warmongering,
Saddam
Hussein said
the Iraqi
people were
ready to
"deter aggression" by
following "the road of
Jihad (holy war) and
struggle".
Iraq strongly denies US
claims that it is trying to
develop weapons of mass
destruction.
Saddam Hussein stressed
that Iraq was
co-operating with the
United Nations, including
the "bad" Resolution
1441, which gave the
inspectors sweeping new
powers.
"We are confident that the
outcome of the
inspections will be a great
shock to the United
States and will expose its
lies, if things remain on a
technical and professional
course with no hidden
agendas," he said.
Threat of war
The United States and
Britain have dismissed as
inadequate the Iraqi
weapons declaration
handed over on 7
December. And the
UN chief
weapons
inspector,
Hans Blix,
has said it
consists
mainly of
old
information.
The
United
States
has deployed
65,000 troops to the
Gulf and 50,000
more are due to
arrive in January.
Washington has
threatened to
disarm Iraq by force
if necessary.
The United States
says the UN
inspectors must be
able to take Iraqi
scientists and their
families abroad so
that they can reveal
what they know
without fear of
retribution.
On Tuesday, the
United Nations
nuclear agency
urged countries to
guarantee the
safety of Iraqi
scientists and their
families.
"Governments have
to step forward and
offer protection and
even asylum to
those people," said
Mark Gwozdecky,
spokesman for the
International Atomic
Energy Agency
(IAEA).
The first
Iraqi
scientist
to be formally
interviewed by the
UN since 1998 has
been describing how
the questioning
went at the
Baghdad University
of Technology.
UN interview
monitored
Professor Sabah
Abd al-Nur, a
nuclear expert, said
an Iraqi liaison
official attended the
meeting at his
request - despite
the inspectors'
authority to
interview Iraqi
scientists in private.
"I apologised and
requested that a
member of the
National Monitoring
Directorate be
present," said Mr
Nur.
"The
meeting
was very
friendly.
The man
dealt with
me
professionally...
He did not
raise the
idea of
questioning
outside
Iraq."
The United States
has not yet offered
guarantees of
asylum to all Iraqis
the inspectors wish
to question.
UN weapons experts
continued their
inspections on
Tuesday, leaving
their headquarters
in Baghdad for
secret locations.
Inspections are also
expected to
continue on
Christmas Day.
The Israeli Prime
Minister, Ariel
Sharon, accused
Iraq on Tuesday of
transferring
weapons of mass
destruction to Syria.
"There is
information we are
verifying. But we
are certain that Iraq
has recently moved
chemical or
biological weapons
into Syria," he told
Israeli television.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2604779.stm
Saddam Hussein, has
used a Christmas
message to warn the
United States that Iraq is
ready to fight a holy war.
In the message, read out
by an announcer on Iraqi
state television, the Iraqi
leader said the UN
weapons inspections, if
conducted properly,
would "expose American
lies".
Accusing the
United
States of
warmongering,
Saddam
Hussein said
the Iraqi
people were
ready to
"deter aggression" by
following "the road of
Jihad (holy war) and
struggle".
Iraq strongly denies US
claims that it is trying to
develop weapons of mass
destruction.
Saddam Hussein stressed
that Iraq was
co-operating with the
United Nations, including
the "bad" Resolution
1441, which gave the
inspectors sweeping new
powers.
"We are confident that the
outcome of the
inspections will be a great
shock to the United
States and will expose its
lies, if things remain on a
technical and professional
course with no hidden
agendas," he said.
Threat of war
The United States and
Britain have dismissed as
inadequate the Iraqi
weapons declaration
handed over on 7
December. And the
UN chief
weapons
inspector,
Hans Blix,
has said it
consists
mainly of
old
information.
The
United
States
has deployed
65,000 troops to the
Gulf and 50,000
more are due to
arrive in January.
Washington has
threatened to
disarm Iraq by force
if necessary.
The United States
says the UN
inspectors must be
able to take Iraqi
scientists and their
families abroad so
that they can reveal
what they know
without fear of
retribution.
On Tuesday, the
United Nations
nuclear agency
urged countries to
guarantee the
safety of Iraqi
scientists and their
families.
"Governments have
to step forward and
offer protection and
even asylum to
those people," said
Mark Gwozdecky,
spokesman for the
International Atomic
Energy Agency
(IAEA).
The first
Iraqi
scientist
to be formally
interviewed by the
UN since 1998 has
been describing how
the questioning
went at the
Baghdad University
of Technology.
UN interview
monitored
Professor Sabah
Abd al-Nur, a
nuclear expert, said
an Iraqi liaison
official attended the
meeting at his
request - despite
the inspectors'
authority to
interview Iraqi
scientists in private.
"I apologised and
requested that a
member of the
National Monitoring
Directorate be
present," said Mr
Nur.
"The
meeting
was very
friendly.
The man
dealt with
me
professionally...
He did not
raise the
idea of
questioning
outside
Iraq."
The United States
has not yet offered
guarantees of
asylum to all Iraqis
the inspectors wish
to question.
UN weapons experts
continued their
inspections on
Tuesday, leaving
their headquarters
in Baghdad for
secret locations.
Inspections are also
expected to
continue on
Christmas Day.
The Israeli Prime
Minister, Ariel
Sharon, accused
Iraq on Tuesday of
transferring
weapons of mass
destruction to Syria.
"There is
information we are
verifying. But we
are certain that Iraq
has recently moved
chemical or
biological weapons
into Syria," he told
Israeli television.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2604779.stm