Baghdad: Iraq on July 16 stressed anew its determination to thwart any US strike as it prepared to celebrate the 34th anniversary of the coup that brought Saddam Hussein's Baath Party to power.

Congratulatory telegrams sent by several senior Iraqi officials to Saddam to mark the July 17, 1968 coup d'etat struck a defiant note for a nation under threat of US military action.

"God willing, Iraq is in a position to face up to the enemies' plans with great capability," Iraq's number two Ezzat Ibrahim said in his message.

The President's younger son, Qusai, who heads the elite Republican Guard assured his father that his "men of difficult missions will carry out their duty and sacrifice their souls, conforming to his (Saddam's) instructions".

"Their motto will be victory or martyrdom," said Qusai, who is also his father's deputy in the military bureau of the Baath Party.

Vice-President Taha Yassin Ramadan stressed that the "Iraqi people are more than ever determined to carry the banner of jihad against the American tyrant to foil its terrorist and evil aims against the unity of Iraq."

Defence Minister General Sultan Hashem Ahmad added that the Army was ready to "defend the nation and safeguard the principles of the July 17 revolution, thus thwarting the plots hatched by the criminal American and Zionist enemies".

The official Iraqi press was equally defiant.

"The threats of Bush junior (US President) will fail," said 'Ath-Thawra', mouthpiece of the Baath Party.

Bush has renewed a pledge to use "all tools" at his disposal to oust Saddam, whom Washington accuses of developing weapons of mass destruction.

The prospect of US military action was further heightened after July 4 talks between Baghdad and the United Nations on the return of UN weapons inspectors to Iraq broke down.

The US administration is "seeking to export its internal crisis to cover up financial scandals and its failures in Afghanistan", 'Ath-Thawra' said.

'Al-Iraq' said, "US plans against Iraq will meet with failure," while 'Babel' newspaper, run by Saddam's eldest son, Uday urged countries in the region to fight against US threats.

"The threat against Iraq is in fact an attack on everyone," 'Babel' said.

"We therefore urge the countries of the region to proclaim not only their rejection and condemnation of the threat but also fight it, as the Iraqi people announced (they would do) at yesterday's extraordinary Parliament session."

Banners mirroring these sentiments adorned the main streets in Baghdad.

"The Iraqi people tower like a mountain in the face of threats. They have confidence in the defeat they will inflict on America," said one.

This brazen defiance has been accompanied by a charm offensive by Baghdad in a bid to forge regional alliances ahead of a potential US strike.

Saddam told Qatar's 'Al-Sharq' newspaper in a rare interview published on July 16 that he wanted to "turn a new page" in relations with fellow Arab countries and accused the United States of obstructing a rapprochement with former Gulf War foe Kuwait.

"We have said more than once that we want to turn a new page in the history of our inter-Arab relations," Saddam said.

"Each time we try to improve relations with Kuwait, the forces of evil hurry to block such a rapprochement," he said, stressing that Iraq has "complied with all UN resolutions relating to Kuwait".

Iraq is still under a United Nations embargo imposed when it invaded Kuwait and occupied it for seven months until ousted by a coalition led by the United States.

Washington is threatening military action unless Iraq allows UN weapons inspectors back in to the country.

Saddam will, as usual, deliver a speech to mark the coup d'etat anniversary, according to the official INA news agency.