Baghdad: Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has warned Washington that its defiance of
world opinion will only make the United States more hated and ultimately bring
disaster, whatever its military strength.
"The United States faces a choice, either continue down the same road or face up to
the question posed by several American politicians, why are we so hated," Saddam
told a meeting of his Cabinet.
"America will not succeed so long as it defies the entire world, whatever its
power," he said in the speech quoted by Iraqi Satellite Television.
"What they are doing now will not succeed. Any country, however strong, will
inevitably weaken if they take on the whole international community.
"The interests of the American people lie in peaceful relations with other
countries," Saddam said, urging Washington to "behave with respect for others".
"What is the meaning of this new policy of launching preemptive strikes on the basis
of presumptions?" he asked, accusing Washington of trying to make itself the
world's "policeman, prosecutor, judge and executioner".
"Iraq has accepted the return of inspectors, but they continue to beat the drums of
war, to spread lies and press the Security Council to adopt new resolutions in
violation of international law," he added.
The Iraqi President said that the only interests served by current US policy were
those of arch-foe Israel.
"Right now the world is being distracted by their warlike statements about Iraq and
is paying little attention to the crimes committed by Zionism in Palestine," he
said.
Meanwhile in Washington, US Secretary of State Colin Powell has said that UN weapons
inspectors should not return to Iraq until the UN Security Council (UNSC) sets out
strong conditions in a new resolution demanding disarmament by Iraq.
"We do not believe that they should go back in under the old set of resolutions and
under the old inspection regime and therefore we do not believe that they should go
in until they have new instructions in the form of a new resolution," Powell said on
October 1.
PTI
