Baghdad: US President George W Bush on April 5 held a "war council" while his Iraqi
counterpart Saddam Hussein was shown meeting with his aides.
The White House said Bush conferred by teleconference with Vice President Dick
Cheney, Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell,
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Richard Meyers and their deputies.
With Bush at his retreat in Camp David, Maryland, for the teleconference were the
President's Chief of Staff Andrew Card, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice
and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director George Tenet.
In Baghdad, meanwhile, Iraqi television showed footage of Saddam chairing a meeting
of top political and military advisers, including his two sons Uday and
Qusay.
Saddam, wearing military attire, appeared at ease at an undisclosed
location.
Besides Uday, who heads the Saddam Fidayeen volunteer paramilitary force, and Qusay,
leader of the elite Republican Guard, the meeting included Vice President Taha
Yassin Ramadan, Defence Minister Sultan Hashem Ahmad and Latif Nuseif Jasem, a
member of the ruling Baath Party's leadership.
