IRAQ: Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Mr Tareq Aziz, speaking in Damascus on Tuesday, accused the US of planning to "annihilate Iraq" and then divide up the Arab world. Mr Aziz was speaking on the second day of a visit to Syria to rally support for Baghdad's isolated regime, before going on to neighbouring Lebanon.
The US "wants to annihilate Iraq and then divide up the Middle East. We are all threatened. No Arab countries will be spared even if they participate in the assault against Iraq," Mr Aziz told a conference of Arab groups who oppose the 12-year-old international embargo of Iraq.
"After having finished their crime in Iraq, they will turn their attention to the others because for the United States, the Arabs are forbidden to own their own wealth and have a voice."
Mr Aziz said the question of Kuwait, Iraq's oil-rich neighbour, which suffered a seven-month occupation by Baghdad between 1990 and 1991, "is only a pretext to annihilate Iraq and its national leadership, to plunder its riches and put an end to its role in the Israeli-Arab conflict". He vehemently denied US and British charges that Iraq possesses any chemical or biological weapons as well as a secret programme to build a nuclear bomb. "Since the end of 1991, all prohibited weapons were destroyed in Iraq.
"The United States's imperialists are stealing the Middle East's wealth. They are stirring up problems in the regions they want to dominate." He warned that Washington was drawing up "a new map of the region". Mr Aziz also paid tribute to Syrian President Mr Bashar al-Assad, who has forged strong ties with Baghdad since taking power in July, 2000. "All Arab leaders have abandoned us, but the Syrian regime led by Bashar al-Assad helps Iraq."
Western experts believe Syria allows Iraq to smuggle out oil and bring in weapons through the two countries' shared borders.
In Baghdad, meanwhile, Iraqi newspapers and officials attacked President Bush's speech on Monday as "lies and fabrication".
"Bush issued more than 400 statements over the last nine months in which he accused Iraq of acquiring weapons of mass destruction but he was unable to convince anybody," the official al-Iraq newspaper said.
"Any one who listened to the speech would be astonished at the huge amount of lies and fabrication," it said. "In his speech two days ago, he tried to sell old and gone-off stuff but again he was unable to convince his viewers." - (AFP/Reuters)