US and Britain are liars, says Saddam

A defiant Saddam Hussein declared yesterday that the report by the chief UN weapons inspector, Hans Blix, showed the US and Britain were "liars".

Iraq has fulfilled its disarmament commitments, and sanctions against the country should be lifted immediately, President Saddam announced. His statement showed little sign of a change of heart by 17 March, as demanded by the second resolution being put to the UN Security Council by Britain and the US.

Friday's inspection reports by Mr Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei, chairman of the International Atomic Energy Authority, have been hailed by the Iraqi leadership as a vindication of Iraq. Senior Iraqi officials appear to believe that an attack by the United States and Britain could now be delayed due to international hostility.

"The embargo against Iraq should be lifted totally and comprehensively after America's motives were revealed to the world and after Iraq abided by Security Council resolutions," said President Saddam. His statement, issued after a meeting of the ruling Revolutionary Command Council, also demanded that the Security Council denounce the US and Britain as "liars", strip Israel of its alleged weapons of mass destruction and force it to pull out of "Palestine and occupied Arab land".

Iraq's state-controlled media accused the US and Britain of dragging the UN toward the "abyss" by refusing to acknowledged Baghdad's move to disarm.

Although Mr ElBaradei appeared to give Iraq a clean bill of health over its alleged nuclear programme, Mr Blix has said Baghdad's co-operation fell short of Council demands. However, he specified Iraqi agreement to destroy its stock of Al-Samoud 2 missiles as an encouraging step.

After halting the scrapping process on Friday, the traditional day off from work in Iraq, more missiles were destroyed by the Baghdad government yesterday. Defence Ministry officials said six missiles were due to be put out of commission, the average daily rate. Iraq has acknowledged that it has a stock of around 120 of the missiles.

The Baghdad government accused the US of "planning more aggressions" following reports that holes large enough for tanks to pass through have been cut in the fortified fence between Iraq and Kuwait, where American and British forces are massing. UN monitors at the border have complained that the holes were cut by US marines in civilian clothes.

Travellers coming to Baghdad are reporting movement of troops around Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's birthplace and power base, and south-east toward Basra, but with a probable attack drawing ever closer there was still little overt sign of military activity in the capital yesterday. Emergency services authorities are due to carry out air-raid and fire exercises over the next couple of days. Nalah Suleiman, out shopping with her two children in Rashid Street, said: "You cannot spend every minute of every day of your life worrying. We all pray that an attack will not take place, but it is in the hands of Mr Bush."

Mohammed Ademi, a parliamentarian with links to the Iraqi government, said: "Mr Blix's report shows that Iraq is complying with the UN demands. All he is asking for is a few more months. Why can't America and Britain give him that? I don't think that Washington and London will get any support, apart from the obvious countries on their second resolution. There is no justification for attacking the people of Iraq."