Baghdad strikes back at US 'lies'

BAGHDAD - Iraq yesterday launched a public relations offensive against the United States and Britain, saying it had nothing to hide, as a US official said efforts to force Baghdad to disarm were entering a final phase.

President Saddam Hussein and his officials said Iraq was doing all it could to co-operate with the United Nations.

A senior adviser suggested that Washington send CIA agents to direct UN arms inspectors to any suspect sites.

But a White House spokesman, echoing statements by high-level Washington officials, said Iraq appeared "not to have made the strategic choice" to renounce weapons of mass destruction.

"While we have not given up on disarming Iraq through the United Nations, we are now entering a final phase in how we compel Saddam Hussein to disarm," the official said.

Washington is forging ahead with a build-up that may see over 100,000 troops in the Gulf region next month or in February.

A January 27 briefing by UN arms inspectors to the Security Council is widely seen as the next key date.

Israel has scheduled joint exercises with about 1000 US troops this week involving US-made Patriot missiles and gas mask lessons for children.

The missiles were largely ineffective against Iraqi Scud missiles in 1991 but have been upgraded. Israel has also developed the Arrow anti-missile system, designed to intercept Scuds at a higher altitude.

Israeli media said the nation would go on high alert from January 15 in anticipation of hostilities starting in the month after January 27.

Amir al-Saadi, one of Saddam's top advisers, said in Baghdad that UN inspections over the past four weeks had shown US and British charges that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction were "lies and baseless".

Saadi rejected US and British suggestions that there were holes in the arms declaration Iraq presented to the UN two weeks ago.

"We do not even have any objections if the CIA sent somebody with the inspectors to show them the suspected sites," he said.

Saadi accused a previous UN inspection team of falsifying evidence to suggest Iraq had carried on developing a deadly nerve agent.

Saddam himself accused the US of trying to harass him. "The world should tell America now there is no need for more aggression and sanctions on Iraq in order to let it co-operate freely [with the UN]."

Iraq watchers said Saadi's remarks seemed designed to appeal to countries less convinced of the merits of war. "This is an Iraqi attempt to counter what is becoming quite a sophisticated campaign in the West ... almost to create a war atmosphere," said British defence expert Paul Beaver.

- REUTERS

Herald feature: Iraq