BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON, 21 October — Iraq began releasing political prisoners under an unprecedented amnesty issued yesterday by President Saddam Hussein to inmates and exiles to mark his perfect 100 percent win in an uncontested election last week.

The move to free all political prisoners and most other inmates was seen as part of Saddam’s campaign to rally Iraqis behind his leadership at a time when he faces the prospect of US military action to topple him.

Scores of inmates were seen leaving a prison in Baghdad. Relatives, some carrying large pictures of Saddam, flocked to jails in and around Baghdad to await the release of their loved ones.

"With our blood and souls we redeem you Saddam," prisoners chanted as they were freed. Overjoyed detainees danced and sang songs praising Saddam. Emotions ran high as many were reunited with their families. "This is the best day of my life, long live Saddam," the mother of a prisoner said.

Officials said all pardoned prisoners would be released within 48 hours. They gave no figures, but the number of freed prisoners was expected to total several thousand.

"The generous amnesty by his excellency the president is to show gratitude and pride in the heroic stand of the people who said ‘yes’ to him (in the referendum)," Interior Minister Mahmoud Diyab Al-Ahmed told reporters.

Inmates were also being released from Abu Gharib prison on the outskirts of the capital, where most political prisoners are believed to be held.

The amnesty also covered most criminal prisoners and those held for evading military service. "Prisoners and detainees will be set free immediately except in the case of those who are sentenced or detained because of murder, then they would be set free only if the families of victims would forgive them or if they pay back their debts to the government or people," a decree issued by Saddam said.

The United States, which has repeatedly called for a change of regime in Baghdad, seemed to be backing down yesterday from its hard line. Secretary of State Colin Powell said the United States might not seek to remove Saddam if he abandoned his weapons of mass destruction. It was the latest in a series of recent comments by Powell that seemed to back away from the goal of deposing the Iraqi president, which remains Bush administration policy.

"We think the Iraqi people would be a lot better off with a different leader, a different regime," Powell said in an interview on NBC television. "But the principal offense here is weapons of mass destruction, and that’s what this (UN) resolution is working on. The major issue before us is disarmament."

Powell said he expects the UN Security Council to enact a resolution setting strong guidelines for inspection teams to be sent back into Iraq. But, he added, "The issue right now is not even how tough an inspection regime is or isn’t. The question is will Saddam and the Iraqi regime cooperate — really, really cooperate — and let the inspections do their job. All we are interested in is getting rid of those weapons of mass destruction."

Other administration officials have sent different signals. Undersecretary of State John Bolton, Powell’s chief disarmament official, said last week that not only Saddam but Iraqis "who are fundamentally a part of Saddam’s regime" would have to go. "There will be no stability in the region until he’s gone," Bolton said.

Army Gen. Tommy Franks, head of US military operations in the Gulf, and Gen. Joseph W. Ralston, the US Air Force general commanding NATO forces in Europe, arrived in Ankara to seek Turkish support against Iraq. Franks and Ralston were expected to meet with Turkey’s top brass today to discuss possible use of Turkish bases in the event of a US-led operation to topple Saddam.

Turkey, NATO’s sole Muslim member, has been a strong supporter of the US-led anti-terrorism campaign and is currently leading the international peacekeeping force in Afghanistan. But it fears an American operation against Iraq could lead to the formation of a Kurdish state in northern Iraq, which borders Turkey. Turkey has fought a 15-year war against Kurdish rebels within its borders, and doesn’t want the conflict to flare again if Kurds across the border achieve statehood.

Diplomats in Ankara say Turkey will "reluctantly participate" if push comes to shove, although the extent of the participation — and the price Turkey will extract for it — remains an open question.