BAGHDAD, 18 September 2003 — In an audiotape broadcast yesterday by Arab television, a speaker purporting to be Saddam Hussein urged Iraqis to escalate attacks on Americans and called on US and other coalition forces to leave the country “as soon as possible and without any conditions.”
The speaker, who sounded like the ousted Iraqi leader and appeared tired, also urged America’s international partners not to “fall prey in the traps of American foreign policy” and reject any plan for Iraq’s future which legitimizes military occupation.
He called on coalition leaders “to withdraw your armies as soon as possible and without any conditions, because there is no reason for further losses that will be disastrous for America if your officials ... continue their aggression.”
The speaker accused US President George W. Bush of lying to “your people and everyone” to justify the war against Iraq, adding that “the losses in your army ... makes your declaration of defeat and your retreat inevitable, if not today, tomorrow.”
Iraq’s interim governing council urged the United States to give Iraqis sovereign control of their country in order to end the violence that has eroded society and crippled reconstruction efforts.
“I believe the coalition authorities, as they see the performance of the governing council...will come to realize that it is in their interest to move rapidly to restore sovereignty,” said Ahmad Chalabi, who holds the council’s rotating presidency.
Iraq’s new government also sought to move onto the world stage, sending delegations to the United Nations and OPEC.
And former UN arms inspector Hans Blix dealt a new blow to the US case for war in Iraq by saying Saddam misled the world into believing he possessed weapons of mass destruction in order to ward off any attack.
The 14-minute Saddam tape was broadcast by the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya satellite television station. News Editor Aymen Gaballah said the tape was received Wednesday in Baghdad after someone called the station’s Baghdad office and told them where to find it. The station said it aired the tape in its entirety. It was at least the 8th such message from Saddam since his ouster.
The speaker said the tape was recorded in mid-September, which could not be confirmed. There was no way to verify that the voice was indeed Saddam but it sounded like him to experienced ears. The last tape attributed to Saddam was broadcast Sept. 1.
The latest message came as US troops in Iraq came under renewed attack and Britain, America’s closest ally in the war, prepared to close ranks with Europe on the divisive issue of Iraq.
Iraq’s interim governing council will send a high-ranking delegation to attend crucial upcoming meetings at the United Nations and to meet with the US president.
Delegation member and Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said yesterday the delegation was traveling to New York to “lobby for support for Iraq to be represented” at the world body, where Baghdad’s seat has been vacant since the war. Zebari said the Iraqi leaders would welcome a UN role in Iraq but issues such as the scope and mandate of the peacekeeping force were still being worked out.
