Iraq will resist any US-led strikes in retaliation for the New York and Washington terror attacks, Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz was quoted as saying Wednesday at a conference in Baghdad to show solidarity with his country.
"If America is preparing another attack under a new pretext, we will face it as we have done in the past," Aziz told reporters.
"We have not asked for guarantees that an attack will not be carried out against us. This aggression has gone on for years and we have resisted it with courage and patience," the deputy PM added.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Monday hinted that Washington might target Iraq in a later phase of its anti-terror campaign launched after the September 11 attacks on the United States, which left thousands dead.
Other top administration officials have also left open the possibility that future phases of the campaign could take on Iraq, despite statements by Jordan's King Abdullah that he had received assurances from President George W. Bush that neither Iraq nor any other Arab country would be attacked.
The White House later denied giving the Jordanian monarch any such assurances – Albawaba.com
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