Iraqi President Saddam Hussein on Monday accused U.N. weapons inspectors of carrying out "pure intelligence work" and said Iraq had prepared for a possible U.S. attack.
"Instead of searching for so-called weapons of mass destruction to reveal the lies of liars...the inspection teams became interested in compiling lists of Iraqi scientists, ask workers questions that are not what they seem and gather information about army camps and legitimate military production," Saddam said in a televised message on Army Day.
"These things, or most of them, are pure intelligence work," he said.
The Iraqi leader described U.S. threats to disarm Iraq by force as "hiss of snakes and bark of dogs" but said his country had prepared for any possible invasion.
"Nothing disappoints and puts down (the enemy) more than if the people prepare to confront any additional possibility for aggression which is already taking place daily on Iraq...Here, we have prepared for everything," Saddam said.
Saddam declared his people and his army would prevail if attacked by the United States because justice was on its side. "We are in our country and the one who is in his country is right and its enemy is wrong. When the enemy comes as an aggressor, the victory will go to the people of right when they are inside their homeland."
"The enemy will be defeated disgracefully," he said. "It has misjudged and misbehaved after abandoning any means of honesty on which good people meet and cooperate."
The Iraqi leader also said he knew his military would stand by its oath to protect the nation.
"We are confident, depending on the Almighty, that you will be, with the beginning of every new day, better till you reach the best situation, in defiance of the disappointed enemy, the friends and helpers of Satan, night and darkness," Saddam said. "Their arrows will go aimlessly while your arrows will hit them."
The Iraqi leader also sought to appeal to other Arabs by raising the Palestinian question, saying the United States was trying to divert attention from "the crimes committed by the Zionist entity (Israel) against our people in Palestine." (Albawaba.com)
