Iraq: Ode denies his travel to Moscow in search of an asylum

Ode Saddam Hussein, the elder son for the Iraqi president Saddam Hussein on Thursday denied foreign press reports which said he had visited Moscow.

Foreign papers said that relatives for Saddam traveled in secret abroad to know the countries which might be willing to receive his family and that Ode traveled to Moscow.

"Al- Shabab" ( youths) TV which is run by Ode said "one who has a father and a leader like 'the father of Ode' Saddam, has no greater honor but to be with him."

Meantime, Ode considered that the covert aim of the US war against Baghdad is "the Iraqi oil because the Iraqi oil reserves are greater by 25% than Saudi oil reserves. And they do not say that we are number one in the world in oil. They do not say it in order not to say that the war is for the sake of oil."

Ode said that the "last barrel of oil on the surface of the earth will be an Iraqi." He expressed his conviction during his meeting with a group of Iraqi youths and students that the current crisis with the US will end in June 2003 but he gave no further details.