Sahhaf calls for in-depth discussion to deal with crisis

Iraqi Foreign Minister, Muhammad Said al-Sahhaf had harsh words for the US role in the UN Security Council in maintaining economic sanctions, while US President Bill Clinton said that Saddam Hussein's recent actions have worked to "ensure that the sanctions will be there... as long as he lasts."

The US is sending a second aircraft carrier, the George Washington, to join the Nimitz in the Gulf. The US may also shore up its military presence by sending F-117 "stealth" bombers, which participated in Gulf War bombing runs, to the region.

At a news briefing in Iraq, Sahhaf responded to Clinton's statement by restating Iraqi claims that the US is trying to maintain sanctions against Iraq indefinitely in order to "topple the... political system of Iraq and replace it with an American puppet regime." Diplomatic negotiation is the "right way" to resolve the crisis, Sahhaf added.

Sahhaf called on "fair-minded" Security Council members to ask themselves if the want Iraq's political system toppled, and for these members "to seriously discuss this issue."

Iraq has been subject to two UN Security Council condemnations this week, one coming after it made good on a threat to expel American members of UN weapons inspection teams.

When Iraq expelled the Americans, chief inspector Richard Butler pulled sixty-six other inspectors out of the country. Sahhaf questioned why Butler would have pulled the inspectors if he was actually concerned about Iraqi capabilities, and accused Butler of trying to provide justification for an "evil, deliberate" act by the US.

He also took Butler to task for suggesting that the safety of the UN inspectors may have been in question had they stayed. "Iraq will not abuse" those who deal with it on a legitimate basis, Sahhaf said.

Firmly denying that Iraq has any of the weapons of mass destruction which the UN weapons inspectors were searching for, Sahhaf said that British Foreign Minister Robin Cook had made misleading statements about Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction.

Britain has been the strongest supporter of the US in the current conflict and is sending an aircraft carrier, the Invincible, to the Gulf.

When asked about the gas rationing policy which has been instituted in Iraq, Sahhaf said that oil refineries and storage facilities are considered to be prime targets for military attacks and are being kept empty to avoid a major "catastrophe" should they be targeted, and that although Iraq is "not on a war footing," it would be "unwise" to be unprepared for an attack. Though he insisted that Iraq is not preparing for war.

Alleging that American U-2 spy planes are being used to gather data for a potential American attack rather than for UN purposes, Sahhaf repeated that Iraq will shoot at the planes, if they fly.

Iraq's deputy prime minister, Tariq Aziz, would tour the region and meet with regional leaders to explain the Iraqi position.