Iraq ready to take on Israel, says Saddam
Geschrieben von Elias am 06. Januar 2001 16:30:56:
Als Antwort auf: Syrien-Irak-Iran kontra Israel geschrieben von another am 06. Januar 2001 15:25:33:
Saddam Hussein, irakischer Präsident, verkündete in der Nacht vom Donnerstag, daß die Iraki bereit und willens seien, erneut die USA zu bekämpfen und Palestina von Israel zu befreien.
"Die Iraki lechzen danach, zu kämpfen. Nicht nur ich, sondern bereits sieben Millionen Freiwillige stehen bereit zum Kampf!" sagte Hussein vor einer Gruppe arabischer Künstler im irakischen Staatsfernsehen.
Saddam wurde gezeigt mit mit der syrischen Schauspielerin Raghda und dem Ägypter Mohamed Sobhi, die grade in Bagdad auf der Bühne stehen. Es war bereits der zweite öffentliche Auftritt, seit Oppositionelle behauteten, er sei krank oder sogar tot.
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/breakingnews/story/0,1895,15306,00.html?BAGHDAD (Iraq) -- Iraqi President Saddam Hussein said on Thursday that his people were ready to 'liberate' Palestine from the Israelis and fight once more against the United States.
'The Iraqi people are dying to fight, and it's not just Saddam Hussein but seven million Iraqis who have volunteered, who want to fight to liberate Palestine,' President Saddam told a group of Arab artists.
'The Iraqi people are ready to fight the Americans and those who fight alongside the Americans,' he added, in remarks broadcast over state television.
'Israelis aren't able to resist the Arabs. They are not able to resist Arab countries or even one sole country,' he said, adding that the Iraqi people were 'determined to face' the UN embargo in place against Iraq since its 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
The television showed images of Saddam Hussein greeting and chatting with the Syrian actress Raghda and the Egyptian actor Mohamed Sobhi, who is in Baghdad to present an anti-US play.
It was the second straight night of state television broadcasts of Saddam Hussein, after Iraqi opposition groups alleged the Iraqi leader was seriously ill or dead.
Earlier, Iraqi Defence Minister General Sultan Hashem Ahmad said that his country was ready to take on Israel in the event of a Middle East war and did not rule out a new confrontation with Washington.
He said that 'a surprise attack is possible at any time,' especially as Iraq was embroiled in almost daily clashes with US and British warplanes which enforce 'no-fly' zones over most of the country.
'The Iraqi army, which is at the head of the armies in the region, is capable of facing up to the US military technology,' Mr Hashem told the Iraqi weekly Al-Zawra.
Turning to Israel, Mr Hashem said that if the Jewish states 'ventures' to start a war in case of a total collapse of the US-sponsored Middle East peace process, 'the Iraqi leadership will send troops to defend the Arabs.'
'We are ready to execute the orders of our command at any time and have taken the necessary measures to support our Arab brothers if they are the target of aggression,' he said.
In a show of force almost 10 years after Iraq's ouster from Kuwait in the 1991 Gulf War, the army staged a huge military parade on Dec 31.
The parade was trumpeted as a show of support for the Palestinians in their conflict with Israel. -- AFP