Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, his ministers, spokesmen and newspapers, have spoken with one voice throughout the stand-off with the UN over weapons inspections. The voice has been one of single-minded defiance: Sanctions must be lifted, the United States is not to be trusted and Iraq cannot be subdued. This is what Iraqis have been hearing and reading during Baghdad's stand-off with the world:

On military confrontation:

"President Saddam Hussein has expressed hope that no fighting will break out and that enemies will not fall into miscalculation, as they did in the first chapter of Um al-Ma'arik (Mother of All Battles) ... "

Saddam on Gulf War anniversary: Military aggression against Iraq won't work (Dur: 0' 50" - in Arabic)

"President Saddam Hussein said should those evil-driven enemies commit an aggression against Iraq, Iraq would have no other option but to fight with all the potential, experience, faith and motivation at its disposal."

Source: INA news agency, Baghdad, in English 1050 gmt 29 Jan 98

On the current weapons inspection crisis:

"The entire problem, over which United States is mobilizing armies, moving fleets, and preparing its planes and missiles, is the mere fact that Iraq requested postponing the discussion over the Special Commission's request to enter into some presidential sites ... is this problem worth all this fuss and feverish efforts to ignite a war and an aggression against the Iraqi people?"

Culture and Information Minister Humam Abd al-Khaliq

Source: Iraqi TV, Baghdad, in Arabic 1235 gmt 30 Jan 98

On chief UN weapons inspector Richard Butler:

Richard Butler

"Richard Butler, chairman of the Unscom, has said that Iraq possesses enough missiles and biological weapons to wipe out all of Tel Aviv's inhabitants ... This prattle has become the hallmark of this weird person."

The official spokesman for the Ministry of Culture and Information

Source: Iraqi TV, Baghdad, in Arabic 2100 gmt 27 Jan 98

On President Clinton:

"Clinton sought to repair the damage caused by the latest scandals by mounting a fresh aggression against Iraq ... the stale and worn-out stories that Clinton is promoting cannot repair the damage caused by his disgraceful scandals."

Source: `Al-Qadisiyah' newspaper quoted by INA news agency, Baghdad, in Arabic 0843 gmt 3 Feb 98

On Tony Blair:

"Mr Mohammad Sa'id al-Sahhaf, the foreign minister, has strongly criticized the cheap style used by the American and British officials against Iraq ... Mr Sahhaf described the phrases used by British Prime Minister Tony Blair against Iraq as cheap and impolite."

Source: INA news agency, Baghdad, in Arabic 1815 gmt 1 Feb 98

On America

"Honourable Iraqis: You are all invited to write `Down with America' with every means so that the whole world will know that America is the enemy of free and honourable peoples. Write it on the ground, in front of houses, in streets, public areas, schools, factories, everywhere. Let us write `Down with America', which wants to harm the dignified Iraqi people."

Source: Iraqi TV, Baghdad, in Arabic 1300 gmt 19 Nov 97

On biological and chemical weapons:

"Iraq will not use mass destruction weapons for a simple reason; namely, Iraq does not possess any such weapons ... "

Culture and Information Minister Humam Abd al-Khaliq

Source: Iraqi TV, Baghdad, in Arabic 1235 gmt 30 Jan 98

On UN sanctions:

Saddam on Gulf War anniversary: Sanctions must be lifted (Dur: 1' 15" in Arabic)

"Iraq - its people, leadership and representative bodies, and on all levels - is determined irrevocably to wage the greater jihad [holy war] for the lifting of the blockade. There is no alternative to this position."

Saddam Hussein

Source: Iraqi TV, Baghdad, in Arabic 0800 gmt 17 Jan 98

On Iraqi public opinion:

"Our militant masses are arriving one after another at party headquarters' volunteer centres in the various governorates of the country to register as volunteers for training in the use of arms in response to an appeal by leader President Saddam Hussein ... The Iraqis are now more determined than ever to continue the path of jihad [holy war] and struggle to deter the enemies and to turn their spite against them."

Source: Iraqi TV, Baghdad, in Arabic 0715 gmt 1 Feb 98

BBC Monitoring (http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk), based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.
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