The war of words between Washington and Baghdad continues unabated this week, with the Iraqi press branding President George W Bush a liar and madman after his latest comments on the threat from Iraq.

Not surprisingly, tension remains high throughout the Islamic world, with many editorials and commentaries condemning what they see as American high-handedness.

The official daily Al-Iraq suggests a novel plan to get Mr Bush off Saddam's back.

Turn the White House into a mental asylum. That way, the inmates would be taken care of and would leave everybody else alone

Al-Iraq

"Bush and other members of his orchestra continue to lie and want others to believe them.

"These are symptoms of a serious sickness. The only cure for this sickness is to turn the White House into a mental asylum. That way, the inmates would be taken care of and would leave everybody else alone."

Al-Iraq says Mr Bush's latest speech "stunned and amazed the world with the magnitude of its lies and falsifications".

"One is amazed that Bush lies and continues to lie although he knows nobody believes him."

Al-Jumhuriyah similarly condemns "Bush's lies and fabrications that repeat older lies and fabrications".

He lied through his teeth

Al-Jumhuriyah

They are "a carbon copy of the exposed lies and falsifications that made up [British Prime Minister Tony] Blair's dilapidated and worn-out dossier", it says.

"He himself does not believe that such weapons [of mass destruction] exist. He lied through his teeth."

Al-Jumhuriyah warns that the US will fail to destroy Iraq, with its civilization dating back 9000 years.

"Iraq is unique in that it has become a living proof of the ability of dynamic nations with strong resolve and historic leaders to assert their independent and free will.

"There are two different histories at stake. Whoever is not with Iraq is with America and the Zionist entity

Babil

"Iraq is unique and will crush US hegemony over the world and open the doors wide to continue the march of civilization in the service of mankind."

A commentary in the daily owned by President Saddam's son Uday, Babil, warns there is no middle road in the stand-off.

"There are two different histories at stake. Whoever is not with Iraq is with America and the Zionist entity. There is no room to remain neutral. God is great."

Babil also calls the US leader a "highway bandit" seeking to ignore international legality represented by the UN.

"The USA is behaving like an outlaw seeking to liquidate the UN. The world needs to affirm the credibility of the UN, and let the bandits know that the world is not a jungle ruled by a savage beast in possession of technology but devoid of morals."

The ruling Baath party's mouthpiece Al-Thawrah condemns "Bush and his lackey, Blair" for revealing "no more than obsolete information about Iraq's old programmes, which ended under UN supervision. The files should have been closed for years."

"We ask Bush: How does he want Iraq to destroy something that it does not have in the first place. Does Bush want Iraq to make weapons especially so that it could fulfil his foolish demand?"

Even the families of the victims of the World Trade Centre blast were participating in the demonstrations

Information Minister Muhammad Sa'id al-Sahhaf

Iraqi TV described the latest speech as "incoherent". "He tried to ignore the facts and kill several birds with one stone. However, the stone rebounded and hit him on the head."

Iraqi Information Minister Muhammad Sa'id al-Sahhaf told Qatar's Al-Jazeera TV that many Americans were protesting against a military attack on Iraq.

"I believe he was surprised when he found that even the families of the victims of the World Trade Centre blast were participating in the demonstrations."

Mr Sahhaf said the speech was an attempt "to deceive world public opinion". "In a hysterical way, the US president wanted to blackmail the members of the Security Council."

"I believe that his speech cannot deceive even the simple people. So, how can he deceive the politicians who oppose aggression and wars? The speech was a failure."

Surrender to American arrogance is not a destiny; it can be confronted

Al-Rayah

In Qatar, the pro-government Al-Rayah spoke of the need to "rein in American high handedness with diplomacy".

"Surrender to American arrogance is not a destiny; it can be confronted without resorting to the same reckless style, but with serious political will.

"Before a disaster that would harm everybody, what is required is a more courageous Arab political action."

The London-based Arab nationalist Al-Quds Al-Arabi calls for Arab states to harden their stand against "the aggressive US plots" which it says "encourages President Bush and the vultures of his administration to treat Arabs and Muslims with high handedness and continue to support Israeli massacres in the Arab occupied territories".

You fools and traitors, you will see how our nation will react the day the marines set foot on Iraqi land.

Al-Arab al-Alamiyah

Another London-based daily, the pro-LibyanAl-Arab al-Alamiyah, gives a stark warning of the fate awaiting an invasion force.

"You fools and traitors, you will see how our nation will react the day the marines set foot on Iraqi land. They will not be received with roses and weapons of mass destruction, which Israel is known for, but with martyrs and cold steel weapons."

Syria's government-owned Al-Thawrah accuses Washington of hypocrisy for "showing obduracy towards Iraq, while covering up the crimes of Israel".

"The American administration should realise that winning domestic elections does not require wars to be waged abroad."

BBC Monitoring, 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.