The Iraqi press has denounced "savage interference" by the US and Britain in the work of UN weapons inspectors, accusing both countries of lying about Baghdad's weapons programme

The whole world has realised their criminal schemes against the Iraqi people, which have nothing to do with weapons of mass destruction Babil newspaper

"No human being can prove the existence of something that does not exist," said Babil, the daily newspaper owned by President Saddam Hussein's son Uday.

"If the Americans had any real information, they would have put it on the world's television screens and newspapers before giving it to the weapons inspectors."

This wicked alliance is doing everything to cover up its lies al-Jumhuriya newspaper

Iraq maintains that it has no banned weapons of mass destruction. The US and Britain say Baghdad is lying and have threatened to forcibly disarm Iraq.

'Wicked alliance'

The Iraqi criticism comes as Washington has renewed calls for the UN weapons inspections to be conducted more aggressively and with more inspectors on the ground.

Bush is accused of planning "criminal schemes"

But Babil said the US and Britain "should leave the UN inspectors to do their job to implement ... UN Resolution 1441 with no more savage interference".

The paper said US President George W Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair were trying to mislead the world and warned of dire consequences of such "brinkmanship".

"The whole world has realised their criminal schemes against the Iraqi people, which have nothing to do with weapons of mass destruction, but are designed to dismember and destroy Iraq and steal its oil," it said.

"The brinkmanship they are practising against Iraq will lead them over the precipice."

"This wicked alliance is doing everything to cover up its lies," said the government-owned daily newspaper al-Jumhuriya.

"But Iraq's sun of truth is able to dispel these lies and push America into the abyss for ever," it added.