Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has accused the UN weapon inspectors of conducting "purely intelligence work".

The following are excerpts from a nationally televised speech delivered on 6 January marking the 82nd anniversary of Army Day.

When you, the valiant people of Iraq, renew your pledge to Allah, to yourselves, to the nation and to humanity at large, that you will continue the march of jihad, you do not only strengthen your adherence to your belief and your sacrifices for the Faith, whose meanings have been eloquently expressed, in your sacred blood, as well as in your suffering, sacrifice and perseverance, but you also ensure final victory over the enemies of Allah, your enemies...

The objective is rather to subject the Arab Gulf area to a full, complete and physical occupation Saddam Hussein

We are the offspring of the sword and the pen; and, in the Name of Allah, we shall fear no-one in defending our right, and shall continue our march on the path drawn by Allah, in order to achieve the tasks assigned to us by the Almighty...

US objectives

Iraq is not the only target in this confusion, even if the noise is meant to intimidate us and to cover the aggression to be decided by the enemy whenever the devil so instructs him.

The objective is rather to subject the Arab Gulf area to a full, complete and physical occupation through which to achieve many goals.

These include political interference and military intervention in the countries of the region in a manner unaccustomed before, with a view to securing complete control over their resources...

The inspection teams are interested in collecting names and making lists of Iraqi scientists Saddam Hussein

But the enemy will pay dearly later, on top of what it is paying at present for its reckless policies of greed and expansionism.

Through its noise and rumblings, coupled with the ongoing aggression and blockade inflicted on Iraq, the enemy is providing cover for the heinous crimes perpetrated by the Zionist entity against our people in Palestine...

The enemy is in full coordination with the Zionist entity in this respect, and has achieved a lot of what it wanted to see achieved in order to cover the weaknesses of its agencies, as exposed before the US public opinion, vis-�-vis the events of 11th September 2001 and the weakness, or indeed near-collapse, of the United States economy...

As we monitor the hiss of snakes and bark of dogs accompanied by continued aggression in the north and south of the country, we act with the confidence of the assured whose actions are not hurried or confused.

Here, we have prepared for everything.

'Hidden agenda'

One of the objectives of the enemy's continued aggression and pressure on Iraq is to provide psychological support, in a climate of sabre-rattling, in order to intimidate the people of the Middle East and the world, and to make the inspection teams go beyond the declared objectives of the Security Council, even in the bad resolution issued in its name.

The light of truth belongs to us, while our enemy has the darkness of the present and the darkness of distant horizons... Saddam Hussein

So, now, instead of looking for the so-called weapons of mass destruction, in order to expose the distortion and lies propagated by those who endeavour, in vain, to deceive public opinion, the inspection teams are interested in collecting names and making lists of Iraqi scientists, addressing employees with questions that carry hidden agendas, giving special attention to military camps, to unproscribed military production, and to other matters, all or most of which constitute purely intelligence work...

'Victory'

The light of truth belongs to us, while our enemy has the darkness of the present and the darkness of distant horizons...

For the people of Iraq, their victory, with reliance on Allah, is at hand, having already existed in their hearts; and it is up to our enemies to trace the echoes of their trumpets...

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.