Iraq’s President Saddam Hussein's eldest son has slammed the United States for threatening to attack Iraq as part of its campaign against terrorism, saying its attitude to certain countries had not changed since Vietnam.
Uday, speaking for the first time with regards to the threats, said on Saturday that Washington would not succeed in attempts to control Iraq.
"They (Americans) will not be able to change Iraq in a year or two as they have not been able to do so for the last 12 years (since the Gulf War in 1991)," Uday was quoted as saying by Al Shabab (youth) television which he owns, according to Reuters.
"The American policy is the same when they attacked Vietnam during the 1950s and in 2001 when they attacked Afghanistan."
He further accused U.S. troops of attacking hospitals, farms and Red Cross stores in Afghanistan. Uday, who also runs Iraq's most influential newspaper Babel, was speaking to a group of students he had invited to his office in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.
Babel has often expressed similar views, however it is the first time Uday has spoken publicly about Washington's threat.
Speculation has increased in recent months that U.S. President Bush might be preparing to launch an assault after he labeled Iraq, along with Iran and North Korea, as part of an "axis of evil".
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell was quoted as saying on Sunday that the United States had no plans to attack Iraq, but in an interview with Nordic papers, he said aggressive efforts ought to be made to bring about a change of regime in Baghdad.
Back to Saddam’s son, Uday predicted that 2003 would be a better year for Iraq, saying 2002 was a difficult one, a clear reference to the U.S. threats.
"Next year will see the deterioration (of U.S. policy) all over the world," Uday said. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
