Iraqi President Saddam Hussein stressed on Wednesday that his country has the ability to defend itself and Iraq's position remains firm despite the threat of the US military attacks.
Saddam made the remarks during his meeting with visiting Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Abdullah Al-Kurbi, the official INA news agency reported.
During the meeting, Al-Kurbi conveyed to Saddam an oral message of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on bilateral relations, and promised that Yemen will exert continued efforts to lift the UN sanctions on Iraq, said the agency.
Yemen, which sided with Iraq in the 1991 Gulf War, has called for lifting the sanctions imposed on Iraq for its 1990 invasion of neighboring Kuwait.
Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan visited Yemen in August this year and signed a free trade agreement with Yemen to set up acommon market between the two Arab countries.
The visit by the Yemeni foreign minister came amid latestthreats by US President George W. Bush, who hinted that the US might target Iraq as part of its ongoing war on terrorism."As for Mr. Saddam Hussein, he needs to let inspectors back in his country to show us that he is not developing weapons of mass destruction," Bush said on November 26.
When asked about the consequences if Saddam rejects, Bush replied: "He will find out."
The US demand has been rejected by Iraq, which has barred UN arms inspectors from returning since the US and Britain launched a four-day air war against Baghdad in December 1998.
( December 6, 2001)
