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Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri issued a stern warning to the United States and Britain Sunday, saying the Iraqis are ready to fight a long war in defending their country.
"Thank God we have enough faith and enough will to fight and live and enough men, arms and supplies to fight for 13 more years," Sabri said, upon arrival in Damascus en route to an Arab meeting in Cairo, Egypt.
In an interview with the Syrian Television earlier Saturday, he issued a similar warning to the US-British coalition.
"Iraqi people will fight them (the US-led forces) from border to border. All the Iraqi population is armed.... We will defeat the invaders and teach them a lesson they will never forget. God willing, we will turn the deserts of Iraq into graveyards for the invaders," he said.
The Iraqi minister called on Arab governments to "confront" the US-led war, which he said threatens all Arab countries.
Sabri also warned Turkey of "serious consequences" if it supports a US-led war against Iraq. "Who seeks to harm Iraq, multiple harm would be inflicted on him," he said.
Turkey's refusal to grant key support to the United States has dealt a serious blow to the US war plans as Washington had hoped to deployed troops on Turkey's soil to open a northern front in its invasion of Iraq.
Sabri also claimed that Iraq has captured some US soldiers, adding that the numbers will be soon released.
He confirmed that one US warplane was shot down over Baghdad Saturday. "Today when I left Baghdad, Iraqi fighters downed an American aircraft...You know that on board there is one pilot or more. Details about that will be announced later," he said, without commenting on the fate of the pilots.
Throughout Saturday, US and British forces continued massive air aids on Baghdad, leading to widespread blackout in many parts of the city shortly before the midnight.
On Saturday, fierce fighting was reported between Iraqi troops and US and British forces, which were continuing to advance towards Baghdad.
The US-British troops have crossed the Euphrates River, and are now halfway to the Iraq capital since crossing the Kuwait-Iraq border late Thursday.
Defying international opposition, the United States and Britain launched its war against Iraq early Thursday under the name of toppling Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction.
(Xinhua News Agency March 23, 2003)
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