| ||
| ||
| ||
 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Saddam goes on TV to rally troops
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraqi President Saddam Hussein appeared on his state-run television Monday to tell the nation that the United States and its allies are "trapped" as Iraq resists "heroically." It was not immediately clear whether the speech was broadcast live or was taped. Saddam talked about current battles and referred to "setbacks" for his "enemies." "Today you are standing in a position that would please the friend and would anger the enemy and all the infidels," he said. "You will be victorious against the enemies and you are causing them to suffer." State television later broadcast pictures of what it said was Saddam meeting with his son Qusay and his military advisers. In the televised speech, Saddam, seated at a podium in his military uniform, named specific members of the Iraqi military and praised his soldiers for "causing the enemy to suffer." "After they underestimated you, you Iraqis, now they've come on land, this attempt is our chance to incur losses on them," he said. "They are in a dilemma, they are in trouble now... hate them and strike them." UK Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon told a news conference shortly afterwards: "Obviously analysis continues but I can say straight away that those pictures were not live." Hoon said Saddam's people were still issuing tape recordings. "We are well aware that he spent many hours recently tape recording various messages... we need to do a little more analysis of what was actually said to see if that indeed was in fact Saddam Hussein," said Hoon. (Full story) U.S. authorities are also expected to analyze a tape to verify it was given by Saddam, and not a double. Although Saddam frequently uses body doubles in public appearances, those doubles usually do not speak because of the Iraqi leader's distinctive voice. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters: "There are some doubts about whether that tape is canned or whether it is anything that is fresh. "It would not be a surprise if Saddam Hussein some time ago put in the can numerous statements designed to be released later." In his speech Monday, Saddam, without the glasses he wore in Thursday's TV pictures, specifically praised the fighters in Umm Qasr and Al Qadisiya, in southern Iraq. CNN's Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour, in Kuwait, said there was little doubt this was Saddam and that, from the mention of specific places where coalition forces had met resistance, the broadcast was recent. She said he appeared calmer than in previous broadcasts. The Iraqi president's message was essentially to rally his troops, she said. Iraq's deputy prime minister, Tariq Aziz, told a news conference on Monday that Saddam and his top aides are alive and in control of the government. "We are all in control," Aziz said. "Each one of us is in complete control over our ministry or sector of responsibility." Earlier, Iraq's information minister, Mohamed Saeed al Sahaf, said fighting on Sunday had made a "dark day" for U.S.-led forces and that the invasion has taken its toll on civilians, killing at least 62 innocents and wounding many more. (Full Story) Al Sahaf said "ordinary people," along with regular Iraqi forces, are taking up arms against the Americans and British. He referred to "two brave peasants" who he said had shot down U.S. Apache helicopters. (Full story) Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi militias and fighters are deploying "according to the movement of this boa [constrictor] in order to cut it to pieces," Al Sahaf said.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
