Tuesday, March 18, 2003

Naji Sabri has been studying his anti-American literature pretty closely. He manages to get in most of the lunacy.

''For the window of diplomacy to open is for the two despots in Washington and London to leave office,'' Naji Sabri told a news conference in Baghdad.

Sabri, who reiterated Baghdad's rejection of a 48-hour ultimatum by Bush for President Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq, made a stinging attack on both men, calling them ''war criminals'' and ''liars.''

''How can an ignorant, idiot man become president of the United States? A man who doesn't know if Spain is a kingdom or a republic? How come that he can become the president of a clever people like the American people?,'' he asked.

Sabri said Iraq had prepared a long time ago for a likely U.S.-led invasion and said Saddam, whom he met earlier in the day, was ''sure of victory.''

''He is relaxed...he is sure of beating this evil aggression on Iraq, relying on deep faith in God, deep faith in the justice of our cause and a deep faith and confidence in the unlimited potential of Iraqis,'' Sabri said.

Sabri also said that any U.S.-led war would fit a U.S. goal of controlling world oil supplies and of strengthening Israel.

''The plan of Washington is to take over the oil of Iraq and the oil of the area so that they control the destiny of the world...and to serve Israel,'' he said.

He added that Bush wanted to tear the region apart ''to make it subjected to America and Israel and (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon.''

Sabri also said that Washington was pushing the United Nations ''towards suicide'' by planning to attack Iraq without a new mandate from the deeply divided U.N. Security Council.

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