August 9, 2002	Friday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 29,1423

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BAGHDAD, Aug 8: Iraqi President Saddam Hussein issued a haunting warning to the United States on Thursday that any new war was doomed to bloody failure, as fears mount that Washington will unleash military strikes on Iraq.

“All empires and evil coffin-bearers have been buried in their own coffins with their sick dreams when they have sought to harm Arab and Muslim nations,” the Iraqi strongman warned, conjuring up images of bodybags the US administration will not want to contemplate.

“This inevitable result awaits all those who try to attack the Arabs and Muslims,” he said.

The sombre speech was broadcast on state television and published on the Iraqi presidency website to mark the 14th anniversary of the end of the Iran-Iraq war, which raged between 1980 and 1988.

“Darkness shall be defeated,” vowed Saddam, dressed in a black suit and grey tie standing against a backdrop of Iraqi flags.

“The forces of evil will carry their coffins on their back to die in a disgraceful failure ... after they dig their own graves on every Arab or Muslim soil which they attack, including Iraq.”

He called on the United Nations, which has demanded that Baghdad re-admit disarmament inspectors, to honour its commitments to Iraq and to answer its questions, notably on sanctions.

“The right way is that the Security Council should reply to the questions raised by Iraq and should honour its obligations under its own resolutions,” he said in the speech to the nation.—AFP