March 20, 2003	Thursday	Muharram 16, 1424

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BAGHDAD, March 19: Washington is deceiving US soldiers and officers and sending them to “definite death” in any invasion of Iraq, Iraqi Information Minister Mohamad Saeed al-Sahhaf claimed on Wednesday.

“They are lying to their soldiers and officers by telling them that an aggression against Iraq would be a picnic...but they are (sending them to) definite death,” Mr Sahhaf told reporters.

“We call on the soldiers and officers to pay attention,” he said.

Mr Sahhaf also denounced the US and British decision not to attend a UN Security Council meeting later on Wednesday to discuss the crisis in Iraq.

“Their absence is the natural development of the isolation witnessed in the (US-British-Spanish) summit at the Azores islands” in Portugal on Sunday which decided to launch war against Iraq without the backing of the United Nations.—AFP