May 11, 2003	Sunday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 8, 1424

LONDON, May 10: An Arabic-language newspaper published on Saturday a letter “attributed” to former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein urging Iraqis to crush the US-led invaders who deposed him.

Al-Quds al-Arabi said that in the six-page letter dated May 7 and faxed to the London-based daily from Jordan on Friday, Saddam Hussein accused Iraq’s neighbours of helping the invasion, and threatened to reveal secrets he said “would change the convictions of many”.

“But the truth which must be dealt with now is the resistance to the occupation, expelling and crushing it,” the letter said.

The newspaper, which last month published a similar letter it said was from Saddam, ran the text and a picture of the fax. Each page of the letter was signed by Saddam, the paper said.

The whereabouts of Saddam and his two sons are not known, but several of his senior aides are in US custody.

A close associate of the former Iraqi president was quoted last week as saying that Saddam was safe in Iraq and that he was preparing to organize resistance to US-led occupation forces.

In the hand-written letter, which Al Quds said contained grammatical mistakes, misspellings and crossed-out words, Saddam accused Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan and Iran of siding with the US.

He also said Syria, while hosting Iraqi opposition activists he described as “traitors” before the invasion, did not allow Iraqi “resistance members” to stay in the country even for a few days.

Saddam accused US-led forces of looting Iraqi banks and of preparing to steal Iraq’s vast oil resources.

“The invaders have stolen your wealth; the archaeological finds, your oil. They have stolen more money from the banks,” the letter said, apparently referring to widespread looting.

“Your banks were full of money for depositors and for the state in various currencies. The invaders have stolen them and they will steal their oil and resources. This is not unusual for Bush and Blair are thieves and killers.”

Saddam urged Iraqis not to descend into sectarian strife.

“Only those who resist the occupation are the ones who are thinking about one Iraq...Unite and cooperate...Remember that all of you, Arabs, Kurds and Turkmens and the rest of the citizens are brothers in religion and in the homeland,” he said.—Reuters