BAGHDAD, July 17: An audiotape said to be by former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, broadcast on Thursday, called for Iraqis to mount a jihad to oust occupying US troops.

A massive manhunt has failed to find Saddam since he was toppled in April, but officials in Washington believe he is probably alive.

“The enemy wants to weaken Iraq and the only genuine solution is to resist the occupation through jihad to inflict losses and evict the enemy from Iraq,” the speaker on the tape said.

The tape, aired by Al Arabiya and Al Jazeera satellite TV, coincided with the 35th anniversary of the Baath Party coup which paved the way for Saddam’s rule.

US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the two architects of the war which ousted Saddam, were to meet later on Thursday in Washington.

Their White House meeting will be the first since Blair came under intense attack at home for the US-British failure to find Saddam’s suspected weapons of mass destruction.

In Iraq, US troops were on alert fearing attacks by Saddam loyalists coinciding with the anniversary of the 1968 Baath Party coup.

But for the first time in 35 years, most Iraqis ignored the day which was previously marked by massive parades, speeches and songs in praise of Saddam and his widely feared Baathists.

“This is the best July 17th I’ve seen so far because there is no Saddam and no Baath,” said Fadil Amin, a translator in Baghdad. “We’re better off without them, even if we don’t have any electrical power or water and security is abysmal.”

There were no speeches or fanfare in the capital as most Iraqis went about their daily business. Shops and public departments remained open.

TAPE EXAMINED: In Washington, a US intelligence official said the Saddam tape, the third to be broadcast since he was toppled on April 9, was being reviewed to determine its authenticity and glean further information.