NEW YORK, Feb 25: Iraqi President Saddam Hussein challenged US President George Bush to a debate on live television according to excerpts of an interview given to CBS news anchor Dan Rather on Monday.

The proposal was rejected by the White House which said that the debate offer was not serious.

The Iraqi leader also told CBS news that Iraq would not obey UN inspectors orders to destroy his Al Samoud 2 missiles.

However, a top adviser said the UN order was “still being studied.”

“Iraq is allowed to prepare proper missiles and we are committed to that,” the network quoted Saddam as saying.

Asked whether the Al Samoud 2 missiles are “proper,” President Saddam replied: “We do not have missiles that go beyond the proscribed range.”

According to extracts released in advance by CBS, Saddam Hussein challenged Bush to a televised debate via satellite linkup, along the lines of debates in a US presidential campaign, the network said.

“I am ready to conduct a direct dialogue — a debate — with your president,” CBS quoted Saddam as saying. “I will say what I want and he will say what he wants.”

Rather said he asked Saddam if his offer of a debate was a joke. He quoted the Iraqi leader as saying, “This is something proposed in earnest out of my respect for the people of the United States and the people of Iraq and the people of the world. I call for this because war is not a joke. As leaders, why don’t we use this opportunity?”

Most recent visitors to Iraq say that the Iraqi leader appeared eager to cooperate fully with the UN inspectors in a bid to avert a US-led war. They include former US attorney general Ramsey Clark and former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov.