New York, Jan 23: Even as the United States raised
its ante against Iraq, the Deputy Prime Minister of the
Arabian country said his country was ready for the fight and
would greet the American soldiers with "bullets" and not
"flowers" as some Iraqi opposition leaders have predicted.
Asserting that Iraqis will fight and win, Tariq Aziz, the
only Christian face in Iraq's top leadership, said his army
might not have the same equipment as the Americans but it is
"well-equipped to fight an aggressor within its homeland."
"We are an experienced nation. We fought for eight years
with Iran. Many people thought we would lose; we did not. We
won the battle in the end," Aziz told the a television channel in an
interview from Baghdad when asked how he was so confident.
When asked if president Saddam Hussein would be prepared
to go in exile to avoid a war, he said Iraq cannot accept
intimidation.
"We cannot accept any interference into our internal
affairs. If that succeeds, America could do it anywhere in
the world," he said.
Bureau Report
