Saddam: America hates Iraq because it stops it from controlling world oil

Mon Sep 2, 2:09 PM ET

By WAIEL FALEH, Associated Press writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - President Saddam Hussein ( news - web sites) gave his own explanation Monday of why the United States was insisting on removing him from power — because Iraq was preventing it from controlling Middle East oil.

"America thinks it must control the world," he was quoted as saying to an envoy from Belarus. "America thinks if it controls the oil of the Middle East then it will control the world," said Saddam, whose comments were carried by the official Iraqi News Agency.

The United States, according to Saddam, has found out that trying to control the world through military means won't work, so it has turned to control Middle East oil, which he said represented 65 percent of world reserves.

"By destroying Iraq, America thinks it could control the oil of the Middle East and force the prices it wants on clients like France, China, Japan and other countries of the world," Saddam said. One reason for the continuation of U.N. sanctions imposed on Iraq since its 1990 invasion of Kuwait, he added, was to "prevent former Soviet Union countries from cooperating economically with Iraq."

U.S. President George W. Bush ( news - web sites)'s administration has been pushing for military action to unseat Saddam, whom Washington contends is developing weapons of mass destruction despite being prohibited from doing so under U.N. resolutions.

U.N. weapons Inspectors left Iraq in late 1998, just before punitive U.S.-British airstrikes, and Saddam has refused to allow them back in. Iraq insists it has complied with the U.N. resolutions imposed following its invasion of Kuwait, but has said it wants to continue a dialogue on the inspectors' return, conditions of which U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan ( news - web sites) has rejected.

U.S. officials have indicated that the return of inspectors may not be sufficient to stave off action against Iraq. Bush spokesman Scott McClellan said Sunday that the president agrees that "unfettered inspections" are a required first step toward solving the Iraq problem, but not necessarily enough.

On Monday, Saddam said that by controlling world oil and its prices, the United States would be able to determine the growth of world economy.

"Europe has found out about this fact lately, so its stand in support of Iraq is not based on humanitarian or legal grounds but in self-defense of its future, independence and freedom of interests," said Saddam.

"Iraq's battle is no longer a national one, but it is for humanity ..."

-- Jack Nicholson (look in the mirror @ axis. of. evil), September 03, 2002

Answers

Unfortunately most Americans are too dumb to see the obvious truth, they prefer to let King Idiot tell them what to believe.

-- lol (they worship @ their manchild coward. "hero"), September 03, 2002.