'America will cry blood, not tears' - Iraq

2003-03-18 14:45

Baghdad - The eldest son of Saddam Hussein On Tuesday rejected a US ultimatum for the Iraqi leader and his sons to go into exile or face war, and said any US forces that invaded Iraq faced a "bloody battle".

"The proposal...comes from a person who is not completely capable or fit...the proposal should be that Bush leaves office in America, he and his family," Saddam's son Uday said in remarks issued by his office.

"The wives and mothers of those Americans who will fight us will cry blood, not tears," he said.

"They should not imagine that they will have a safe spot inside the land of Iraq or outside it."

United States President George W Bush on Monday gave Saddam Hussein 48 hours to leave Iraq or face war and urged the Iraqi people not to fight American forces.

A stern US leader laid down the ultimatum in a televised address as about 300 000 US and British troops gathered around Iraq, waiting for the order to launch a military assault on Baghdad.

"Saddam Hussein and his sons must leave Iraq within 48 hours. Their refusal to do so will result in military conflict commenced at a time of our choosing," Bush said in the address from the White House. -AFP-Reuters

- News24