'No place to hide for Americans'
2003-03-18 18:46
New York - Iraq's UN ambassador said on Tuesday that no place would be safe for Americans if the United States launched a war against Baghdad.
"This is a war, my dear. This is a war. So how can you have a safe place in the war?" Iraqi envoy Mohammed Aldouri told Reuters Television when asked if there would be repercussions for the United States in the event of war.
"And you are the invader at the same time. If you are (the) invader, how you can ask for a safe place for you?" he said.
Speaking the morning after US President George W Bush, in a televised address, gave Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and his sons a 48-hour ultimatum to leave Iraq or face war, Aldouri said there was "no possibility" Saddam would comply.
"There is a decision from the Iraqi authorities that we cannot accept the speech of Mr. Bush. Officially they rejected it," he said.
The Iraqi envoy said history would judge Bush harshly for starting what he termed an illegal and immoral war.
"There will be killing, destruction - both sides. Your guys, our guys, and without reason," he said. "There is no justification for that.
"You have 300 000 guys there in the desert. They will attack Iraq. They will not go to do shopping or sightseeing. They are going to kill, and certainly they will be killed also," he said.