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Saddam lavishes praise on army

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January 7, 2001 

BAGHDAD-- (AP) - President Saddam Hussein on Saturday delivered a flowery speech that lavishly praised Iraq's army, "celebrating and honoring" the soldiers who fought in the 1991 Gulf War - a conflict Saddam relentlessly claims as an Iraqi victory.

The entire Iraqi political and military leadership - except Saddam - gathered Saturday morning in their olive green military uniforms for a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in central Baghdad to mark Iraq's Army Day.

Saddam, who appears in public only sporadically, spoke later for 15 minutes on national television, invoking the names of Arab leaders and military campaigns dating back centuries.

He reserved special praise for veterans of the two wars he has commanded, the 1980-88 war with Iran, which ended in exhaustion and stalemate, and the subsequent Gulf War, in which Iraq suffered a swift and crushing military defeat to a U.S.-led coalition.

"We are celebrating and honoring the army of the glorious (Iran-Iraq war) and the Immortal Mother of All Battles (the Gulf War)," said Saddam, who wore a dark suit and tie and read from a prepared text.

Saddam's irregular appearances have prompted a recent series of rumors, coming from Iraqi opposition groups in exile, that the Iraqi leader is suffering health problems.

However, Saddam showed no signs of illness in his speech Saturday and has appeared in public or on television several times since the rumors began. He was present at a military parade last Sunday, appeared on television leading a Cabinet session and was also shown smoking a cigar with a visiting Egyptian delegation.

Jan. 17 marks the 10-year anniversary of the Gulf War. Saddam's speech did not mention the specifics of that conflict and no major events are scheduled on that day. However, Saddam and his ministers routinely refer to the war as an Iraqi triumph.

"Since the enemy did not accomplish their goals, they are considered to have lost the war," Iraq's Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Sultan Hashim Ahmed said at the wreath-laying ceremony.

In a country where Cabinet ministers routinely dress in military uniforms, the armed forces play a dominant role in Iraq. Before the Gulf War, Army Day was marked by a massive military parade.

But over the past decade, with Iraq under comprehensive economic sanctions and suffering economically, the ceremonies have tended to be low-key. Last Sunday, Iraq held one of its largest military parades in years to highlight its support for the Palestinians in their conflict with Israel.

As tanks, warplanes, and missiles rumbled past the presidential reviewing stand, Saddam raised a rifle to the sky and fired off more than 100 rounds.

"Saddam Hussein has long used the Iraqi army for private purposes," Ali bin Al-Hussein, a spokesman for the exiled Iraqi National Congress, said in a statement faxed to The Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt, on Friday.

"Saddam's hegemony over the army is a reminder of the continuous suffering of the people caused by the regime and the permanent threats to countries neighboring Iraq," he added.

The international sanctions have prevented the import of weapons, keeping Iraq from modernizing its arsenal and cutting off the flow of spare parts for existing systems. The punitive measures also require Iraq to dismantle its nuclear, chemical and biological weapons program, though the U.N. weapons inspectors left in 1998 amid repeated conflicts with the Iraqis.

Iraqi negotiators plan to meet in coming weeks with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan on the future of the sanctions. The Iraqi media said the talks could begin this month, but Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, said the discussions could be put off until February, citing Annan's busy schedule as the reason.

The United Nations is seeking the return of the weapons inspectors, while Iraq has demanded that sanctions be lifted before inspectors are allowed back.