BAGHDAD (voa) – The Iraqi leadership has officially rejected President Bush’s ultimatum for President Saddam Hussein to leave the country or face war.
Iraqi state television reports the rejection came from a joint meeting Tuesday of Iraq’s ruling Baath Party and the country’s chief decision-making body, the Revolutionary Command Council. President Saddam chaired the meeting in Baghdad.
The Iraqi leader’s son, Uday Hussein, has also rejected the U.S. ultimatum, which includes both Uday and his brother Qusay.
Despite Iraqi leaders’ defiance, U.S. commanders are reported to believe that Iraq’s military is badly demoralized and a number of military units may be ready to surrender without a fight.
Western news reports from Baghdad say the signs of panic among civilians have become clearly evident. The cost of hiring a taxi to the Jordan border skyrocketed Monday, while gun stores were doing a brisk business. The 48-hour deadline set by President Bush expires at one hour universal time (0100 UTC) on Thursday.
In his speech late Monday, Mr. Bush said that if the Iraqi leader and his sons refuse to go into exile by then, the United States will take military action.
Mr. Bush said “decades of deceit and cruelty” in Iraq have now reached an end. In remarks intended to be broadcast in translation to Iraqis, the president said “the tyrant will soon be gone, and the day of your liberation is near.”
President Bush appealed to Iraq’s military to help save their country by peacefully welcoming coalition forces. He warned Iraqi commanders not to destroy oil wells or to use chemical or biological weapons against anyone. He said war criminals will be hunted down and prosecuted, and that the statement – “I was just following orders” – will not be accepted as a defense.
Meanwhile, the New York Times says U.S. military planners are aiming at a quick seizure of Basra – the largest city in southern Iraq – hoping that scenes of the city’s liberation will create an immediate positive image worldwide about U.S. and British war aims.
