IRAQ: An official Iraqi newspaper criticised President Bush yesterday as a "super idiot", saying he may fabricate evidence to convince the world of the need for a war against Baghdad.
"American foreign policy has sunk in a quagmire of abnormal practices, repeated and exposed lies supported by the arrogant logic of force, the build-up of war fleets, and threats to launch war," Al-Thawra newspaper, mouthpiece of the ruling Baath Party, said in an editorial.
"It is indeed a reckless and destructive policy run by a super idiot president," it added.
Mr Bush threatened in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday to use the full force of the US military to disarm Iraq, if necessary.
The paper said in another editorial that Mr Bush could fabricate evidence on Iraq's possession of banned weapons to get the UN Security Council's approval to launch war on Iraq.
"We cannot rule out that this administration will fabricate what it calls 'evidence' against Iraq during the Security Council's coming deliberations to steal any opportunity that gives it a cover for aggression," the newspaper said.
The deputy head of the UN inspections team, Dr Muhammad ElBaradei, said inspectors might accept an invitation to Baghdad if Iraq conceded on two main points.
The Iraqi Foreign Minister, Mr Naji Sabri, wrote to the UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, to demand the US hand over immediately evidence of banned Iraqi weapons to arms inspectors. He said Washington might plant false evidence to garner support for an invasion.
The US Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell, is due to present to the UN Security Council on February 5th what Washington says is evidence Iraq maintained weapons of mass destruction in violation of UN resolutions. - (Reuters)