The United States (US) will not abandon its plan to attack Iraq even if President Saddam Hussein steps down.

Recently appointed Iraq Ambassador to Malaysia Kais Al-Yacoubi said the US' main aim was to destroy Iraq and Saddam's position in the country is not an issue that can sway the position.

"They (the US) will not stop the war even if Saddam steps down. The real aim is to stop Iraq. It is not Saddam. Everbody knows that. They know that too," he said in an exclusive interview with malaysiakini o­n Monday.

When asked to comment o­n allegations that Saddam is a repressive leader to his 20 million subjects, Kais said the Iraqis are ready to stand behind their president to fight against the Americans and to defend their home.

"Iraqis are intelligent people. If they don't like him, then why did they elect him again last October - as you know there was a referendum. The Iraqis are behind their leader - ready to fight the Americans. This outrages the Americans. The Iraqis are armed, they have trained themselves, they are ready for the Americans, if they come," he said.

He also claimed that the possible war which the US is trying to initiate is being pushed by Israel who feels threatened by his country, the o­nly o­ne in the Arab region with the willpower to stop Israel from further repressing the Palestinians.

"Israel is using cannons, aeroplanes, helicopters to kill the Palestinian people. Israel openly said that if the Iraqis are stopped, so willl the Intifada...then Israel can impose whatever they want o­n the Palestinians."

"There is of course another reason. The US wants to control the Iraqis' oil. They both have interest - but each o­ne has its own reason for war," he said.

Asked how big their oil reserve is, Kais said: "Well...it is big enough to make the Americans come all the way here over thousands of miles to fight against us."

Unconvinced allies

As to the presentations by the US Secretary of State Colin Powell before the United Nations Security Council last week alleging that Iraq still has weapons of mass destruction hidden, he said US itself knows that it has failed to state a case to start a war.

"You actually do not have to ask me that. You can go to America's allies: France, German, Belgium...they are all not convinced with what Powell had presented. If they are not convinced, there is nothing for us to say," he said.

He said it is obvious that the US is alone is its bid to start a war and it is willing to undermine the UN by stating that they would start the war without the UN's resolution.

He also said that without the full suport of the international community, the US will face hardship if they decide to go o­n with the war.

"They are already finding it hard to convince people that they have reason to start this war. So I imagine that it would be harder for them when they actually start this war. People will look at each step they would be taking and question them, as they did not agree with the war in the first place," he said.

When asked o­n allegations that Iraq has failed to comply with Resolution 1441, the disarmament resolution made after the 1990 Gulf War, he said his government has been cooperating with the UN weapons inspectors since 1992.

Weapons disarmament

He claimed that they have shown all weapons of mass destruction to the UN inspectors and have destroyed them all since then, adding that they have provided numerous reports o­n accounts of the disarmament.

He pointed out that former US President Bill Clinton himself admitted that all weapons of mass destruction had been destroyed in Operation Desert Fox, the four-day attack o­n Iraq during the month of Ramadan in December 1998.

"Four hundred and thirty (430) missiles were launched at various sites in Iraq. After that, President Clinton said they have all destroyed sites of mass destruction and he was very happy. And now another president (George W Bush) claimed that there are still weapons...and that Iraq is not complying (to Resolution 1441)," he said.

He also referred to US Ambassador to Malaysia Marie Huhtala's statement that the UN weapons inspectors are not investigators.

"She (Huhtala) said that inspectors are no investigators. If that is so, then why US always emphasise and push for inspectors to come in? The main target of Resolution 1441 which was made at the insistence of the US, was to allow the inspectors to come into Iraq and so we cooperated. We opened our gates to the inspectors.

"Now they say they (the inspectors) are no detectives. So, what now? This is the problem with the US. They do not know what they want, except for o­ne thing: they want to go to war. This is the o­nly thing that they know. They are obsessed with the idea that the war should start. This is it. It is that simple, believe me," he said.

He claimed that Huhtala probably made the statement to justify the need for a war as she needs to convince Malaysians who are generally against the war.

There is an o­ngoing signature campaign by Malaysians for Peace to protest against the impending war while peaceful demostrations have been organised against the war. A forthcoming o­ne in front of the US embassy in Jalan Tun Razak joins a global movement involving more than 300 cities o­n Feb 15.

'Go back to their records'

Asked if Iraq is going to retaliate o­n its neighbours should the US choose to attack them, he said there was no intention to launch any retaliatory attack o­n any specific country.

"...If they attack Iraq, coming from whichever place, we will fight back. We are not saying that we will attack any specific country, but we will fight the Americans wherever they come from," he said.

As for the US' pledge to minimise civilian casualties, he said the attack o­n Afghanistan showed that the US is not capable of doing that.

Kais also denied the allegations that Saddam has links with al-Qaeda.

"Like the president said, if we have links to them we will not be afraid to say that. We have no relation to them. That is a fact. They know who is al-Qaeda, who invented al-Qaeda and who worked with them 10 years ago. Let them go back to their records. Ours showed nothing," he said.