Iraq sought allies among developing nations today, joining a chorus of protests at the Non-Aligned Movement summit here over charges that the United States is seeking world domination.

Presenting his country's case at the meeting of 116 of the world's poorer nations, Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan said the US had accused Iraq of possessing weapons of mass destruction "without any evidence".

Ramadan attacked the US for "seeking world domination and a policy of using force against Iraq, using all the means of coercion and persecution at their disposal to impose their rule over the country."

Using phrases which have resonated through a summit attended by leaders of militarily weak and economically struggling countries, he condemned "the phenomenon of unipolar politics".

He said the o­ne superpower "seeks to dominate the world o­n the political and economic levels and to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries through force and aggression".

Exposing American lies

Most of the NAM countries are former colonies, and Iraqi officials here have tried to broaden the US threats against Baghdad into an attack o­n all developing countries.

"This colonial policy is against all Third World countries," Foreign Minister Naji Sabri told reporters o­n the sidelines of the summit. "It is our duty to reject the war polices of Washington."

He urged NAM to support Iraq against "those who like to trespass o­n the dignity and freedom of Third World countries."

The summit is due to issue a special statement which will condemn any attack o­n Iraq without United Nations support, while urging Baghdad to "actively" cooperate with UN weapons inspectors.

Ramadan told the summit Iraq was determined to help the inspectors iron out all problems over its alleged weapons of mass destruction.

"Iraq is determined to continue its efforts to help with verification of all problems if (the UN) requests details," he said.

Iraq had agreed to the return of inspectors under Resolution 1441 "to expose the American lies" and the inspectors had now visited more than 400 sites during 780 inspections.

NAM delegation

But Ramadan failed to produce the sort of defence of Iraq's position he suggested he would ahead of the summit.

Ramadan said in Baghdad last Friday that President Saddam Hussein entrusted him to head his country's delegation and he would be carrying "a great number of documents, information, tapes and evidence to inform all delegations about the truth of what is happening in Iraq."

The evidence would help "show the truth about Iraq's cooperation with the UN disarmament inspectors, the truth about the harm done to Iraq and the unjust allegations," he said.

Ramadan invited NAM to send a "ministerial delegation or a high-ranking delegation" to Iraq to look into its cooperation with the inspectors.

NAM was set up as an alternative to the Eastern and Western blocs during the Cold War. AFP