With the coalition forces getting closer to Baghdad by the day, Iraqi president Saddam Hussein addressed his nation again today through a statement read by his Information Minister asking them to fight the enemies "with your hands".

The statement, the third in the past three days, was read out by Saeed al-Sahhaf o­n Iraqi satellite television.

The French news agency AFP quoted Saddam as hailing the "courageous" resistance put up by Iraqi fighters in the Al-Kut region.

The tribute comes after US forces claimed to have inflicted heavy losses o­n Iraqi divisions around Al-Kut, 150 kilometers southeast of Baghdad.

A laughing Saddam

"Your noble struggle and your resistance have soothed our hearts," said the message, which Sahhaf said was addressed to the local leader of Saddam's ruling Baath party, Ghazi Al-Obeidi.

"O courageous men, Ghazi and his comrades, may God bless you as you lead the valiant men ready for sacrifice to defend Iraq and Wassit," the province where Al-Kut is located, the message said.

Saddam's statement also said, "Fight them with your hands, God will disgrace them. God is great."

Meanwhile the London-based Daily Mirror reported that Iraqi TV yesterday showed pictures of a laughing and relaxed Saddam wearing military uniform as he met Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan, Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz and several other Cabinet ministers.

"A TV presenter - also in a military uniform - said Saddam urged his people to rise up, adding that the country's armed forces have yet to display their full power in battle," said the daily.

"Fight them so that Iraq, the bastion of religion and principles, will be secured and our (Islamic) nation will come out of this crisis glorious," Iraqi TV quoted Saddam as saying.

Previous statements

In the past two days, Saddam had addressed his people through statements read out o­n Iraqi television.

In a statement yesterday, Saddam urged his people to "fight them so that Iraq, the bastion of religion and principles, will be secured and our (Islamic) nation will come out of this crisis glorious."

In the previous statement, Saddam called for the Iraqis to wage jihad against the coalition forces.

Responding to the previous statements, the White House had said that Saddam's failure to deliver a threatening televised speech personally raises "interesting questions" about whether the Iraqi leader is dead or alive.

Gone underground

However a Jordan-based o­nline news organisation Al Bawaba today claimed that Saddam was hidden in a command center unknown even to his ministers.

The o­nline daily said that according to sources, Saddam went underground two days before the war started and was o­nly in touch with his son Qusai.

"Since then, sources say that Saddam has not met in person with his top ministers, and has not talked to them directly by telephone. His instruction are delivered to them by messengers in writing or in video and audio cassettes. Saddam does not use the telephone or fax, which he believes can be intercepted or tracked by the Americans," said the report.

The daily also said that Saddam's appearances o­n television were all recordings that were made before the war started.

"Workers at the Iraqi Television spoke of a vault inside the Information Ministry with hundreds of recordings, each inscribed o­nly with two letters and a number. It is said that Saddam decides which of the tapes to air o­n television by a short note indicating the code of the appropriate cassette."

"Three different taped recordings for when the Americans are about to enter Baghdad are already waiting at the television delivered o­n Tuesday this week," reported Al Bawaba .