Iraq marks Hussein’s birthday

Published 9:00 pm Sunday, April 28, 2002

Associated Press

TIKRIT, Iraq — Iraq celebrated President Saddam Hussein’s 65th birthday Sunday with an annual display of government-sponsored loyalty whose theme this year was defiance in the face of U.S. determination to oust the Iraqi leader.

In Washington, U.S. Senate leaders said Sunday there is broad support for toppling Hussein but that it is too early to take military action against Iraq.

As tens of thousands of people marched in Baghdad, state-run Iraqi media said Hussein’s birthday marked the birth of an Iraq "which is free and victorious against U.S.-British-Zionist colonialism."

At the biggest celebration, in Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit 100 miles north of Baghdad, schoolgirls performed traditional Arab dances and waved Iraqi and Palestinian flags. Singers praised Hussein as the symbol of "our dignity and pride."

Marchers in Baghdad carried posters of Hussein and Iraqi flags and shouted, "Saddam is our leader forever." In several provinces, crowds led by members of the ruling Baath party took to the streets, singing, dancing and wishing Hussein a happy birthday.

Iraq, normally wary of foreign journalists, invited scores to witness the opulent celebrations, which contrasted with the poverty that grips most of Iraq.

Meanwhile, The New York Times reported Sunday that the U.S. administration is developing plans for a major air and ground war that would involve 70,000 to 250,000 troops.

Private analysts have said that at least 100,000 troops might be needed to attack Hussein, who could shield his troops among civilians and retaliate against U.S. forces with chemical weapons.

A senior Bush administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said any attack on Iraq probably would wait until next year, but that President Bush has yet to sign off on the time, scope or manner of such a campaign.

"We’ve got to win the war on terror, we’ve got to stabilize Afghanistan. We have to do all that we can to ensure that we succeed there before we take on another mission," Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said Sunday.

Daschle, D-S.D., said on ABC’s "This Week" that there is "strong bipartisan support" and "probably world support" for ousting Hussein.

Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., said that the United States needs to first bolster opposition to Hussein among Iraqis inside and outside that country. "There’s a lot more we could be doing," he said on "Fox News Sunday."

Associated Press

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