Iraq's open letter to the UN

"Iraq has rebelled against the American bull, which has run amok and is threatening to destroy the entire world, as well as itself. Oppressed Iraq faced with God's care, the tyranny of American unilateral domination.

"Based on this feeling and analysis, Iraqis have demonstrated further patience whenever Iraq faced an oppressive American step.

Iraq bore the burden of this oppression in the hope that the countries and people of the world would rebel or, at least, the officials in their countries would have a minimum sense of responsibility towards security, safety, right, falsehood, oppression, the oppressors, the oppressed ones as well as the tyrants and the patient ones.

US 'tyranny' responsible

"What embitters the Iraqis further, however, is that US tyranny still insists on the crime of the embargo under the excuse that the resolution of the embargo was issued by the Security Council.

"We and you know the circumstances under which these resolutions that lack basic positive meaning and justification, were issued. Iraqis find it painful to see the Security Council remain hostage to one country, which is backed by the old colonialist English devil's policeman.

"Iraqis suffer more when they find out that their free will is not free to say the right thing, which should be said to the sinful one who is all but drowning in a swamp of evil.

"It is painful that those who call themselves big countries in the Security Council do not behave responsibly and efficiently according to the conditions that justify their title and membership in the Security Council..."

No justification for embargo

"The blockade has been in force for eight years and has not been lifted. Even Paragraph 22 (promising to lift sanctions upon compliance with weapons obligations) has not been implemented in accordance with Resolution 687 itself.

"This is despite the fact that the so-called prohibited weapons and the means for their production have been destroyed.

"A total of 397 inspection teams and monitoring groups, including 3,200 inspectors have paid over 7,000 visits since 1991; however, they could not discover or prove anything to the contrary...

"The US policy is only a reckless bull, which will soon tumble down the well of life and be defeated by the brave resistance of the people after God obstructs it and after it is consumed by its own vices and guilt so that the banner of 'God is Great' will remain on its staff, fluttering and glorious, and the voice of justice will triumph over the voice of injustice everywhere in the world...

Iraq will wait and see

"Honourable president and members of the UN Security Council, we have not intended to offend any of you with our words, which you might think hurt your feelings.

"It never occurred to us to harm any one of you personally. Rather, we mean to honour your peoples and nations... We wanted to draw your attention to bitter facts about the evil deeds of the barbarians who belong to the Security Council, the feebleness of the weak, and the inability of those who have influence to realise their influence and use it as they should.

"We wanted to tell you emphatically in the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate: To those against whom war is made, permission is given to fight because they are wronged, and verily Allah is most powerful in their aid.

"The inability of the Iraqi people to see a lifting of the sanctions after eight years and despite their sacrifices through their co-operation with the United Nations Security Council and the special commission (Unscom - the commission supervising Iraqi weapons inspections) will lead to dire consequences.

Despite all of this, our moral, constitutional and humanitarian responsibility calls on us to wait and see how the Security Council will behave after this message of ours."

BBC Monitoring (http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk), based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.