Iraq Tells US Not to Count Its Chickens

By making plans for the post-war division of Iraq, the US is counting its chickens before they have hatched, according to an announcement in Baghdad by a member of the Iraqi government. Iraqi Prime Minister Tariq Aziz said that in the event of war in the Persian Gulf, US and British troops would face 'opposition the like of which has not yet been seen,' which could 'destroy any such plans.'

The Iraqi government also reacted sardonically to the announcement made today by the US authorities that they would provide the BBC and CNN with exclusive rights to broadcast live the storming of Basra, Iraq's second city. 'This is an extremely self-confident step,' a high-ranking representative of the Iraqi government told Rosbalt's correspondent. 'If the Americans lose at Basra, their defeat will be seen by the whole world.'