Saddam Husayn's son thinks aim of American military action against Iraq is oil

Saddam Husayn's elder son, Udei, believes that "the hidden aim of American war against Iraq is oil". He said this at a meeting with leaders of Iraqi student and youth unions, a RIA Novosti correspondent reports.

In his speech, which was published on Saturday in the Iraqi newspaper Babil, the president's son said that Iraq's oil reserves "are 25 per cent higher than Saudi Arabia's, which ranks Iraq first in the world." The Iraqi president's elder son said that Baghdad "is ready for dialogue with the US" if Washington is ready "to respect our rights and sovereignty." "The first good news," according to him, is a statement by spokesmen for the Bush administration that the aim of the US is "Saddam Husayn, his family and entourage". This means, Udei noted, that "they will not this time destroy power stations, water supply facilities, schools, dwelling houses, nor will kill children, old people and women." Udei denied foreign media reports that some time ago he had visited Moscow.

It was earlier reported that people close to Saddam Husayn approached some countries which could receive the Iraqi president's family in case of an unfavourable development of the situation inside the country.