Saddam attacks sanctions move

Saddam Hussein accused the U.S. and UK of 'wicked' plans

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has accused the U.S. and Britain of seeking "wicked" plans against Iraq.

Hussein made his claim on Sunday after the two United Nations Security Council members failed in their bid to overhaul the 11-year-old U.N. sanctions regime against Iraq, Reuters said.

Separately, the official news agency INA said Iraq was conducting talks with the U.N. on a memorandum that would enable it to resume oil exports under the "oil-for-food" program for another five months.

INA quoted Iraq's U.N. envoy as saying he hoped the deal could be signed within days.

Iraq halted oil exports on June 4 in protest at U.S.-British efforts to revamp the "oil-for-food" scheme.

Last week, the U.N. Security Council approved another routine five-month extension without mentioning U.S.-British initiatives, which Iraq took as a political victory.

The U.S.-British "smart sanctions" would have eased civilian imports to Iraq while tightening controls on Iraq's oil imports to its neighbours and prohibited weapons.

However, Hussein was quoted by Iraq newspapers on Sunday as saying: "The unjust (rulers) who rely on vicious power...will look for more wicked methods (against Iraq).

"They will be defeated as they were defeated in previous battles."

Iraq and Russia believe the U.S.-British proposal was meant to introduce new sanctions on Iraq rather than relax them.

Iraq has long demanded that sanctions imposed for its 1990 invasion of Kuwait be abolished.