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Deadline passes with Baghdad standing fast

Countdown to war
WASHINGTON, Jan 16: White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater today issued a personal appeal to US journalists to leave Iraq, saying that war "could begin at any time." reports Reuter.
"I advise all who can leave Iraq to do so at once," he said.
Asked why he was making the unusual appeal. Fitzwater said: "These are people that I know and like., my little part here Is to let you know this is a serious situation".
The deadline for Iraq to pull its forces out of Kuwait passed with Baghdad standing fast Wednesday and more than 680,000 US and allied troops ready to begin a new countdown to war.
Barring an Iraqi attack, the start of a Gulf war after the deadline of midnight New York time (0500 GMT Wednesday) lay In the hands of US President George Bush and allied leaders.
In Baghdad, the authoritative Iraqi army daily "Al-Qadessiya” said in an editorial that the Iraqi soldiers were prepared to go to the most honourable war in history.
President Saddam Hussein will directly command the Iraqi forces in the battle against the US-led multinational forces in the Gulf. National Assembly Speaker Sadi Mehdi Saley said today.
The newspaper earlier declared that a 'furnace of hell' awaited anyone trying to dislodge President Saddam Hussein's 545,000 troops from Kuwait. Facing Iraqi forces were thousands of combat aircraft, scores of warships and some of the world's most sophisticated weapons, spearheaded by 415,000 US troops.
The US Defence Department said Iraqi forces in Kuwait were continuing to dig in against the multinational force, which included 35,000 troops from Britain, 10,000 from France, 150,500 from Saudi Arabia and 38,500 from Egypt.
US television network NBC said Tuesday night that 24 B-52 bombers had been moved to bases in a Gulf country. it did not identify.
Baghdad's shouts of defiance combined with a worldwide clamour of last-minute appeals to Saddam and antiwar protests. Despite that residents are fleeing both Baghdad and Tel Aviv.
Perez's last appeal
At a packed news conference six hours before the deadline expired, UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar made a final appeal to Saddam to withdraw his troops and avert war. He assured Iraq that once it begins a decisive withdrawal, its forces would not be attacked.
He said he also had promises from the highest levels of government that with the crisis over, every effort will be made to address, in a comprehensive manner, the Arab-Israeli conflict, including the Palestinian question.
That links the Gulf crisis with the Palestinian issue, a connection the Iraqi President sought and the United States and Britain opposed.
Bush was described as resolute and at peace with himself. A spokeswoman said he apparently was asleep In the White House when the deadline expired.
The White House issued a brief statement immediately after the deadline expired, reiterating earlier US pronouncements: "January 15 was a day for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait. It was not a deadline for UN action. The choice for peace remains with Saddam Hussein." ,
Iraqi state TV said Saddam visited the front in occupied Kuwait on Tuesday he also loured military zones around Kuwait and the Iraqi city of Basra, just north of the Emirate.
Saddam repeated that Iraq would not withdraw from Kuwait.
Iraq's US Ambassador. Mohamed Sadiq al-Mashat. left Washington with several aides Tuesday night on his way to London and then Baghdad. Four other Iraqi diplomats will remain at the embassy.
Besides. France's Lower House of Parliament today overwhelmingly approved French military action if war breaks out in the Gulf.
Reuter reports from Moscow: Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Belonogov told Parliament today that Moscow was pursuing intensive diplomatic contacts with Iraq, urging it to show even "minimum flexibility" to avert war.