"I swear by the almighty God, my honour and my belief to preserve Iraq's independence and territorial integrity and to protect the republican system and principles of the great July 17 revolution," Saddam said, choked with tears.

After the oath-taking, Saddam was presented with a sword and a giant pencil as gifts by Iraq's number two Ezzat Ibrahim, vice chairman of the all-powerful Revolutionary Command Council (RCC).

Saddam went on to deliver a speech before the participants in the ceremony, most of whom were senior members of the ruling Arab Baath Socialist Party and the National Assembly.

During his 40-minute speech, Saddam compared the conflict between Baghdad and Washington as one between good and evil and urged Iraqis to be ready for a major war.

"Saving the world from the evils of the American administration ... will spare the peoples of the United States the animosities, tragedies and sacrifices created by their administrations, especially the current administration," he said.

The Iraqi president said "the Iraqi question is no longer a question which only concerns Iraqis. It is no longer an Arab question, it is henceforth at the center of the struggle between good and evil," he stressed.

Saddam accused the US administration of being "a puppet in the hands of the Zionist lobby", urging Washington "to reconsider its policies".

The speech was addressed to "the great people of Iraq, the Arab nation and the free men of the world," the official Iraqi News Agency reported earlier Thursday.

According to an official announcement of Wednesday, the incumbent Iraqi president won 100 percent of votes in a nationwide referendum on his new presidential term.

The president, who has been in power since 1979, called the result a "glorious victory over the enemies."

( October 18, 2002)