Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan called Thursday US President George W. Bush a criminal, the day after Bush said he was deeply worried by the situation in Iraq.
"The American president is a criminal, a man known throughout the world for his threats and aggressions against this and that country after his election as head of the American administration," Ramadan said.
Ramadan was speaking as he received his Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Thi Binh, who is on a visit to Iraq.
"Iraq refuses to be a satellite of the U.S. and will continue to confront with the U.S. until victory is achieved," Ramadan was quoted by the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) as saying during his meeting with visiting Vietnamese Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh.
On Wednesday, Bush said he was "deeply concerned" about Iraq, adding that all freedom-loving peoples should be equally worried.
"I'm deeply concerned about Iraq, so should the American people be concerned about Iraq, and so should people who love freedom be concerned about Iraq," Bush said.
"I will not allow a nation such as Iraq to threaten our very future by developing weapons of mass destruction," he insisted.
Ramadan expressed appreciation for the stance of the Vietnamese government which has been calling for lifting the sanctions on Iraq, adding that Vietnam holds the first place with whom Iraq wants to develop ties.
For her part, Nguyen Thi Binh voiced Vietnam's opposition of all hostile acts against Iraq and said Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity should be respected.
Moreover, "The visit is to express solidarity and support for the struggle of the Iraqi people," she was quoted as saying.
The Vietnamese vice president, heading a large delegation, arrived in the Iraqi capital earlier Thursday for a four-day visit.
After arrival at Baghdad's Saddam International Airport, Nguyen Thi Binh said Vietnam hopes to strengthen economic and trade relations with Iraq as the cooperation between the two countries has been moving continuously.
Ramadan received the Vietnamese official at the airport and expressed Iraq's keenness to boost ties with Vietnam to serve bilateral interests.
"Directives have been given to ministries to grant priority to Vietnamese companies for contracts signed within the framework of the U.N. oil-for-food deal," said Ramadan while meeting with Hao Thi Cao, head of a Vietnam's state-owned food company in January. (Albawaba.com)
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