IRAQ: Ordinary Iraqis saw the UN weapons inspector's report as negative and predicted Washington would use it as a cover for invading the oil-rich country.
But a member of the Iraqi parliament said the report proved US and British allegations that Baghdad was developing banned weapons were baseless.
"It seems to me that Blix holds the stick from the middle, as we expected," Mr Mohammed Mudhafar al-Adhami said in Baghdad. "He could not give any evidence showing that Iraq had any weapons of mass destruction and also \ this report you will find that all the allegations of the Americans and the British were baseless."
He said the report by Dr Hans Blix included some controversial points, but added he was confident these would be eventually cleared up because Iraq was still "ready to give free access and full co-operation for the inspection teams".
Mr Adhami said the US wanted to use the report as a basis to attack Iraq. "They want to use the issue of weapons of mass destruction as an excuse to occupy our country, change our leadership and redivide the whole area."
Ordinary Iraqis who learnt of the report by watching foreign satellite television stations were fearful.
"America's pressure on Blix made him present a negative report so that it would have a pretext to launch war against Iraq," Mr Bashar Faeq (26), a canteen owner, said. "America seems to be determined on war to control oil and the region."
"I expect America to use [the report\] as an excuse to launch war and destruction on Iraq," another Iraqi said.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Yemenis, chanting slogans hostile to the United States, took to the streets of Sanaa yesterday.
"Down with Zionist crimes," "No to war, yes to peace," "No to regime change by force," the crowd chanted.
Yemen's parliament speaker Sheikh Abdullah al-Ahmar, who heads the Al-Islah Islamist group, said before the protest that the US administration was only after Iraq's oil.
"It's sad to see the US administration become a toy in the hands of a band of Zionists," he said.
"If there was a US strike on Iraq, all the other \ will be harmed despite their concessions and good relations" with Washington.