Saddam speaks to his nation
Saddam Hussein has made a televised address to the Iraqi nation in what is being seen as an attempt to scotch rumours that he is ill.
The president talked to the nation to mark the 80th anniversary of the formation of the country's armed forces.
The speech - broadcast on television, radio and the internet - comes only days after Iraqi officials denied reports that Saddam had suffered a severe stroke or heart attack and may even be dead.
The latest rumours about the dictator's health surfaced last Sunday after he presided over the biggest military parade in Iraq since the Gulf War, which ended in 1991.
According to Iraqi opposition sources, the president suffered a severe stroke during or shortly after the parade. The rumours were fuelled when the plug was pulled on the television broadcast involving Saddam without explanation.
