Top Iraqi aide rejects Bush’s terms

IRAQ was on course for a showdown with America after one of Saddam Hussein’s closest aides said yesterday that Baghdad did not accept President Bush’s conditions.

Tariq Aziz, one of Saddam Hussein’s most trusted lieutenants, also dismissed the return of UN weapons inspectors and made a US-led attack on Iraq more likely.

The White House said that Aziz’s rejection meant that Iraq had “something to hide”.