Iraqi domestic television showed footage of President Saddam Hussein on Wednesday, smiling and laughing with members of his cabinet. Saddam was wearing military uniform in the footage. The president and his ministers appeared to be in a bare, closed room, with no windows or curtains. Iraqi television earlier reported that Saddam had chaired a meeting of top officials, including his two sons Uday and Qusay.

In the past 24 hours, as U.S. and British planes bombarded Baghdad for a 14th day, two messages attributed to Saddam were read out on Iraqi television, one by a presenter and one by a minister.

There has been intense speculation about Saddam's fate since U.S. bombs targeted him on the first night of the war on March 20. Long obsessed with his own security, Saddam, 65, hardly ever appears in public or on live television.

State television has shown Saddam addressing the nation twice since then, and also shown him in meetings with his top officials and his two sons.

In an interview with France 2 television recorded earlier on Wednesday, Uday al-Taei, a senior information ministry official, said: "He is still alive, he is in our hearts, he is our president."

Asked what proof he had of that, he added: "It is not a question of proof. This is what I am telling."

In a message read on Tuesday by Iraq's information minister, Saddam said jihad (a just war) was a religious duty and he urged his people to fight invading U.S. and British troops.

"Hit them. Fight them. They are evil aggressors damned by God. You are victorious and they are defeated," the message said.

Early on Wednesday, a second statement read on Iraq's satellite channel quoted Saddam as saying: "Victory is within our reach... we have used only one third of our army or even less while the criminals have used up all of the forces they brought to commit aggression against Iraq."

A television presenter said Saddam was offering a 10 million dinar (approx. 3,120) reward for anyone catching an enemy agent or providing information that led to their capture

PHOTO CAPTION

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is shown in this television image shown on Iraqi television April 2, 2003. (Reuters Television/Reuters)