According to the report, Saddam met with his two sons -- Qusay, head of the elite Republican Guard, and Uday, who runs the Fedayeen paramilitary corps.

Also at the meeting, whose date was not announced, were Defense Minister Sultan Hashem Ahmed, Abdul Tawab Mulla Howeish, minister of military industrialization, and Hamed Raja Shallah, head of air defense.

Saddam addressed two messages to the Iraqi people Tuesday without appearing on television himself, sparking fresh speculation by US and British leaders that he might have been wounded or killed in the coalition campaign.

In the first speech, read by Information Minister Mohammed Said Al-Sahhaf, Saddam promised victory to the Iraqis and urged them to join a holy war against the invaders.

In the second address dated April 1 but read out in his name by a television presenter Wednesday, he said only a third of Iraq's armed forces had engaged in battle with the US-led coalition so far.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Tuesday that Saddam's no-show on television "does raise interesting questions" but added that the US administration did not know whether he was alive or dead.

A spokesman for British Prime Minister Tony Blair said there were now fresh doubts about the authenticity of Saddam's multiple television appearances since war broke out on March 20.

"We can't reach any definitive conclusions, but Saddam's non-appearance does raise questions about the legitimacy of his other broadcasts.

SPACE.WIRE