Saddam Hussein has insisted that Iraq does not have missiles that go beyond the permitted range, set after the 1991 Gulf War. He was speaking to Dan Rather of CBS News, his first TV interview with a US journalist in almost a decade. Rather said the Iraqi leader thereby indicated that he would defy UN orders to destroy them. However, a top Iraqi official on Tuesday said the UN's demand was still being studied. Chief weapons inspector Hans Blix has told Iraq to begin destroying the medium range al-Samoud II missiles by Saturday. Saddam Hussein's apparent defiance comes as the Security Council is set for intense consultations over whether to give the go-ahead for military action against Baghdad or allow more time for inspections.

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