Saddam won unanimous support from his loyal deputies, who pledged in emergency session here to shed their blood in his defence and insisted he would never bow to US pressure to leave the country.

"History will recall how the people of Iraq, under the glorious leadership of Saddam Hussein, inflicted a lesson on the worthless," they said in a statement approved by every MP present.

"Saddam Hussein is the guarantor of our future," said the deputies, adding that "the defeat of the evil aggressors will serve as an example."

They also sent Saddam a letter saying they were ready to become "martyrs" to defend the nation. Most of Iraq's 250 MPs were in attendance at the session.

US President George W. Bush has given Saddam and his two sons until early Thursday Baghdad time to flee the country or face war.

"This can never happen," said the speaker of parliament, Saadun Hammadi. "He is at his best. He will fight and guide our country to victory."

Hammadi told the packed chamber: "We reject and condemn this insolence and this aggression ... Iraq cannot accept dictated orders, and even less so coming from the US administration."

Several deputies read poems to the glory of Saddam while others chanted: "Iraq is Saddam and Saddam is Iraq," and: "We will not abandon Iraq or Saddam."

The Iraqi leader on Tuesday rejected the ultimatum as "despicable" and vowed any war would be "the last battle of aggression undertaken by America against the Arabs."

State television has since Tuesday been showing popular demonstrations in support of Saddam, which it said were being held across the country as Iraq braces for a second US-led war since 1991.

More than 250,000 US and British troops are poised on Iraq's outskirts waiting to attack, with ground troops on the ready in Kuwait, a naval armada in the Gulf and warplanes stationed in nearby Gulf countries.

The Iraqi leadership on Tuesday rejected the US ultimatum for Saddam and his sons Uday and Qusay to go into exile and pledged victory over the United States in the nation's "last battle."

The rejection came from a joint meeting of the ruling Baath Party and the decision-making body, the Revolution Command Council, chaired by Saddam, state television reported.

The White House announced on Tuesday that US forces would invade the country to hunt for weapons of mass destruction even if Saddam stands down.

Iraq, which says it no longer has any weapons of mass destruction, rejected Bush's deadline as "despicable."

"This battle will be Iraq's last battle against the tyrannous villains and the last battle of aggression undertaken by America against the Arabs," Saddam declared Tuesday.

The United States says it has the support of a "coalition of the willing" of 45 nations although 15 of them refuse to be named publicly.

Bush huddled with top national security aides Tuesday to study war plans and called British Prime Minister Tony Blair, his closest ally in the crisis, who has faced a damaging party rebellion over Iraq.

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