Abu Dhabi television said on late Saturday that British and U.S. troops attacked the city of Najaf and that fierce fighting was taking place around the Shi'ite populated city. They said the head of the ruling Iraqi Baath Party, Nayef Shinkakh, was killed in the battle.

Iraqi opposition sources said the battle took place over the weekend around the northern city of Kirkuk. The opposition forces came under fire from the Iraqi Republican Guard.

The sources said the Iraqi opposition is preparing for an offensive against Saddam's troops around Kirkuk. They said the preparations and deployment are in coordination with Britain and the United States.

At the same time, the opposition has appealed to Iraqi soldiers to surrender and join the anti-Saddam forces.

But Iraqi state television has not shown either the president or his sons. Iraqi state television said Saddam chaired a meeting of his top officials on Saturday. He was quoted as saying he was satisfied with the way his forces were fighting the U.S. military.

"The president expressed his satisfaction at the performance of the Iraqi army and members of the Baath Party and Iraqi tribes," the television said.

Greek government spokesman Christos Protopapas said the country was on high alert and the Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry were closely monitoring the situation in northern Iraq. Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis is currently the head of the European Council.

Protopapas dismissed Ankara's assertion that its entry into Iraq was an attempt to prevent refugees from flooding Turkey. The Cabinet plans to call for a special session to discuss the war in Iraq.