FORMER mayor of New York, Rudolph Giuliani, was today due to address Yorkshire business leaders in Harrogate - after arriving at Leeds/Bradford Airport on the same day as a cousin of Saddam Hussein.

Izzi-Din Mohammed Hassan al-Majid is believed to be organising asylum applications on behalf of two of Saddam's daughters, Raghad and Rana Hussein, although the Home Office has said any such applications would be turned down.

When asked by the waiting media what he thought about the former dictator's cousin being in Britain, Mr Guiliani said: "It's a free country."

Commenting on the controversy surrounding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, he said: "We found very, very significant evidence, many, many people having been slaughtered by Saddam Hussein. I don't know what else you need.

"All of a sudden you find mass graves, you find that people have been slaughtered and killed, innocent people. You have to say to yourself you have to be proud of the coalition of the US, Britain and all the countries that liberated Iraq."

The former mayor, who won widespread praise for his role in New York after September 11, is the keynote speaker at the annual convention of business leaders, which was taking place all day today at the Yorkshire Event Centre in Harrogate.

Other speakers included Rory Bremner and Martin Bashir.

Updated: 10:46 Friday, June 06, 2003