Baghdad, Jan 11: Iraqi officials expressed fears that a Pentagon decision to confer Prisoner of War status on Saddam Hussein will prevent them from putting the ousted leader on trial. However, the International Red Cross said POW status does not preclude prosecution. US officials in Baghdad sought to assure Iraqis that no deal was made to keep them from trying the ousted dictator and that Iraq will have a "substantial leadership role" when the former Iraqi President finally faces justice.
"There is no need for concern by anybody because the ultimate designation (of Saddam`s status) will be determined down the road," Dan Senor, a spokesman for the US-led occupation authority, told reporters yesterday.
On Friday, a Pentagon spokesman, Maj Michael Shavers, said the Defense Department`s top civilian lawyers have determined that Saddam is a Prisoner of War because of his status as former commander in chief of Iraq`s military.
POW status under the Geneva Conventions grants Saddam certain rights, including access to visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross and freedom from coercion of any kind during interrogations.
The Geneva agreements say POWs can be tried for crimes against humanity only by an international tribunal or the occupying power, which in Iraq is the United States.
"I am surprised by this decision," said Dara Nor al-Din, a former appeals court judge and member of Iraq`s US-backed Governing Council. "We still consider Saddam a criminal and he will be tried on this basis. This new move will be discussed thoroughly in the Governing Council." Bureau Report