 BRUSSELS - Iraqâs justice minister on Tuesday accused the United States of trying to delay Iraqi efforts to interrogate Saddam Hussain, saying, âit seems there are lots of secrets they want to hide.â But Abdel Hussein Shandal told The Associated Press he was confident investigators would wrap up the case against Saddam by the end of the year, underlining the Iraqi governmentâs determination to try the ousted leader soon.
| "Them boys is gettin' itchy, sheriff! Purdy soon somebody's gonna holler 'get a rope!' an' somebody's gonna get one!" |
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said later Tuesday he had hoped the trial would take place âsoonerâ than the end of the year. âThe sooner he is brought to justice the better,â he told reporters during a visit Tuesday to NATO. âThis will have an impact on the security situation - positively.â
| I bet that's true. It will suck the oxygen out of the home-grown Ba'athists. |
The US Embassy in Baghdad said in a statement Tuesday that âIraq has an independent judiciary that investigates and tries crimes according to Iraqi law. This is an Iraqi process run by the Iraqis, and the United States supports that process.â Shandal later acknowledged he had no say in the timing of the trial. But he reiterated his confidence that the investigation would be completed by the end of the year, followed by a quick trial.
| I think they should read up on how the Italians handled Mussolini. That investigation, trial, verdict, sentence, appeal, and execution went pretty quick. I think the whole process took about a half hour... |
The Americans privately have urged caution about rushing into a trial, saying Iraq must develop a good court and judicial system - one of the main topics of discussion at the conference in Brussels, Belgium. An official at the press office of the Iraqi Special Tribunal overseeing the court proceedings in Baghdad stressed it was an independent body and was not bound by the ministerâs comments. He said no date had been set for Saddamâs trial. âThe interrogation of Saddam is taking place regularly and almost daily and neither the justice minister, nor the Americans, have anything to do with it because the IST is an independent court,â the official said. âSaddamâs trial will start as soon as the investigation finishes.â The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns, also said events are taking place in stages and as scheduled. Shandal alleged that US officials are trying deliberately to limit access to Saddam because they have their own secrets to protect, including funneling money and support to the Iraqi leader during his rule. âIt seems there are lots of secrets they want to hide,â Shandal said.
| I expect the Democratic Underground will jump all over that one. |
âThere should be transparency and there should be frankness, but there are secrets that if revealed, wonât be in the interest of many countries,â he said. âWho was helping Saddam all those years?â
| France, Germany, Russia, China, Kofi, Koko ... |
Zebari, responding to questions about Saddamâs trial, said investigators already have âan abundance of evidence of the crimes of Saddam ... we donât need any further evidence.â He said Saddam should get âa fair trial, a transparent trial that would give him the justice which he denied us.â
| Should take, oh, a day or so. |
Saddam has been interrogated by the Iraqi tribunal, which recently released a video of his questioning - without sound. The tribunal, which was appointed by the now-defunct US-led Coalition Provisional Authority, has released a total of three such videotapes showing the ousted dictator and two others giving testimony and signing statements before the panel. The tribunal also stressed its independence from the government. âAny date to start the trials belongs to the judges,â the tribunal said in a June 6 statement. Shandal acknowledged that no trial date would be set until interrogators complete their investigation and send their findings to the tribunal, which then will set a date. But he said he was confident that would happen before the end of the year. The case must not drag into 2006, he said. |