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Bush cautious on handing over Saddam
Iraqi official says ex-dictator could be charged soon
The Associated Press
Updated: 12:11 p.m. ET June 15, 2004

WASHINGTON - President Bush said Tuesday the United States will turn over former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to the new Iraqi interim government but declined to set a timetable, saying “appropriate security” must be in place first.

Neither the United States nor the new Iraq government wants there “to be lax security and for Saddam Hussein to not stand trial,” Bush said in response to a reporter's question.

Speaking at a Rose Garden news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Bush also said it will be up to the new Iraqi government to determine what to do about radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

“The interim Iraqi government will deal with al-Sadr as they see fit,” Bush said. “They will deal with him appropriately.”

Charges by June 30?
Earlier Tuesday, a senior Iraqi official said Iraqi authorities hope to file criminal charges against Saddam and others in the former regime before the June 30 transfer of sovereignty.

Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said Saddam and other detainees would be transferred to Iraqi authorities in the next two weeks. Allawi said Saddam would stand trial “as soon as possible” but gave no specifics on timing.

“I suspect that there will be an arrest warrant filed not only against Saddam but also against the other high-ranking officials before June 30,” said Salem Chalabi, the official in charge of setting up a tribunal to charge members of the ousted regime.

“We have been working quite hard in the last few days on that, believe me,” Chalabi said.

Chalabi said that he believes Iraqi authorities will have grounds for holding Saddam if and when he is handed over by the Americans, who have been holding the former dictator at an undisclosed location in Iraq since he was arrested in December.

Saddam’s status has been under discussion as the U.S.-led occupation’s end approaches.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has indicated that under international law, Saddam must be charged or released after the formal end of the occupation since he was detained as a prisoner of war.

Interim President Ghazi al-Yawer said Bush was eager to hand over Saddam, but Iraq must have adequate security guarantees in place before taking custody.

“Even President Bush himself was asking me,” al-Yawer said after returning from the Group of Eight summit in Sea Island, Ga. “The United States is very keen to hand over the ex-president to the Iraqi authorities.”

Al-Yawer cautioned there must be adequate security for Saddam.

“We must first make sure that we can maintain protection for his life until he goes to trial,” al-Yawer said. “We must make sure that the trial goes as a legal process, he has his own fair chance of defense and the government has its own chance.”

U.S. looking for 'appropriate time'
Coalition spokesman Dan Senor said the United States wanted Saddam tried by an Iraqi court and that talks were under way to determine how and when.

“I wouldn’t call them negotiations,” Senor said. “I would call them discussions. Both sides have an interest in handing over Saddam Hussein to the Iraqis. The only matter is when is the appropriate time. That is something we are discussing with the prime minister right now.”

White House press secretary Scott McClellan also said the United States is discussing Saddam’s transfer with the interim government.

“We have previously made it clear that he will be turned over to face justice from the Iraqi people at the appropriate time. That’s still the case,” he said.

U.S. officials have said they plan to continue to hold up to 5,000 prisoners deemed a threat to the coalition even after the restoration of Iraqi sovereignty at the end of this month. They say as many as 1,400 detainees will either be released or transferred to Iraqi authorities.

The 6-month-old Iraqi Special Tribunal which Chalabi is organizing has struggled to put appropriate security safeguards in place.

War crimes experts have cautioned that as long as violence prevails in Iraq, the trial of Saddam and at least 100 others suspected of committing atrocities against the Iraqi people should wait — unless a foreign venue can be found.

Judges have refused to work for the tribunal after five potential candidates were killed since Saddam was toppled from power last year. Tens of millions of dollars have been spent on security alone.

© 2004 The Associated Press.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5209099/

Should we keep him here, or release him back to Iraq?