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I�m still president � Saddam
A defiant Saddam Hussein, brought before an Iraqi court for a landmark appearance to face capital charges on Thursday, jabbed his finger at his accusers and refused to sign legal papers recognising the process.
�I am the president of Iraq and I am an Iraqi,� the detained dictator said when asked to confirm his identity at the hearing, which took place inside one of his former palaces, now a sprawling United States military base.
�Bush (US President) is a villain, all of this is theatre. It is for his re-election,� the Agence France Presse quoted the ousted despot as saying.
The arraignment of Saddam before judges that are all Iraqi marked the dawn of the day of reckoning for the deposed Iraqi president.
He was transported to the courtroom in an armoured bus, flanked by four Humvees and an ambulance, after being flown there in a helicopter.
Upon arrival, he was led in chains and handcuffs into a building by two Iraqi prison guards, while six more guards stood to attention at the door.
The shackles were taken off before he stepped into the courtroom.
During the hearing, an unrepentant Saddam looked around and made hand gestures at the judge as seven charges were read out against him.
The charges relate to:
� the gassing of the Kurds in Halabja in 1988;
� the violent suppression of the 1991 Shiite uprising; � mass graves of Kurds and Shiites after the 1991 Gulf War;
� the launching of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war;
� the 1990 invasion of Kuwait;
� massacre of members of the Kurdish Barzani tribe in the 1980s;and
� the Religious Shiite leaders killed between 1980 and 1999.
Questioning the court�s jurisdiction, Saddam refused to concede that he invaded Kuwait.
�How can you as an Iraqi say the invasion of Kuwait when Kuwait is an Iraqi territory. It was not an invasion,� he told the judge.
Dressed in a grey pinstripe jacket and white shirt open at the collar, Saddam had clearly lost weight since his capture last December. His beard was greying but much tidier than the dishevelled growth he sported in last year�s images.
Speaking in a hoarse voice, he questioned the jurisdiction of the tribunal.
Before the hearing ended, Saddam was presented with a document to sign to acknowledge that he understood what was going on, understood the charges and that his rights had been read but the former Iraqi president refused to sign it.
He was then taken back to jail, while the charges were read out one-by-one against the 11 other accused.
The other senior members of his regime included former Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz; and Saddam�s first cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid, better known as �Chemical Ali�.
The faces of those involved, except for Saddam and the aides, were deliberately made to appear obscured to guard against any attack by supporters of the ousted despot.
The judges at the trial are all Iraqi, said Deputy Foreign Minister Hamid al-Bayati.
�Saddam was responsible for two devastating wars against Kuwait and Iran and this will be one of the main elements of this trial,� Bayati told journalists in Baghdad.
A member of Saddam�s 20-strong defence team, Mohammed Rashdan, told the British Broadcasting Corporation Today programme that they had been denied access to their client.
He also alleged that they had received death threats from the Iraqi Interim Government.
Iraq�s new National Security Adviser, Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, has, however, insisted the process would not be a show trial.
�As an Iraqi Interim Government, we promise our people and the Arab World and the outside world, we promise that Saddam will stand a fair trial,� he said in a BBC interview.
The government is considering restoring the death penalty and Mr Rubaie said Saddam Hussein could face execution if convicted.
The full trials may not get under way until next year as many issues still need to be resolved and could take months or even years.
The Coalition Provisional Authority has identified more than 250 mass graves, but as yet there have been no full forensic exhumations and investigations are being hampered by the lack of security on the ground.
But the interim government dismissed such concerns, insisting that the evidence was already overwhelming.
Meanwhile, the bounty on the head of Abu Musal al-Zarqawi, the accused terrorist mastermind in Iraq, has been raised to $25 million.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell had authorised the increase, from the previous reward of $10 million for Zarqawi�s capture or conviction, a State Department spokesman said on Wednesday.
�Zarqawi has had a long-standing connection to the senior leadership of al Qaeda. His organization has committed numerous atrocities in Iraq in recent months, including the barbaric murder of American citizen, Nick Berg,� spokesman Adam Ereli said in a statement.
Zarqawi is also blamed for dozens of attacks on coalition forces and Iraqi civilians.
His terror network has claimed responsibility for strikes on police and security forces in Iraq last week that left around 100 dead.
He is also believed to be behind the beheading of two hostages in Iraq, an American and a South Korean.
�The United States is determined to bring him to justice for his crimes. We encourage anyone with information on Zarqawi�s location to contact U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, any U.S. military commander or other U.S. official in Iraq, any U.S. embassy, mission, or consulate, or the Rewards for Justice staff via e-mail at [email protected],� the statement read.
The reward for the capture of Saddam was also $25 million.
That�s also the amount offered for al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden.
The PUNCH, July 02, 2004
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