"
Not surprisingly then, at the end of the arraignment Saddam refused to sign the list of charges against him until he had a defence lawyer present.
At this point, the guards were told to take the prisoner away.
But one of them hesitated, apparently not quite knowing what to do with Saddam who, less than 18 months ago, was an all-powerful tyrant who ruled Iraq with iron hand.
Eventually, he tucked his hand under Saddam's elbows and led him away.
The arraignment was the first step towards a trial, which could help Iraq come to terms with 35 years of Baathist brutality, though it may not start for many months.
Charges against Saddam and 11 of his top lieutenants are expected to include war crimes and genocide, as well as crimes against humanity, but it is not yet clear what offences each individual will be charged with.
The judge has prepared a separate charge sheet for each one of them, Salem Chalabi, a U.S. trained lawyer who has led the work of the special tribunal said.
Saddam's arraignment took place near Baghdad airport, where the U.S. military is thought to have held the 12 men at a detention centre in solitary confinement.
Similar proceedings were to be held later in the day for his former aides, including former Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz and Hassan Ali al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali" for his alleged role in using poison gas against Kurds and Iranians.
The U.S. military handed the 12 men over to Iraqi legal custody on Wednesday, but will continue to guard them following the return of sovereignty to Iraqis on Monday.
Saddam, accused of ordering the killing and torture of thousands of people, was captured by U.S. forces in December, 2003 near his hometown of Tikrit after eight months on the run following his overthrow on April 9.
The public last glimpsed him, dishevelled and with a bushy beard, in television footage shot soon after his capture.
Kuwait has called for Saddam to be sentenced to death over Baghdad seven-month occupation of the Gulf State in 1990-91.
Many Iraqis also want Saddam to be executed, though some say they would prefer him to suffer a more protracted punishment.
"There must be a way to really make him suffer," said Kati Hamadi, a mother of three who lost her husband and brother under Saddam's rule in the 1980s and 1990s.
"Having an Iraqi trial is an excellent idea. It will expose his murderous past and let Iraqis know all the things he has to answer for, Iraqis need to hear that, she said.
Iraqi's interim government is considering restoring the death penalty, suspended during the U.S. - British occupation.
But France has restated its opposition to death penalty "under any circumstances."
On Wednesday, France called for a trial of Saddam in compliance with the international law.
We have noted that the American administration, which has acknowledge Saddam's status as war criminal, had decided to hand over the former dictator to Iraqi authorities. "This is to bring him before the courts," said Cecil Borgo, deputy spokeswomen of French Foreign Ministry.
"It is now up to the Iraqi people to judge Saddam Hussein, in a trial that must abide by the rules of international law," she said.
