BAGHDAD, Iraq – Judicial proceedings will begin next week against some of the most senior leaders under former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s interim prime minister said Tuesday in a surprising announcement that put the past government’s crimes before a country preparing for elections Jan. 30.
The proceedings are not expected to be the formal start of the trials for war crimes and crimes against humanity, but rather an investigative hearing for two of Hussein’s 11 colleagues in U.S. custody. Hussein, captured a year ago Monday and held at a base near Baghdad’s airport, is not expected to be among those brought before the hearing.
The date was a surprise, coming just six weeks before the nationwide vote. Iraqi officials say the actual trials will not get underway until 2005, although next week’s hearing is sure to rekindle grim memories of Hussein’s 35-year rule.
“I can now tell you clearly and specifically that next week, God willing, the trials of the symbols of the former regime will start, one by one so that justice can take its course in Iraq,” Prime Minister Ayad Allawi told Iraq’s interim National Council.
Allawi did not specify who would face the hearing, but the deputy prime minister, Barham Salih, said last month that among the first to appear would be Watban Ibrahim Hassan, Hussein’s half brother, and Ali Hassan Majeed, one of Hussein’s closest confidants, who earned the nickname “Chemical Ali” for overseeing chemical weapons attacks that killed thousands of Iraqi Kurds in the 1980s.
Allawi also announced the arrest of a cousin of Saddam’s, Izzi-Din Mohammed Hassan al-Majid, who fled Iraq in 1995 and was granted indefinite leave to remain in Britain in 2000. He was arrested in Fallujah and will be put on trial as soon as possible, Allawi said.
Also Tuesday, a car bomb was detonated for the second time in two days near an entrance to the Green Zone, the sprawling, fortified compound along the Tigris river that houses the U.S. Embassy and offices of the Iraqi government. U.S. military officials said seven Iraqis were killed. There were no U.S. casualties.
The U.S. military discovered eight more bodies in Mosul, bringing the number of bodies found there since Nov. 10 to more than 150. Initially peaceful after the U.S.-led invasion in Iraq, Mosul has become a worrisome trouble spot since the American and Iraqi militaries invaded the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah in November.
Poland announced Tuesday that it will cut its troop strength in Iraq by nearly a third in February as part of long-standing plans to reduce its presence. The 2,400-member contingent will be cut to 1,700, with 700 soldiers remaining on standby in Poland, Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski said in Warsaw.
At Camp Liberty in western Baghdad, about 1,000 soldiers took a break Tuesday from the war’s day-to-day grind to be entertained by comedian Robin Williams, former NFL quarterback John Elway, and sportscaster and model Leeann Tweeden.
Former Denver Broncos great Elway said he thought twice about making the Baghdad trip, considering the worsening security situation.
“But once my kids told me that it’d be a great idea, I knew it was the right thing,” he said before showing off his trademark quarterback skills by tossing several balls into a crowd of clambering soldiers.
“I’m not funny, I’m not pretty, but I can sure throw a ball,” he said.
Williams was tackled into autographing dozens of photos of himself, posing for pictures and displaying his rapid-fire humor.
U.S. Army photo
Comedian Robin Williams greets troops Tuesday at the Camp Liberty Post Exchange in Baghdad, Iraq. Williams was on a USO tour with football great John Elway and sportscaster-model Leeann Tweeden.
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