Iraqis Seek Hussein Trial

Iraq will ask the United States to revoke former President Saddam Hussein’s status as a prisoner of war and hand him to the Iraqis for trial, the nation’s foreign minister said Sunday.

Hoshyar Zebari said in Kuwait that a new Iraqi government would request that Hussein be “handed over to the Iraqi justice.” Zebari was speaking at the end of a two-day meeting with counterparts from neighboring countries.

“We have agreed with the United States and the coalition forces that whenever we are ready as Iraqis, and especially after we regain power ... we will demand changing Saddam’s status as a prisoner of war,” he said.

Washington, which plans to transfer power to Iraqis at the end of June, declared Hussein a prisoner of war after his Dec. 13 capture because of his status as former commander in chief of Iraq’s military.

POW status under the Geneva Convention grants Hussein rights, including visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross and freedom from coercion in interrogations.

Prisoner-of-war status does not preclude prosecution or even the death penalty, but POW status would prevent Hussein from being tried simply because he led Iraq’s military. Rather, there must be evidence that he may have committed war crimes or a crime against humanity, a Red Cross spokeswoman said.