U.S. said delaying Saddam interrogations
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-06-22 00:41

Iraq's justice minister on Tuesday accused the United States of trying to delay Iraqi efforts to interrogate Saddam Hussein, saying "it seems there are lots of secrets they want to hide."

Justice Minister Abdel Hussein Shandal also told The Associated Press he was confident that Saddam's trial on war crimes charges would be over by the end of the year, underlining the Iraqi government's determination to try the ousted leader soon.

"This trial will be accomplished within 2005 — and this will only be in Iraqi courts," he said in an interview on the sidelines of an international conference on his country's future.

U.S. officials had no immediate comment on Shandal's remarks, but the Americans privately have urged caution about rushing into a trial, saying the Iraqis need to develop a good court and judicial system — one of the main topics of discussion at the conference in Brussels, Belgium.

An official at the press office of the Iraqi Special Tribunal that is overseeing the court proceedings in Baghdad stressed it was an independent body and was not bound by the minister's comments. He said no date had been set for Saddam's trial.

"The interrogation of Saddam is taking place regularly and almost daily and neither the justice minister, nor the Americans, have anything to do with it because the IST is an independent court," the official said. "Saddam's trial will start as soon as the investigation finishes."

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns, also said things are taking place in stages and as scheduled."

Saddam, 68, has been jailed under American control at a U.S. military detention complex near Baghdad airport named Camp Cropper, which holds 110 high-profile detainees.

But Shandal alleged that U.S. officials deliberately are trying to limit access to Saddam because they have their own secrets to protect, including funneling money and support to Iraqi leader during his rule.

"It seems there are lots of secrets they want to hide," Shandal said.

"There should be transparency and there should be frankness, but there are secrets that if revealed, won't be in the interest of many countries," he said. "Who was helping Saddam all those years?"

Shandal said he was speaking with the authority of a Cabinet minister who personally nominated several of the judges on the tribunal and was in close contact with the investigators.

Saddam has been interrogated by the Iraqi tribunal, which recently released a video of his questioning — without sound.

The tribunal, which was appointed by the now-defunct U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority, has released a total of three such videotapes showing the ousted dictator and two others giving testimony and signing statements before the panel.

The tribunal in the past has criticized government officials, including Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari's spokesman, Laith Kuba, for suggesting that a timetable had been set. Kuba said in early June that Saddam's trial would start in two months.

The tribunal also has sought to stress its independence from the government. "Any date to start the trials belongs to the judges," the tribunal said in a June 6 statement.

U.S. officials say Iraqis will decide on Saddam's trial but there are concerns that a trial could interfere with the key process of writing a constitution and inflame sectarian tensions. The Iraqi government must finish a draft by mid-August so they can hold a referendum on the charter ahead of December elections for a full-term government.

Shandal acknowledged Tuesday that no trial date would be set until interrogators complete their investigation and send their findings to the tribunal, which then will set a date. But he said he was confident it would be completed before the end of the year.

Saddam was captured in December 2003. He and 11 of his top lieutenants will be tried by the tribunal, which was set up in late 2003 after Saddam was toppled.

"Now we are in the process of interrogation. The process requires collecting evidence ... and we need a lot of evidence, a lot of interrogations," Shandal said.

Saddam faces charges that include killing rival politicians over 30 years, gassing Kurds in the northern town of Halabja in 1988, invading Kuwait in 1990, and suppressing Kurdish and Shiite uprisings in 1991. Shandal said he also would face charges related to the destruction of Iraq's infrastructure.

If convicted, he faces the death penalty.