Red Cross expects to visit prisoner of war Saddam

Reuters ^ | 12/15/03

[areafiftyone]

GENEVA (Reuters) - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Monday that Saddam Hussein should be treated like any other prisoner of war and that it expected to be able to visit him.

"The ICRC should have access to all persons protected by the Geneva conventions, including prisoners of war," the Swiss-based agency said in a brief statement.

U.S.-led troops who toppled Saddam, 66, in April captured him on Saturday in a dirt hole near his hometown of Tikrit.

The U.S. commander in Iraq, Lieutenant-General Ricardo Sanchez, said he was being accorded all the rights of a prisoner of war. "We are going to treat him humanely, we are going to treat him according to the Geneva Conventions," he told CNN.

The conventions on the treatment of prisoners of war say the ICRC must be given access to them, but do not say how soon after their capture this must happen.

The ICRC declined to comment on whether television pictures showing a bearded and dirty Saddam shortly after his capture amounted to a violation of the conventions, which prohibit the exposing of prisoners to "public curiosity."

"We do not wish to enter into a public debate on this," the ICRC said, adding that if it had any misgivings these would be expressed directly to Washington.

The third Geneva convention states that prisoners of war can be moved from one country to another, so the United States would not be breaching the conventions by moving Saddam out of Iraq.

[nuffsenuff]

Can we make sure the idiots from the Red Cross don't tip off Saddam as to the kind of info we are looking for from him, please?

[ConservativeMan55]

I'd like to plant a red cross right between his eyes.

[Mo1]

Didn't the Red Cross run from Iraq?

[Porterville]

And I want to be King of the world because, after all, I am Neapolitan.

[Consort]

Is he technically a POW?

[areafiftyone]

Hey I am Italian that means I am Queen of the Universe.

[areafiftyone]

I think Rummy said today that he would be treated like one.

[Porterville]

I love the strawberry, (damn spell check)

[Porterville]

Spell check got me, it was suppose to be a man, not a region or a flavor of ice cream.. but it is a MIGHTY ICE CREAM!!

[Diogenesis]

[mystery-ak]

It would be nice if the RC would take some of the goodies sent to Walter Reed and distribute them to our wounded soldiers.....

[areafiftyone]

ROFLMAO

[thatdewd]

Since the Red Cross is so concerned about POWs, they should ask saddam what he did with Capt. Scott Speicher.

[Bikers4Bush]

The red cross has gotten far too big for its britches.

[kayak]

BINGO!!!!!!!!!

[Lazamataz]

Red Cross expects to visit prisoner of war Saddam

I don't see why not. Let's head off the Amnesty International people now.

[verity]

"...but do not say how soon after their capture this must happen."

Not until the twelvth of never.

[areafiftyone]

It's going the same way the United Way went down the tubes.