Posted on 01/17/2004 4:31:41 PM PST by Libloather
Saddam fails to enlighten captors, readying for trial: Powell
Fri Jan 16,11:39 AM ET
LONDON (AFP) - Saddam Hussein has failed to provide his US captors with much useful information and is preparing to justify his actions as Iraqi leader at any trial he might face, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said.
"He hasn't told us a great deal", Powell told Britain's Sky News over a month after Saddam's capture as he cowered in a hole in the ground near his home town of Tikrit in northern Iraq (news - web sites) on December 13.
"He's speaking but he hasn't given us a great deal of information or intelligence that's useful yet," he said.
The former Iraqi leader is aware of his predicament and readying himself for the prospect of a trial, which officials have said could take place in Iraq within six months, Powell said.
"He's someone who knows the trouble he's in, he knows he's going to stand trial," he said.
"I think he's trying to protect himself and justify his despicable actions during the time that he was the dictator of Iraq," he added.
Powell's comments came a week after the Pentagon declared Saddam an enemy prisoner of war, ending uncertainty and confusion as to the legal status of the deposed Iraqi leader.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has put in a request to visit Saddam, who is entitled to such visits under the Geneva Convention.
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